Rating: 
Summary: Chilhood Memories on my Coffeetable
Review: Absolutely delightful. This strongest memory of my childhood is that every year, while decorating our Christmas tree, we would watch the Charlie Brown Christmas movie. This book brings back the joy and hopes of the past 20-someodd years.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for a Peanuts Fan
Review: Great Book! Goes into the details of the creation of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. It even includes sheet music for "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmas Time is Here". A must have for a Peanuts fan.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book for a Peanuts Fan
Review: Great Book! Goes into the details of the creation of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. It even includes sheet music for "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmas Time is Here". A must have for a Peanuts fan.
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable to the Peanuts fan
Review: I have wondered, sometimes, what it would be like to go through a Christmas without knowing the wonderful, brilliant cartoon "A Charlie Brown Christmas" was going to be on the air. I've never lived in such a world, nor do I think I would want to. This book is a look into the process of making what is inarguably one of the most-loved Holiday specials ever. Everything about the cartoon is in here -- from the journey to get it on the air to the dangerously abbreviated production time to the perils of casting real children to play the Peanuts gang -- the first time children played children in American animation, by the way, and some of them were too young to even read their lines. And of course, the piece de resistance, the book includes the complete screenplay, written by the brilliant Charles M. Schulz himself. A sweet, humble man, I doubt he really knew at the time how wonderful his creation was or how important it would become to so many. This is a fabulous book and seems to be designed as a companion to "Peanuts: A Golden Celebration," which was released a few years ago. Both of them are simply invaluable for anyone who loves Peanuts.
Rating:
Summary: Great piece of Charlie Brown Christmas memorabilia
Review: I purchased this book yesterday, and it's beautifully done. Includes entire script of film with glossy prints of many cells. Includes sheet music and production notes as well as many wonderful photos and reminicenses of how the film came to be. I'm enjoying it!
Rating:
Summary: Keepsake for the Serious Fan
Review: If you always wanted to see music cues or script treatment for this classic, this book is for you. Inclusions of this type are extensive. If you're looking for background, it has that, too. You won't go wrong if you're looking for the real nuts and bolts in great detail. However, if you want a little keepsake picture book, this goes into way more documentation than that. I'm very attached to the program, and enjoyed all the detail included in this book, but it will be overkill for some folks' interest level.
Rating:
Summary: Chilhood Memories on my Coffeetable
Review: In the television show, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas and helps infuse it into all the Peanuts gang. Like many people, he's a little down in the dumps over the upcoming holiday season, but with his good heart he soon finds a way to seek out Christmas in his own way by getting a real tree rather than the artificial one that Lucy sent him for. If you are like me, you have watched and enjoyed A Charlie Brown Christmas many times since it premiered in 1965. Now, you can have this experience every day with this remarkable keepsake album. Everything about the book is first-class and a joy. Do be kind to your family and friends who like Peanuts and give them this book. The book contains the whole illustrated script of the show, which brings the experience of watching the show back very literally. You also get the lyrics and music to "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy." I could hear the music in my head for days after reading the book. You can, of course, play and sing these songs for yourself, as well. There are also a lot of background sketches, story boards, and production sheets to help you understand the development and production process better. I found these to be interesting and valuable additions to the book. I also enjoyed learning more about the decision to integrate jazz and classical music into the show. The remembrances about Vince Guraldi, who wrote the music, added to my understanding of why this is a great story. To me, though, the best parts were the memories of Charles "Sparky" Schulz by producer Lee Mendelson and animator (and voice of Snoopy) Bill Melendez. This material integrates the story back into Mr. Schulz's basic religious values. You also get insights into the characters and their relation to Mr. Schulz. My favorite reference was this quote, "Charlie Brown is the way I am and Snoopy is the way I wish I could be." After you read and reread this book, I suggest you sit back and plan for how you can have the kind of Christmas that Charles Schulz wanted to encourage with this story. That will be the best benefit of all. May you always find and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Christmas Gift for Peanuts Fans
Review: In the television show, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas and helps infuse it into all the Peanuts gang. Like many people, he's a little down in the dumps over the upcoming holiday season, but with his good heart he soon finds a way to seek out Christmas in his own way by getting a real tree rather than the artificial one that Lucy sent him for. If you are like me, you have watched and enjoyed A Charlie Brown Christmas many times since it premiered in 1965. Now, you can have this experience every day with this remarkable keepsake album. Everything about the book is first-class and a joy. Do be kind to your family and friends who like Peanuts and give them this book. The book contains the whole illustrated script of the show, which brings the experience of watching the show back very literally. You also get the lyrics and music to "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy." I could hear the music in my head for days after reading the book. You can, of course, play and sing these songs for yourself, as well. There are also a lot of background sketches, story boards, and production sheets to help you understand the development and production process better. I found these to be interesting and valuable additions to the book. I also enjoyed learning more about the decision to integrate jazz and classical music into the show. The remembrances about Vince Guraldi, who wrote the music, added to my understanding of why this is a great story. To me, though, the best parts were the memories of Charles "Sparky" Schulz by producer Lee Mendelson and animator (and voice of Snoopy) Bill Melendez. This material integrates the story back into Mr. Schulz's basic religious values. You also get insights into the characters and their relation to Mr. Schulz. My favorite reference was this quote, "Charlie Brown is the way I am and Snoopy is the way I wish I could be." After you read and reread this book, I suggest you sit back and plan for how you can have the kind of Christmas that Charles Schulz wanted to encourage with this story. That will be the best benefit of all. May you always find and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas!
Rating: 
Summary: One of TV¿s worthwhile traditions-Revisited
Review: Lee Mendelson , one of the men behind all of the Peanuts cartoons, has created a tribute book for one of the most watched and appreciated Christmas specials. Inside you'll find the history of the cartoon, from its humble beginnings as an idea put forth by Coca-Cola looking for a Christmas special, to the inspired use of Vince Guaraldi's wonderful jazz, and the casting of "real" children as the voices, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS proved to be a series of fortuitous events. This is an enjoyable keepsake for fans of the show, but there is some obvious padding, I mean, 90 pages of illustrated script? The book is only 192 pages long. There are other extras, like the production sheets and Melendez's original backgrounds. They are welcome sights and it would have been nice to see more effort put into details like these. That being said I enjoyed the book, but would only recommend it if you get a break on the retail price.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting overview of the creation of a classic
Review: My earliest memories of watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, was when I was in kindergarten. I taped the show that year, and prefer my 1985 viewing over any video for sale. Even so, this book by Lee Mendelson tells us the great back story about making the story. Charles Schulz was instrumental in plenty of great decisions: such as the inclusion of Linus's reciting the "true meaning of Christmas," the use of actual children for the voices of Charlie Brown and the rest of the cast, and the absence of an annoying laugh track. There is even commentary by Bill MElendez, a former Disney animator, who was tasked with prepping and getting the Christmas special ready in 6 months. Even in the beginning, the network executives did not love it, but it ranked #2 in the top 5 of shows after premiering December 9, 1965. We even get insight into Jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, who made the catchy tune "Linus and Lucy," which all of us associate with the Peanuts gang. The book even includes piano music to play, and an illustrated screenplay of the TV show. I'd recommend buying this book along with the Peanuts 50th anniversay book that was written by Schulz, as well as Peanuts 2000, which chronicles the last year of the comic strip.
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