Downsizing Charlie Brown’s Christmas

[marmar]

via Truthdig:



Downsizing Charlie Brown’s Christmas
Posted on Dec 10, 2009


The cartoon “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a classic that offers us an endearing and memorable message against yuletide commercialism. But ABC must not have been paying attention, as it cut several key scenes from the program to add even more space for—you guessed it—advertisements.

The Herald Bulletin

It was 44 years ago when “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted on CBS. One of the most beloved Christmas shows has Charlie worrying about not being excited as the holiday approaches, which leads Linus to question his friend’s sanity. But Charlie’s upset about the commercialization of Christmas. Even Snoopy decorates his dog house in a holiday-lights contest.

Lucy suggests that Charlie direct the school Christmas show after which chaos reigns (to the great music by Vince Guaraldi). Charlie Brown tosses down his megaphone and asks if anyone knows the meaning of Christmas. Linus takes center stage to recite the story of the holy night and the birth of Jesus, from Luke 2:8-14, ending with, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, and good will toward men.”

Charlie Brown is happier, and so are we, though CBS was scared to death to air it in 1965 because of the overt references to the real reason for the season. If Christmas was overcommercialized in 1965, it is more so today. Look at the airing of the show itself, which was on ABC Tuesday night. Many scenes from the original were cut, including one of Charlie Brown writing a letter to Santa for his sister Sally, Lucy asking Schroeder if he can play any Christmas songs on his piano and the gang tossing snowballs and catching snowflakes on their tongues. Of course, these scenes don’t propel the plot but do capture what it’s like to be a kid at Christmastime.

In one of the great ironies, the show was edited so ABC could fit in four blocks of advertising, which did, in effect, overcommercialize a show whose theme was overcommercialization.

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http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/downsizing_charlie_browns_christmas_20091210/

[derby378]

1. That is truly sad

I'd rather buy the DVD and watch it uncut and unadulterated.

[Frank Cannon]

2. I saw that. They absolutely butchered it.

The scene where Sally says all she wants are "tens and twenties", the scene with Schroeder playing Jingle Bells in different styles--those were just a couple of things that got dropped. All so ABC could shill the devil out of their "soon to be classic" Prep and Landing every two minutes.

Those morons at ABC have no sense of irony.

[derby378]

3. Maybe they deserve a "Worst Person in the World" nomination

Paging Keith Olbermann - we know your staffers visit here sometimes...

[laundry_queen]

4. I was watching it with my kids.

They were all, "hey! where's that part with Lucy & Schroeder?" They were NOT impressed.

[brendan120678]

5. So glad that I have it on DVD...

I can watch it unedited & uninterrupted any time I choose!

[AllyCat]

6. And people wonder why we don't have a TV.

Sick.

[Hidden Stillness]

7. They Destroyed It This Year--Scary

I used to think that there was a limit, and that as much as they wanted to, there were some things they could not cut or change, because they were so popular and loved, and meant so much to people. This was actually scary to me, because it was something no one has ever cut before, and the whole effect this year was unemotional, speeded-up, hurried, and it lost its pace and unfolding of meaning. It was a totally different story this year, "told" by the very commercial powers the story fights against.

You could tell things missing right away (keeping in mind that everybody who watches it every year knows that because there were far fewer commercials on TV then, 1965, that the program now runs to about 8:31-32 PM): where were the throwing snowball and "I only eat January snowflakes" parts, the part where Shermie complains about always being a shepherd, the "Jingle Bells" on the piano and Beethoven, etc., and the whole thing seemed speeded up and to have less time between lines and scenes. They killed it!

Nothing is safe when the oppressive corporate powers get it, and they will lie, edit, distort, and "erase" whatever they want, when ever they want, and soon you will have no memory at all, and will not even understand anymore why anybody even liked this--just the way you can't remember what real food tastes like, already. Christmas is even more commercialized than before, all so that we can have even more of their unregulated amount of time each hour for shitty, mind-and-soul-killing commercial assault. Now we know--the "big commercial interests" won.

[hlthe2b]

8. HULU has the abc version... I watched it and wondered what the hell

had happened... They cut it down so that it was only 20 minutes or so. I have the dvd somewhere and will pull it out eventually, but geez.. ABC needs to be taken to task for that.

[AwakeAtLast]

9. That paper comes from Mike Pence's district

I'm shocked there was actually a letter to the editor worth reading. I look every day and don't find much.

I must have missed this day. ;)

[begin_within]

10. I was wondering where was the scene where Snoopy dances on the piano while Schroeder plays.

That's probably my favorite scene in the whole thing, Schroeder playing various things (including Fur Elise) and the sound of the piano changing to different instruments like an organ and toy piano. When they came back from a commercial I expected to see that scene, but then it went on to where Charlie Brown brings the tree over to Snoopy's house to get the decorations, and I knew that they had skipped over the piano scene. That kind of left me cold. I hope they wise up and run it again in its entirety (and I hope they run the Grinch again).

[Odin2005]

11. Corporate censorship.

:puke:

[JI7]

12. are they cutting scenes from next week's airing ?

i'm not going to watch it . will just get the dvd instead.

[begin_within]

13. They're broadcasting it again on Tuesday Dec. 15

8/7 central. We'll see if they got the message and do it right this time.