TRIVIA TODAY - Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Greetings Infomaniacs,

'A Charlie Brown Christmas' celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! I love watching this special every year because it brings about so many feel good moments. In celebration of the special's annual TV airing, here are some things you might not know about it...

Enjoy!
Melissa

Questions? Comments? Email Melissa

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

HINT: (1872-1933), was the 30th President of the United States (1923-1929).

RANDOM TIDBITS
'A Charlie Brown Christmas' almost didn't happen. Lee Mendelson, the executive producer for the special, said in 2006 that CBS network executives did not love it when it was first screened for them in 1965.

The soundtrack is huge, but Charles Schulz was not a fan of jazz. The studio album of music from the special, composed by Vince Guaraldi and performed by his trio, has also become a staple for the holiday season. It's so popular that it was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Melendez and Schulz wanted to use actual children as opposed to adults faking young voices. Charlie Brown, Linus and Lucy were portrayed by actual child actors, but the other voices were ordinary kids. Some of the children were so young that they couldn't read. In "A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition," Melendez recounts how he had to recite the script line by line for Christopher Shea, the young actor who voiced Linus.

Linus quotes the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke from the Bible. After reciting verses 8 to 14, Linus tells his friend, "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." Schulz, a religious man, wanted to include the speech, but the producers were hesitant. After much back and forth, the passage was left in, and it's become one of the special's most famous moments.

Despite its anti-commercial message, 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' wouldn't have come together without its initial soft drink sponsor. Coca-Cola wanted to produce a Christmas special and 'Peanuts' stood at the top of their list. The first version of the special that aired on CBS not only included a brief announcement of Coca-Cola's sponsorship in the closing credits, but it also carried a product placement in the show's opening titles.

Schulz insisted that the cartoon not have a laugh track, something that was a standard for TV comedies at the time. Producer Lee Mendelson recalled in Schulz's biography that he was just as adamant that the special not have a laugh track to "help keep it moving along."

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What kind of coat can be put on only when wet?

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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas."

ANSWER: Calvin Coolidge.

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