Discover the inspiring, unknown, against-all-odds story of how the
classic animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas almost
never made it onto television.
Professor and cultural historian Michael Keane reveals much in this
nostalgia-inducing book packed with original research and interviews.
Keane compellingly shows that the ultimate broadcast of the Christmas
special--given its incredibly tight five-month production schedule and
the decidedly unfavorable reception it received by the skeptical network
executives who first screened it--was nothing short of a miracle. Keane
explains why the show, despite its technical shortcomings, has become an
uplifting and enduring triumph embraced by millions of families every
Christmas season, even more than fifty years after its premiere.
This gripping and joyful behind-the-scenes story of how the creators of
A Charlie Brown Christmas struggled to bring the program to life will
also help readers (and loyal fans) understand how America's favorite
Christmas special changed our popular culture forever. Keane masterfully
weaves the momentous events of 1965 (the turbulent year of the program's
production) into his story, providing critical context for a profound
new understanding of the program's famous climactic scene, Linus's
spot-lit soliloquy answering the question repeatedly posed by Charlie
Brown--"Can someone tell me what Christmas is all about?"
