Crowds are cheering as The Peanuts chase down Bond. On November 7, Deadline Hollywood reports, that The Peanuts Movie that was released in theaters yesterday, ” …is reaping an A CinemaScore. Talk about overperformance. Friday is between $12M-$13M currently for the CGI version of the classic Charles Schultz cartoon, with an industry projected opening of $47M-$48M… 38% of those taking in Snoopy and Charlie Brown were under 18 and they gave it an A+… ”
Go Comics on November 7 posts a classic Peanuts comic strip as it celebrates 65 years of Peanuts comics. Peanuts.com also posts sample Peanuts comics on November 7, as it reports on apps for I Pad and I Phone to enjoy Peanuts comics. The Peanuts Web site introduces readers to the Peanuts characters, their television shows, movies and more.
Further on November 7, List Verse, shares new behind-the-scenes stories about Charlie Brown and the Peanuts. The comic strip was originally pitched to the United Features Syndicate under the name L’il Folks. Syndicate production manager Bill Anderson suggested the name Peanuts, most likely to connect it with the idea of the “peanut gallery” from the popular Howdy Doody show. Schulz did not like this name, believing it to be “ridiculous” and without “dignity.” List Verse says, Schultz was “…of course, a victim of his own success…”
For many the A Charlie Brown Christmas (The Meaning of Christmas) is a classic. According to List Verse, CBS, who broadcast the show, “hated it.” CBS didn’t like the jazz music in the show for a Christmas special. Lee Mendelson, producer, thought it would be the last of the Charlie Brown specials, but it became the first of the movies cherished by multiple generations. The high ratings and critical acclaim of the special secured the future for Charlie and the gang.
List Verse further tells of an interesting aspect of the movie “…that modern fans often assume was controversial was its explicitly Christian content, with Linus reciting from the Bible and mentioning Jesus as the savior of mankind. CBS did not object to this at all. While it made Mendelson slightly nervous, Schulz wasn’t: When the Peanuts creator was told that no animated character had ever read from the Bible before, he retorted with, ‘If we don’t do it, who will?’ ”
For sixty-five years the under-dog Charlie Brown and his Peanuts community have been teaching Christian lessons about the true fruits of God’s spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Fortunately, thanks to Charles Schultz and his family (writers son Craig Schultz, grandson Bryan Schultz and more), and their associates, the enduring, eternal lessons from The Peanuts continue in our hearts, minds, and souls.
Written by Diane Howard, Ph.D. (Performance Studies), dianehoward.com
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