By Pamela Dorazio Dean, La Nostra Voce 

A Charlie Brown Christmas, which first aired on Dec. 9, 1965, was the first full-length animated special created by Charles Schulz, featuring the Peanuts gang. Even though the comic strip was popular in the early 1960s, it wasn’t until the iconic characters appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1965 that studio executives took an interest in bringing them to the national stage.

With Coca-Cola as the sponsor, Schulz — along with Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez — developed the outline for the film. They agreed that a key component to their project was creating a soundtrack where jazz uniquely coalesced with traditional music. Having worked with jazz pianist, composer and Grammy Award winner Vince Guaraldi on music for a 1963 documentary about Schulz, the group decided to bring him back for the Christmas special. Guaraldi wrote two new songs for A Charlie Brown Christmas, including “Skating” and “Christmas Time is Here.” He had already written the famous “Linus and Lucy” tune for the 1963 documentary, so they decided to use that in the Christmas special, too.

Lyrics were needed for “Christmas Time is Here” but the words didn’t come easy. So, one day, Mendelson jotted down some words in 15 minutes on the back of an envelope. Ironically, studio executives and several of the creators were disappointed upon their first viewing of the show. They thought the storyline moved too slowly, the animation was odd, and the music didn’t fit the story or characters. When it finally did air to a national audience, it received much acclaim from viewers and critics. It was the second-most-watched show that evening, capturing 45% of the viewing audience.

In 1966, it won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program. A Charlie Brown Christmas remains a classic because it is a complete work of art. All aspects of the animated film included something new and original that came together to create a memorable and captivating story. But what really made it special and gave it broad appeal is the music. In May 2022, the soundtrack was certified quintuple platinum (that’s five million copies).

Vincent Anthony Guaraldi was born in the North Beach area of San Francisco, California, on July 17, 1928, to Vincent Dellaglio and Carmella Marcellino Dellaglio.

Vince changed his last name to Guaraldi after his mother married his stepfather, Secondo Guaraldi, who adopted him. Vince showed an interest in music at an early age, most likely being influenced by his uncles Maurice and Joe Marcellino, who were Jazz musicians, and his mother, Carmela, who could play piano by ear. Carmela said that beginning at about age 5, Vince would park himself in front of the radio for hours and try to identify the different instruments he heard.

He started playing piano at age 7, and he hit his stride in high school. In 1951, Vince released his first studio recording with a jazz trio. Other albums followed and he soon formed his own band. Success and notoriety came with the release of the song “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” in 1962. It won a Grammy and put him on Lee Mendelson’s radar. As they say, the rest is history as Charlie Brown would soon coming knocking.

Sadly, Vince Guaraldi’s life was cut short when he died of a heart attack in 1976 at only 47 years old. His innovative music not only made huge contributions to the genre of jazz but helped to create an enduring and widely loved Christmas special. Vince, like so many other Italian Americans, was born of simple means, but with passion and dedication, he distinguished himself in his field and made a significant contribution to American culture.

 

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