a Charlie Brown Christmas page 9 by ric gustafson
At the time in 1965 that Schultz and Mendelson were asked to put together a Christmas Special, Schultz and Peanuts were on top of the world. Peanuts was reaching 60 million people. The strip was being published in 771 newspapers. It was translated into a dozen languages. The comic strip was on the cover of Time Magazine on April 9 1965. But even with all the success including two years as Cartoonist of the Year. Schultz was struggling in his personal life. He suffered from symptoms of anxiety and depression. He lost weight and had constant stomach problems.
At the same time, Mendelson had submitted a one page outline to Coca Cola's headquarters in Atlanta. Nervously, Mendelson had to wait 3 weeks for an answer from John Allen. Coca Cola bought the special. That was the good news. The bad news was that they only had 6 months to make the special. Mendelson needed a Director who could do the impossible.
In Mendelson's mind, there was only one Director who could pull it off.
Mendelson picked up the phone.
research help: ' Charlie Brown's Christmas Miracle' by Michael Keane
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
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