It's the Great Pumpkin: The Making of a Television Classic - Hardcover

Schulz, Charles M; Mendelson, Lee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062344838 ISBN 13: 9780062344830

Publisher: Dey Street Books, 2014

Synopsis

Now available in a hardcover edition, the lushly illustrated It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Tradition, stars Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts gang, and features hundreds of full-color images as well as enlightening anecdotes that take you behind-the-scenes of how the charming Halloween special was created.

Trick-or-treating has never been more fun—with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Sally, Schroeder, Linus, and, of course, the Great Pumpkin. Since its first airing more than forty years ago, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has become a beloved perennial classic synonymous with Halloween.

Illustrated with more than 250 full-color images, this beautiful edition celebrates the timeless television classic with:

• The full script illustrated with screen art from the show
• Photographs, storyboard excerpts, and production materials
• Reminiscences and insider tidbits from executive producer Lee Mendelson and animator, the late Bill Melendez
• Interviews with the original child actors who were the voices of the Peanuts gang
• And much more!

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Tradition is the ultimate Halloween treat for fans of all ages.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Great Pumpkin is coming!

Join, Linus, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, and Snoopy for their Halloween night, when the Peanuts gang puts on their costumes to trick-or-treat while Linus waits dutifully in his pumpkin patch for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin.

Nearly five decades after It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown first aired in 1966, the television special is still drawing in audiences. This past Halloween, seven million viewers tuned in to watch Lucy steal the football from Charlie Brown, Snoopy fight the Red Baron, and Linus be ever hopeful for the Great Pumpkin.

In It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic, executive producer Lee Mendelson reminisces with original Peanuts animator Bill Melendez about working with Charles M. Schulz, "Sparky," as he was known to his friends. Mendelson also writes about how Great Pumpkin was sold to the network, the hesitation to have Charlie Brown receive a rock in his bag (for fear children all over the U.S. would get rocks for Halloween), the decision to animate the Flying Ace (Snoopy's WWI alter ego) for the first time, and other fantastic tidbits of insider information. He also visits with original young cast members who lovingly recall their memories of doing the show.

This commemorative edition features more than 150 pieces of original animation art and photos, story board excerpts, production and bar sheets, and a full script illustrated with screen art from the television special.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: The Making of a Television Classic is a delightful look at the making of the beloved Halloween special that is the ultimate treat for fans of all ages.

About the Author:

Charles M. Schulz, the most popular cartoonist in history, published comic strips in 2,600 newspapers worldwide and won several prestigious awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor. Mr. Schulz died on February 12, 2000, the night before his farewell Peanuts comic strip was published.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0062344838
• ISBN 13: 9780062344830
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160