THE STORY OF A Charlie Brown Christmas.

When the animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired on CBS in 1965, both the television network and the show’s own producers expected it to be a disaster.

A simplistic plot and animation style that betrayed the project’s shoestring budget. No laugh track. Actual children providing the voices, almost all amateurs who had never acted before. Piano music — Vince Guaraldi’s jazz with a dash of Beethoven — dominating the soundtrack.

And then there was that part where Linus read a Bible verse. A Bible verse — in a Christmas special! The horror!

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