Celebrate 50 Years on Television for A Charlie Brown Christmas special! Jill Schulz, daughter of Charles M. Schulz Interview #Giveaway

I am very excited to announce, I am a 50 Years on Television for A Charlie Brown Christmas Brand Ambassador! With this exciting ambassadorship I will be bringing you,  exclusive inside stories on the making of the special from the people who know it best!  With the position I will be interviewing some of the very people who helped make this iconic special happen. Bringing some great facts fun and giveaways to help celebrate, the 50 Years on Television for A Charlie Brown Christmas special.

I grew up watching, a Charlie Brown Christmas special.  Year after year, right around Christmas I would look forward to seeing this beloved special. From my favorite characters, to the iconic music, when I saw this special on TV I knew it was the holidays.  I love being able to share this special with my daughter each year, she seems to love A Charlie Brown Christmas as much as I do. Did you know that Coca-Cola, a CBS sponsor, was the company who commissioned A Charlie Brown Christmas? And that CBS hated it. Yes it is true! I don’t know who could hate this wonderful family show, but they were not fans.

Well my family and I are hug fans of the special, and since this is the 50^th year of the special I see that many many others all over the world love the special as well.  What would you ask the daughter of the creator of such a part of the holidays as A Charlie Brown Christmas? Well I was very fortunate to be able to chat with Jill Schulz, daughter of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz!

Jill Schulz , as the daughter of PEANUTS creator Charles Schulz, Jill Schulz grew up with Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Snoopy as much as with her own four brothers and sisters! Jill’s professional path also involved entertaining audiences: She spent more than 20 years competing and performing as a figure skater, including touring nationally and internationally in shows such as Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice, as well as in performances at Radio City Music Hall. While training and working in Los Angeles, Jill spent several years working in film, stage, television, and dance.

 A photo of Jill Schulz with her family (she’s the one on the right.)

During this time she was recruited by Rollerblade, Inc., to perform as the premiere national Rollerblade spokesperson, as well as the lead performer and choreographer for Team Rollerblade. Building on her diverse athletic and performance background, Jill and her husband Aaron Transki decided to create the first-ever "All Wheels Extreme" show, combining BMX bikers, skateboarders, in line skaters, pro scooters, dancers, aerialists, trampoline artists, and more in full-scale theatrical productions for audiences of all ages. All Wheel Sports productions have since expanded into such major venues as Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Orlando, and Walt Disney World, among other high-profile locations.

 There were so many great questions asked by myself and my fellow ambassadors. Here is some of the fun interview with Jill Schluz:


(Q)  What was it like to celebrate Christmas in the Schulz family?
(A) “I always had great memories of it, but to us, that’s just how our Christmas was.” “Back then, there was not as much merchandise, publicity, worldwide status for Peanuts and Snoopy.”  “We had a pretty typical Christmas, except that we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve.... “In the morning, we’d get a special present... “Once the TV show came out, that became a tradition: both Christmas and Halloween, they became something we’d gather around TV to watch. But to me, it just seemed like a normal family Christmas.”

(Q) Was there anything in the special that was similar to your childhood?(A) “There are elements that are supposed to come from my family. Like Lucy’s crabbiness came from Meredith. I’m told that Linus has a blanket because I always had a blanket.” But I can’t say there’s anything specific in the special.” “Dad was active in Sunday school when we were much younger, he taught there on Sundays for many years. So the Linus speech was something very important to him.” “Lee Mendelson tells the story of meeting with the top guys at CBS—they said they loved the special, ‘But you need to take the Linus’ speech out.’ When Lee told Dad that he said, ‘Tell them to just forget it then.’ Now it’s become the most iconic part of the entire TV special. It’s one of my favorite parts because I know how important it was to my father.”
                                   
             
(Q)  Why do you suppose after 50 years, it’s still resonating with people?
(A) “Because the characters, the experiences they have, in the strip and the TV show are things that every generation has, does, and will continue to experience in life. Football with Charlie Brown. Everyone experiences losing. Everyone comments on commercialism. It’s been happening for years, will continue to happen. Siblings teasing each other, fighting, even if they love each other.” “All of these things are extensions of his own personality or things he would observe in others. He was always observing everybody, whether in the coffee shop at the ice rink, or on trips. He was a great observer of human nature. Like many of us, he hung onto and had a clear vision of his feelings as a child. That comes across in the strip and the special.”

(Q) Where do you see the franchise in 10 years?
(A) “We’d like to see it grow, to continue the legacy of my dad and keep the characters out there. But there’s a careful line between keeping the integrity of my dad’s characters and creating enough new material to keep it fresh for new generations.” New movie in fall of 2015. Brother Craig Schulz and his son worked on the script with Fox Studios and director Steve Martino. “This movie, with the new technology of 4D, mixed with 3D and 2D, is fun and new, done with a lot of class. Hoping it will generate interest from new generations. We have to keep up with where the kids are  today—social media, apps, movies. You can’t expect to introduce kids to it without all that.”

(Q) Who’s your favorite Peanuts character and why?
(A) “My absolute favorite is Snoopy because I like his imagination and his free spirit, how he imagines whatever he wants to be. I had a pretend friend as a kid that everyone teased me about. And because he’s a dog and I love rescue animals. Then it would be Linus, because I like how calm he remains, how philosophical he is.”

 (Q) When was the first time you realized who your dad was, did it affect you? Aha moment?
 (A) “He was my dad first, but I can’t deny there were lots of opportunities that have come out of the fact that Charles Schulz was my dad. Things I’ve learned. He was successful with what he did, but I never wanted to feel like I wanted to use that, or that I’m any more special than anyone else because my dad was well- known. I’ve always wanted to carve my own path – such as the shows I produce that have nothing to do with Snoopy. It helps that none of us could draw at all!”

Jill Schulz, was very personable, and seemed like such a sweet person. She was open to any question, and really cares and adores the Peanuts characters her father created.   Be sure to say tuned with us, there are many more exciting interviews , including Sally Dryer, voice of Violet in A Charlie Brown Christmas and David Benoit, contemporary jazz pianist and composer and the musical heir to original Peanuts composer Vince Guaraldi. There are even more interviews that will be announced at a later date.

One of Susan’s Disney Family readers will win A Charlie Brown Christmas prize pack! Prize pack will include a stuffed Snoopy and  Be Joyful book to enjoy! Would you like to win?  Please let me know what you love about the A Charlie Brown Christmas special. Do you have a favorite scene, or character? My most favorite scene is with the little Christmas tree, when they add the ornament and the tree sags, it just makes me feel for that tree! There are also other ways to enter, please enter below.

 

Win it:

One winner will win A Charlie Brown Christmas prize pack!

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Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . I received a prize pack for posting. No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .
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