WEBVTT >> IN THE OPENING SEQUENCE, WHEN HE IS ROLLING THE PUMPKIN INTO THE HOUSE -- MIKE: THESE ARE ABOUT ALL THAT REMAINS FROM THE CLASSIC CHARLIE BROWN HALLOWEEN SPECIAL. >> BACK THEN, IT TOOK 10,000 CELLS FOR A HALF HOUR, ALL HAND-PAINTED ARE . MIKE: FIRST BROADCAST ON CBS THOUGHT OCTOBER 2 IT WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF CHARLES SCHULZ WHO WAS BO IN -- WHO WAS BORN IN MINNESOTA BUT MADE HIS HOME IN SANTA ROSA. HE WROTE THE SCRIPT AND INKED THE STRIP ON HIS OWN. THIS STUFF IS REALLY SPECIAL TO SEE. THIS IS THE HISTORY OF WHERE TOOK OFF AS. MIKE: CRAIG SCHULZ IS CHARLES SCHULZ'S SON, WHO RECENTLY CARRIED ON THE FAMILY BUSINESS AS PRODUCER AND WRITER OF THE PEANUTS MOVIE. >> HE LITERALLY WOULDN'T TAKE ADVICE FROM ANYBODY. IF YOU GAVE HIM AN IDEA WOULDN'T USE IT. MIKE: A YEAR BEFORE THE CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS SHOW HAD AIRED ON CBS. >> THE CBS EXECUTIVES LOOKED AT IT, THEY ALL HATED I THEN WE RAN IT, AND HALF THE COUNTRY TUNED IN. WE GOT 50% OF THE AUDIENCE. AND THE GUY FROM CBS CALLED UP AND HE SAID, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO ORDER FOUR MORE SHOWS, BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW-MY AUNT IN NEW JERSEY DIDN'T LIKE IT EITHER. >> THE WHOLE STORY OF IT'S A GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN IS JUST SIMPLY CAME ABOUT FROM MY DAD THINKING, WELL, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A KID GOT THE HOLIDAYS MIXED UP? >> THE GREAT PUMPKIN KNOWS WHICH KIDS HAVE BEEN GOOD AND WHICH KIDS HAVE BEEN BAD DURING >> IT WAS ALL THE DUMB THINGS THAT WE DID AS KIDS. MIKE: THEY WERE GIVEN SIX MONTHS AND $75,000 TO CREATE ANOTHER BLOCKBUSTER. >> WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE TRICK OR TREATING, MR. SCHULZ STARTED TO LAUGH. I SAID, WHAT'RE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT? HE SAID, I GOT A GREAT IDEA. WE'LL HAVE SOMEBODY PUT A ROCK IN CHARLIE BROWN'S AND HE STARTED TO LAUGH UPROARIOUSLY-HE THOUGHT THIS WAS THE FUNNIEST THING. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS TOO CRUEL, AND I KIND OF HALF-JOKINGLY SAID, THAT'S PRETTY MEA AND BILL MELENDEZ SAID, NO, IT'S NOT MEAN. LET'S DO IT THREE TIMES. >> I GOT A ROCK. >> A FUNNY SIDE NOTE, WHEN MY NEPHEW WAS GROWING UP WE'D GO OUT TRICK OR TREATING WITH HIM EVERY YEAR AND I WOULD ALWAYS FIND A ROCK AND I WOULD SLIP IT IN HIS BAG EVERY YEAR. HE WAS LIKE 5-YEARS-OLD. HE COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT WHERE THAT ROCK CAME FROM FOR LIKE 10 YEARS. EVERY YEAR I GET A ROCK. WHERE'S THIS ROCK COMING FROM? MIKE: THIS SPECIAL ALSO MARKED THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE RED BARON. >> MR. SCHULZ HAD BEEN IN WORLD WAR TWO AND HIS EXPERIENCES WERE QUITE CLOSE TO HIM AND HE ALWAYS LIKED SNOOPY BEING THE WORLD WAR ONE FLYING ACE MIKE: IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN. WAS REMARKABLE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. FOR ONE, IT WAS THE EARLY DAYS OF COLOR TELEVISION AND NO ONE HAD SEEN A CARTOON WITH THE WATERCOLOR SKIES AND LEAVES THAT ANIMATOR BILL MELENDEZ HAD CREATED. >> THIS WAS BILL MELENDEZ'S MASTERPIECE. THE COLORS IN THAT FILM ARE MUCH MORE VIVID THAN THEY WERE IN CHRISTMAS. THE ACTION IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH ITSELF. WE DID FIFTY SHOWS TOGETHER, 50 SPECIALS, BUT I ALWAYS CONSIDERED THIS HIS MASTERPIECE. MIKE AS WELL AS FOR THE WORDS THAT CAME OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF THE PEANUTS CHARACTERS, WHO WERE ALL VOICED BY REAL CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF SIX AND 10. >> THE STRIP WASN'T NECESSARILY FOR CHILDREN. IT WAS MORE FOR ADULTS. >> CHARLES SCHULZ SAID, I NEVER WROTE FOR KIDS. HE WROTE FOR ADULTS AND HE WROTE ADULT LANGUAGE FREQUENTLY AND WORDS THAT YOU WOULD NEVER HEAR IN A CARTOON, LIKE HYPOCRISY OR WHATEVER. MIKE: FIFTY YEARS AND A BOOKCASE LINED WITH EMMIES LATER-A TOTAL OF FIFTY CHARLIE BROWN SPECIALS HAVE BEEN PRODUCED. BUT IT IS GENERALLY REGARDED THAT IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN-WAS THE BEST-AND, EVEN NOW, A HALF A CENTURY AFTER IT WAS FIRST BROADCAST, IT IS STILL CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE FINEST HOLIDAY TELEVISION SPECIALS EVER PRODUCED. >> WE DIDN'T THINK IT WOU ENDURE ONE BROADCAST, AND IT ENDURED FIFTY YEARS, SO WHO KNOW MIKE: EVERY YEAR NOW, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE-FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD-ARE DRAWN TO THE CHARLES SCHULZ MUSEUM IN SANTA ROSA. TO SEE HIS ORIGINAL HAND-DRAWN ART WORK AND THE VERY DESK AND OFFICE SPACE WHERE CHARLES SCHULZ CREATE EVERYTHING. >> YOU SEE THE TRUE, HONEST, PASSION AND LOVE FOR PEANUTS. IT'S ASTOUNDING TO ME, BECAUSE YOU CAN BE IN THE FARTHEST REACHES OF THE PLANET AND SOMEONE YOU'LL SEE SNOOPY AND IT TOUCHES SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, SOME MOTHER, SOME CHILD., LEE -- SOME CHILD AND SO FORTH. >> MR. SCHULZ ALWAYS DEALT WITH ETERNAL TRUTHS. MUCH LIKE A JOHN STEINBECK OR ANY OF OUR GREAT WRITERS OR PAINTERS. THAT WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS IMPORTANT FIFTY YEARS AGO TO US, IS STILL IMPORTANT TODAY. MIKE: IN SANTA ROSA, I'M MIKE CARROLL, KCRA-3 NEWS. >> BLACH. MY LIPS HAVE TOUCHED DOG LIPS! KELLIE: WHILE IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN CHARLIE BROWN CONTINUES TO RUN EVERY YEAR ON ANOTHER NETWORK KCRA 3 ACTUALLY HAS , UNIQUE CONNECTION. WHEN HE WAS IN THE AIR FORCE PRODUCER LEE MENDELSON SERVED AT MCCLELLAN AIR FORCE BASE. WHEN HE WAS DISCHARGED THE VERY FIRST JOB HE APPLIED FOR WAS HERE AT KCRA 3 NEWS. [LAUGHTER] BUT IT DIDN'T WORK OUT. HE DIDN'T GET THE JOB. HE DID OK FOR HIMSELF. JUST TODAY, MENDELSON SENT US THIS NOTE, SAYING THANKS SO MUCH. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I'M FINALLY WITH KCRA AFTER 60 YEARS, IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE AND HEAR MORE EXCLUSIVES ABOUT CHARLES SCHULZ AND PEANUTS AND THE SPECIALS YOU CAN WATCH BOTH CRAIG SCHULZ'S AND LEE MENDELSON'S INTERVIEWS, IN THEIR ENTIRETY AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS