- published: 08 Dec 2010
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Lee Mendelson (born March 24, 1933) is an American television producer. He is best known as the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials.
Mendelson, a native of San Francisco, California, entered Stanford University in 1950, where he studied creative writing. After graduating in 1954, he spent three years in the Air Force. He then worked several years for his father, a vegetable grower and shipper.
Mendelson's career in television began in 1961, when he started working at San Francisco's KPIX television station, where he created public service announcements. A fortunate find of some antique film footage of the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair led to Mendelson's first production, a documentary entitled The Innocent Fair. The documentary was the first in a series on the history of the city, San Francisco Pageant, for which Mendelson won a Peabody Award.
Mendelson left KPIX in 1963 to form his own production company. His first work was a documentary on Willie Mays, A Man Named Mays. Shortly after the documentary aired, Mendelson came across a Peanuts comic strip that revolved around Charlie Brown's baseball team. Mendelson thought that since he'd just "done the world's greatest baseball player, now [he] should do the world's worst baseball player, Charlie Brown." Mendelson approached Peanuts creator Charles Schulz with the idea of producing a documentary on Schulz and his strip. Schulz, who had enjoyed the Mays documentary, readily agreed. The 1965 documentary, Charlie Brown & Charles Schulz, was the beginning of a 30 year collaboration between Schulz and Mendelson.
Winsor McCay (September 26, 1869 – July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist and animator.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades. His two best-known creations are the newspaper comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1905–1914 and 1924–1927, and the animated cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur, which he created in 1914.
His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators such as William Joyce, André LeBlanc, Moebius, Maurice Sendak, Chris Ware and Bill Watterson.
McCay was the son of Robert McKay (later changed to McCay) and Janet Murray McKay; Robert at various times worked as a teamster, a grocer, and a real estate agent. Winsor's exact place and year of birth are uncertain — he claimed to have been born in Spring Lake, Michigan in 1871, but his gravestone says 1869, and census reports state that he was born in Canada in 1867. He was originally named Zenas Winsor McKay, in honor of his father's employer, Zenas G. Winsor. He later dropped the name Zenas.
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi (July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an Italian-American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip. Guaraldi was born in San Francisco, California. He was the nephew of musician, singer, and whistler Muzzy Marcellino. Vince graduated from Lincoln High School, attended San Francisco State University, and served as an Army cook in the Korean War.
According to Laura E. Ruberto (2010):
Guaraldi's first recording was made in November 1953 with Cal Tjader and came out early in 1954. The early 10-inch LP was called The Cal Tjader Trio, and included "Chopsticks Mambo", "Vibra-Tharpe", and "Lullaby of the Leaves". By 1955, Guaraldi had his own trio with Eddie Duran and Dean Reilly. He then reunited with Cal Tjader in June 1956 and was an integral part of two bands that the vibraphonist assembled. The first band played mainly straight jazz and included Al Torre (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Luis Kant (congas and bongos). The second band was formed in the spring of 1958 and included Al McKibbon (bass), Mongo Santamaría (congas and bongos) and Willie Bobo (drums and timbales). Reed men Paul Horn and Jose "Chombo" Silva were also added to the group for certain live performances and recordings. Guaraldi made a big splash with his performance with Tjader at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival.
Lee Mendelson on Charles Schulz and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG
Charles Schulz - A Charlie Brown Christmas 50th Anniversary Tribute [w/Lee Mendelson]
Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson Receives the Winsor McCay Award at the Annie Awards
A Charlie Brown Christmas producer Lee Mendelson Interview
Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson on the genesis of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG
Lee Mendelson on Vince Guaraldi's music for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG
Christmas Time Is Here by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi -arranged by Karen MacKay
Lee Mendelson at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards #ANNIEAwards #AwardSeason
RON SINGS "CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE" BY LEE MENDELSON AND VINCE GUARALDI