"Peanuts" cartoonist Charles M. Schulz says he is "ashamed" of the artwork in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and can't believe the TV special has been a hit for 30 years.
"The continued success of the special has surprised me as much as anyone," Schulz said in the Dec. 2 issue of TV Guide."A lot of the drawings are terrible, which (animation director) Bill Melendez and I are still ashamed of," he said.
Schulz, 73, speculated that the popularity of the score, by composer Vince Guaraldi, has helped. "You add that to Linus' recitation from Saint Luke and all the little things, and you had a show that worked."