Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Apple Plays Scrooge with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’
Apple is evil.
Charles Schultz’s iconic seasonal television “Peanuts” specials will not air on broadcast TV this year for the first time since 1965. And Apple is to blame. They announced that since Apple TV+ acquired exclusive rights to the entire library of Charles Schulz’s animated specials, the holiday trio of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will only be available on Apple TV.
Apple is especially tone-deaf since the central theme of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is the misguided commercialization of Christmas. To quote from the character Lucy, “You’ve been dumb before … but this time you really did it.” Is there nothing good in America that big tech won’t despoil?
Apple should actually watch the Christmas episode to hear Linus tell them what Christmas is really all about:
.
Published in General
I was going to say, “Ho hum,” but the Great Pumpkin? They’ve kidnapped him and aren’t letting him roam free in the pumpkin patches on Halloween? Now, that’s a lot of nerve.
“I demand restitution!”
FWIW:
I assume “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will similarly be available to stream free around Christmas Eve.
Are you sure they aren’t altering it to become “A Charlie Brown Winter Holiday”?
Stream how?! I assume you have to have a way to do it. Television ain’t what it used to be.
At least I already have all the Peanuts specials on DVD.
Just more fuel to my impulse to collect as much as I can on DVD or Blu-Ray before everything goes to streaming.
We bought a bunch of things when our son was little. For the longest time he had no idea that there was anything broadcast at all…the TV worked when you put in a disk or tape. Now I make a point of buying all of the things our betters say we should not have, like GWTW and Blazing Saddles.
Apple is allowing a three-day window of free streaming for the shows. But it means people have to find Apple TV’s website, and (knowing Apple) probably have to offer up their email address and/or sign in with their Apple ID in order to watch the shows on those days. That’s a lot more of an active effort to see a 30-minute show than just punching the remote to ABC or CBS. (From the Fox News story on the change:)
You also have to blame Charles Schulz and Lee Mendolson’s heirs here, for taking the money and going with Apple over the regular broadcast networks, though this looks like it’s going to be the worst media black eye for Apple since they forced that U2 album onto millions of peoples’ iTunes playlists (the rights owners also have been doing takedowns of online copies of the shows, but you can still get the original 1965 version of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at the Internet Archive. For now).
Yes, but you’d have to subscribe to Apple TV.
When all that noise was going around earlier this year about Gone With the Wind, I went out and bought a copy before it disappeared. Thanks for reminding me I need to get Blazing Saddles. Among other things.
My wife will not be happy with an expanding DVD collection, . . .
Ekosj,
That Linus is really a stand-up guy. Of course, if you had Lucy as your big sister you’d have to be a stand-up guy, to survive that is.
Merry Christmas.
Regards,
Jim
Not to watch the free stream. You’d probably have to set up/log in with an Apple ID.
Please note I prefaced it with “For What It’s Worth,” hoping all would infer that it’s just a workaround and not something I’m in favor of.
We also have them on DVD. I’ve started buying Blu-Ray discs of movies/TV shows for this reason. $13 to “own” a streaming copy of Slap Shot on Prime Video, versus $4.99 to get the Blu-Ray? Yeah, I’ll take the disc.
Just took a moment to watch the beginning of that. The CBS promo is great. The whole thing reminded me that we did not get a color TV until the moon landing in 1969.
My thought exactly Stad. Will the famous scene of Linus telling the Nativity story be excised?
There are so many movies I want to get on disc. I really need to get started. I figure I will hand them on to my kids. They are appalled that movies like “Airplane” and “Naked Gun” would likely not get made today. Heck, I remind all of my The Office-obsessed children that there is NO WAY that series would get green-lighted today. It gives them something to think about when they are tempted to embrace Woke ideology.
Could you imagine trying to get the “Diversity Day” episode made now? I’m surprised they haven’t pulled it from streaming.
That’s the thing about Mel Brooks’ endorsement of Biden on Wednesday — Mel being a Democrat is no shock, especially since he was friends with Rob Reiner’s dad for over 65 years and Carl got more political in his 90s. But the people who are supporting Biden along with Brooks are the people who’d want to cancel culture Mel’s movies for their un-PC scenes.
Brooks and his works have a better chance of people remembering him and being able to watch them in the future if Trump wins, and the woke, angry SJWs who want to destroy anything that offends then lose out.
Jon,
This is the bizarre situation with what I would call cultural Democrats. As they grew up being a Democrat was a big part of their intellectual life. Harry Truman and JFK were exciting figures which on a simple level were very appealing to people. With LBJ the reality of the inherent contradictions that the Dems represented started to surface. Of course, single issues and personalities are foremost in people’s minds, not an underlying political philosophy.
Thus the can got kicked down the road and down the road and down the road. One might call this politically arrested development. At this point the contradictions are so massive it is hard to imagine anyone not seeing just how awful the Democrats really are. Electing them to power would mean the complete negation of Mel Brooks’ whole body of work. He has a strong identity as a Jew but not a religious Jew. I’m sure he feels strongly for the State of Israel.
Yet, none of these contradictions can break through his sense of being a cultural Democrat. He will die this way. I find that the most depressing thing of all. He is very bright and many of his basic reactions are actually very conservative. He has a low tolerance for baloney. Of course, he expresses this with humor. Unfortunately, he will never break completely free and enjoy life unbeholden to a kind of cultural ghetto. Too bad for him. How welcome he would be in conservative circles. It won’t happen.
Regards,
Jim
Since Brooks wealth was gotten with items that are politically incorrect then maybe we should just take his money and give it to others. Call it reparations.
I’m just glad that I purchased both the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown Christmas from Amazon years ago.
The specials are also very likely available at your local public library. :-)
bittorrent is your friend
Having commercials during the broadcast program back in the old days was not commercializing Christmas but having a commercial-free version on a subscription version is commercial. Got it.
The greatest Christmas video of all time.
Got the DVD for anyone in the neighborhood.
The difference is one has to pay for the subscription ( and a streaming device ) before viewing. In the broadcast version one is free to buy or not buy the products advertised … or to even watch the commercials at all. To me, it’s a big difference.
In the same vein, I see a big difference in the business models of broadcast TV and radio vs Facebook/Google/Twitter et al. On the surface both pretend to provide a free service to their customers, but really the consumers of the service are the product being sold to advertisers.
In the broadcast model, the thing being sold to advertisers is the overall size of the consumer base and some high level demographics. The individual remains anonymous and has the ability to turn off the ads and or not buy the products advertised. When I turn on the jazz station on my car radio, the radio station doesn’t know who I am, what kind of car I have, where I am, where I’ve been, where I’m going, and whose in the car with me. Facebook/Google/Twitter do. Streaming services up the ante by asking the consumers to pay for the privilege up front through subscriptions.
This better not be true!!!! If it is, there had better be an avalanche of protests to come down on the heads of Apple and boycotts!
Forcing the audience to sit through ads is a cost. Not all costs are simply monetary; your time has value. Anyone who’s learned economics understands this.
Furthermore, people need to get paid for their work, one way or another. In a capitalist system, the users of the good or service do most of the paying. The alternative is to socialize he costs. If you don’t understand how people get paid for their creative work in a capitalist system, even years after the fact, then maybe try reading up on it.
Oh no!!! Someone might be making money! Can’t have that!
Charles Schultz should be rolling in his MetLife/Hallmark lined casket to learn that someone has the gall to profit from his creation.
I can’t believe that people on Ricochet seriously don’t want anyone to make money from their property. That’s unamerican, frankly.
Besides, who watches broadcast TV anymore?
They are offering one year free.