A New Peanuts Christmas Special?
Whenever I see the words “new” and “Peanuts” in a sentence, I cringe a little.
I love Peanuts and Charles Schulz so much that I don’t want any new specials to ruin everything. A new Peanuts Christmas special? How can it possibly compare with A Charlie Brown Christmas?
Well, maybe it can stand on its own. We’ll find out today when Apple TV releases Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy, which I think is a title that includes one mention of Snoopy too many. Shouldn’t it be Peanuts Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy?
I wonder if they’ll ever make a TV special based on the 17 cartoons Schulz did for the Post?
The Butterball Hotline Is Open!
Experts will be available through December 24, in case you have any turkey-related questions. Like President Bartlet did.
The Butterball Hotline | The West Wing (Uploaded to YouTube by The West Wing)
Bingo!
Every year there are new toys inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, and every year there is at least one that makes you say “Why is that considered a toy?” or “I’ve never heard of that.”
But this year we can’t say that! The winners this year are the Care Bears, Pokémon Trading Cards, bingo, and the slide.
Now, if we look at the list of all of the nominees this year, that’s where I scratch my head. I’ve never heard of Bop It! or the Monster High dolls. I have, however, heard of Yahtzee, Mahjong, and Tickle Me Elmo and I’m astonished they’re not in the Toy Hall of Fame already.
This Is Today on NBC
Today is almost 75 years old. The exact date is actually January 15, 2027, but the show is celebrating it now. Here’s the very first episode (they need to go back to wearing those giant clip-on microphones), and the official web site has various flashbacks to other important moments in the show’s history.
Christmas Song of the Week
A new Peanuts special means I have to post “Christmas Time Is Here.”
(Uploaded to YouTube by Vince Guaraldi)
(If you’d like to hear to hear the longer, non-vocal version, here it is.)
RIP Stacy Keach, Richard Lloyd, John Frieda, John D. Rockefeller IV, Simon Winchester, JoBe Cerny, Donnie Dunagan, and Paul Howard
Stacy Keach played private eye Mike Hammer in two TV series and several movies in the 1980s and ’90s. He appeared in such films as The Long Riders, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, That Championship Season, Jay Kelly, and Escape from L.A. and was a regular on shows like Blue Bloods, Man with a Plan, Titus, Prison Break, Lights Out, and The Simpsons. He died Tuesday at the age of 85.
Richard Lloyd was the guitarist in the influential punk band Television. He died Saturday at the age of 75.
John Frieda was a celebrity hair stylist known for his popular hair care products, such as Frizz-Ease. He died last week at the age of 75.
John D. Rockefeller IV was a former governor and senator from West Virginia. He died last week at the age of 89.
Simon Winchester wrote the acclaimed book The Professor and the Madman, a history of the Oxford English Dictionary. He also wrote for The Guardian and The Sunday Times. He died last week at the age of 82.
JoBe Cerny was the modern voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy (from 2014 to 2020) and appeared as the “Cheer guy” in several spots for Cheer laundry detergent. He was also the director of several Twilight Zone radio dramas and appeared in such films as My Best Friend’s Wedding and Road to Perdition. He died in October at the age of 78.
Donnie Dunagan was a former child actor and the voice of young Bambi in Walt Disney’s Bambi. He also played Basil Rathbone’s son in Son of Frankenstein and appeared in Tower of London and Mother Carey’s Chickens. He was later a Marine who was awarded three Purple Hearts. He died last week at the age of 92.
Paul Howard was the last remaining child of Moe Howard of The Three Stooges. He died last week at the age of 91.
This Week in History
Thomas Nast Uses Elephant as Republican Symbol (November 7, 1874)
It was used once or twice during the Civil War, but Nast’s 1874 drawing in Harper’s Weekly is usually cited as the first official use.
Nast is also known for drawing the first modern Santa Claus, a look that inspired Coca-Cola ads in the 1920s and later illustrations by artist Haddon Sundblom, the first of which appeared in a 1931 issue of the Post.
Margaret Mitchell Born (November 8, 1900)
Many think that Gone with the Wind was the only novel she ever wrote, but she actually wrote three others when she was a teenager. Only one, Lost Laysen, survived, discovered years later and published in 1994. She died at the age of 48 after being hit by a drunk driver.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Spread on the Butter! (November 12, 1949)
This family must love butter, since it appears they keep several pats of it on their table.
It’s National Butter Lovers Month
And how, exactly, am I supposed to come up with recipes that include butter? That’s like trying to find recipes that include salt or “flavors.”
But let’s start with the most natural first choice, which is pound cake. But not just any pound cake! It’s the Kentucky Blue Ribbon All-Butter Pound Cake from Allrecipes.
Then let’s go to the Butter Chicken from RecipeTinEats, this Pan Seared Steak with Garlic Butter from Cooking Classy, and these Wisconsin Butter Burgers from Taste of Home. You can also try Curtis Stone’s Garlic and Herb Mashed Potatoes or Barton Seaver’s Grilled Corn with Sweet Pepper Butter.
Of course, I have to mention Norman Rockwell’s Oatmeal Cookies. The first ingredient is a stick of butter.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Clean Your Refrigerator Day (November 15)
Because you have to make room for Thanksgiving.
ATP Finals (November 15)
The eight top singles players and doubles teams of the year face off in Turin, Italy. Tennis Channel will have full coverage.
The Great American Smokeout (November 19)
Is there a “Smokein,” a day that celebrates the starting of smoking cigarettes?
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
