Children's programming on CBS: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:54, 5 January 2011

Revision as of 11:08, 31 January 2011

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CBS was the original broadcast network for the animated primetime holiday specials based on the comic strip ''[[Peanuts]]'', beginning with ''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]'' in 1965. Over thirty holiday Peanuts specials (each for a specific holiday such as [[Halloween]]) were broadcast on CBS from that time until 2000, when ABC acquired the broadcast rights. CBS also aired several primetime animated specials based on the work of ''[[Dr. Seuss]]'' (Theodor Geisel), beginning with ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas]]'' in 1966. ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'', produced in [[stop motion]] by the [[Rankin/Bass]] studio, has been another annual holiday staple of CBS since 1972, but that special originated on NBC in 1964. ''[[Frosty the Snowman (TV Program)|Frosty The Snowman]]'' is also another CBS hoiday staple since its debut in 1969.

All of these animated specials, from 1973 until 19901992, began with a fondly remembered opening animated logo which showed the words "A CBS Special Presentation" in colorful lettering. The word "SPECIAL", repeated in multiple colors, slowly zoomed out from the frame in a spinning counterclockwise motion against a black background, and rapidly zoomed back into frame as a single word, in white, at the end; the logo was accompanied by a jazzy yet majestic up-tempo fanfare (believed to be incidental music from the CBS crime drama ''[[Hawaii Five-O]]'') with dramatic horns and percussion (this appeared at the beginning of all CBS specials of the period (such as the [[Miss USA]] pageants and the annual [[Kennedy Center Honors]] presentation), not just animated ones). (This opening logo was presumably designed by, or under the supervision of, longtime CBS creative director [[Lou Dorfsman]], who oversaw print and on-air graphics for CBS for nearly thirty years, replacing William Golden, who died in 1959.)

==References==