The PBS Series American Masters: Good Ol' Charles Schulz

Even after his death, Charles M. Schulz, creator of the world-famous "Peanuts" comic strip, still makes readers laugh but, at the same time, he also makes us think about how we interact with our family and friends.

"American Masters: Good Ol' Charles Schulz," a 90-minute retrospective about the artist's life and work, takes an uncompromising look at the man behind the "Peanuts" strip, painting a picture that, while not always flattering, appears honest and genuine.

This "American Masters" installment does have a rough, unfinished feel to it, though. Many important details, such as why Schulz received the nickname "Sparky," aren't covered in the show (The Charles M. Schulz Museum says that "Sparky" was short for "Sparkplug," a horse in the popular comic strip "Barney Google.)

Charles M. Schulz Has Much in Common With Charles Foster Kane

According to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, the movie that he had seen 40 times was "Citizen Kane," Orson Welles' story of a man who rose to the top but who still longed for the simplicity of his childhood. "Citizen Kane" also became the punchline in what could be considered the cruelest trick that Lucy plays on her brother Linus in the comic.

By drawing an estimated 18,977 "Peanuts" strips during his career, Schulz, like Kane, was trying to get back in touch with his "inner child." Anonymous sources quoted in "American Masters" said that he was always missing something in his life and, if he had a time machine, he would gladly go back in time to find those missing things.

The Origins of the Piano-playing Schroeder

Schroeder, the resident musician of "Peanuts, loved Beethoven, as did one of Schulz's acquaintances. "Sparky used to come over to my house; sometimes I wasn't even home and he'd come over and listen to my mother play the piano, literally by the hour. Beethoven was her favorite composer," childhood friend Shermy Plepler said.

Schulz Was Closest to His Mother

When his mother Dena became sick, Schulz had to go to school and come home to a bedridden mother. With mounting medical bills, the family had to sell their home and move to an apartment above the barber shop where his father worked. Schulz also was upset that he had to go into the armed services while his mother was sick "He was first stationed at Fort Snelling when he heard the word 'Cancer'," David Michaelis, author of "Schulz and Peanuts," said. "She was days away from her death and he was furious that he hadn't been told."

Family Always Was Important to Schulz

After his discharge, Schulz started attending the Church of God. "He was so quiet and he wouldn't socialize until people came to him. Sparky was a very lonely person," said Dolores Edes, a member of the Church of God Youth Group. "He really envied people who had families. He loved to be a part of a family, and, not having siblings, he mentioned it many times."

A High School Graduate, Schulz Studied Art through a Correspondence Course and Met His "Little Red-Haired Girl"

After drawing at home and sending his art through the mail to a correspondence school for grading and evaluation, Schulz found a job at Art Instruction, Inc. It was there that he met Donna Wold. "I was pretty much his one and only at that time, his little red-haired girl," she said. When she later told him that she was going to marry someone else, Wold said "A half-hour later, he came back and said 'I thought you might have changed your mind."

"Schulz's Avowed Theme from the Beginning Was Cruelty"

Though it was a hard sell, Schulz finally found a newspaper syndicate willing to take on his strip. Since the debut of "Peanuts" on October 2, 1950, good-hearted Charlie Brown constantly endured failure and disappointment, especially in his decades-long battle to kick the football held by Lucy. Schulz himself said that things which are cruel also are, oddly enough, funny.

Lynn Johnston, creator of the long-running "For Better or Worse" comic strip, said that Charlie Brown's life is everybody's life. "I was unable to express that I was hurting inside. I looked at him (Charlie Brown) as someone who understood," she said.

Lucy Makes Charlie Brown Move to California

According to his son Craig, Joyce, Schulz's first wife and the model for the character of Lucy, was the driving force for moving the family from St. Paul, Minnesota to California. The Schulz children had the run of their new place and Cliff Silva, groundskeeper at the Schulz estate on Coffee Lane, said the kids always got what they wanted. "I seen a lot of stuff happen and I kept quiet," he said.

When the kids needed to be disciplined, Joyce was the one who had to do it. "He was in his own world. He lived in Snoopy's doghouse, more or less," said Lee Mendelson, a composer and Schulz's friend.

A Second Marriage
As the kids grew older, Schulz's marriage to Joyce crumbled, but he later meet and married Jeannie. "In our marriage, we simply moved forward with some of the same friends he had, some of the friends I had," Jeannie Schulz said. "The first ten years of our marriage, I was trying to figure him out. Once I did, I realized I wasn't going to change him."

"He Never Let Himself Kick the Football"

Schulz's associates agreed that like Charlie Brown, Schulz would not allow himself to kick his own "football". "He never let himself be the great man that he was," David Michaelis said.

PBS is rebroadcasting "American Masters: Good Ol' Charles Schulz." Please refer to http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters for local broadcast information.