A Talk with Sally Dryer, Voice of Peanuts’ Violet & Lucy + Giveaway!

I am a Peanuts 50 Years On TV Ambassador and have received a promotional item for sharing this information.  All opinions are my own.

It’s time for the next installment of our 50 Years on TV of A Charlie Brown Christmas series, and today I’m delighted to share an interview with Sally Dryer, voice of Violet in A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Each character adds his or her own unique flavor to the Peanuts recipe; I love them all, and Violet is no exception…even if she didn’t get Charlie Brown a Christmas card.  So I was very excited to be able to get to speak with one of the first people to bring these beloved characters to life.  Oh, and not only did Ms. Dryer voice Violet in the very first Peanuts TV special ever, she also played Lucy in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  Impressed?  So was I.

What was it like for you to to do this as your first job?

Yes, my first job at age 8! It was unknown at that point, an experiment. Lee Mendelson had approached Charles Schulz for years to do an animated special, and Schulz always said no. Finally, he said, “I’ll do it, but it has to be real kids’ voices.” For me, it was a fun way to get out of school. We didn’t know what it become, for sure!

Can you describe the process of how they recorded your voices?

There were a group of kids in Southern California: the boy who played Linus, Peter Robbins [Charlie Brown], and the original Lucy were in Los Angeles, where they recorded with Bill Melendez. Lee Mendelson recorded with us in San Francisco at a studio on Van Ness Ave.

They’d record us one at a time: Lee Mendelson would say a line to us, and we’d repeat it.We’d try to repeat with inflections he gave us. Sometimes we’d hit it on the first try, and other times we’d have to go over and over and over again.

I remember when we were recording theGreat Pumpkin, the girl who played Sally spent hours trying to say “You owe me restitution!”

The miracle was done with editing. They’d use the lines they wanted and assemble it all.

I think we went to studio 3 or 4 times. There were some group lines, like “You blockhead, Charlie Brown,” that we did as a group. We’d have to make 3 or 4 attempts.

Were you excited to be cast as Lucy?

It was a good thing. I had no idea how bratty my voice was, but all my neighbors were like, “Oh yeah, she’s Lucy all right!” The neighborhood knew before I did!

Lucy was more fun to play. You get to say what you think! She’s such a smart aleck. You get to really embrace that crabby person within you and it’s okay.

Do you have any favorite anecdotes from the recording sessions?

I suppose one of my favorites was when we were all sitting as a group, having lunch at The Hippo, which was a hamburger joint. They were trying to figure out who to cast as Peppermint Patty. One of the daughters of a producer spoke up and said, “Please pass the salt.” Lee Mendelson said, “That’s it!” She had a wonderfully raspy voice. That’s about how free-form it was.

My sister worked for Lee Mendelson, and one Christmas he called the house and said, “I’m here with Lee Guaraldi and we’re trying to write the lyrics for ‘Christmastime Is Here.’ What represents Christmas to you?” We were all sitting around the table offering ideas: happiness, cheer, fun for all. So I feel that in some ways my family contributed to the creation of that song.

Jefferson Airplane was recording in the studio when we were, and they were more excited to meet us than we were to meet them!  But I think we were pretty tickled.

What did you get paid?

I got paid a whopping $100 per show! It was the 60s and an unknown thing. My mother’s philosophy was, “Whatever—just have fun.” That’s what it was about. I occasionally get residuals, sometimes 9 dollars and 33 cents, sometimes a couple hundred dollars. I had to put it in a college fund. Fortunately, I went to a state school in California!

Do you ever find yourself using the dialogue in your real life?

Oh, absolutely—all the time! I work as a volunteer dog technician in an animal clinic, and I always say “Dog lips are not poison! No iodine! No ‘blecch’!” I’ll find myself saying, “I got a rock!” It’s always right there.

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Talking with Sally Dryer was so much fun, and I really enjoyed learning more about how these specials were made.  I’m so glad that Charles Schulz demanded they use little kids to voice the Peanuts characters.  Don’t you think it adds to the charm and authenticity of the experience?

What is Sally up to these days?  She currently resides in the historic town of Jerome, AZ and is the co-owner of Nellie Bly, the largest brick and mortar kaleidoscope store in the world.  I’ve been to Jerome (a place you should definitely visit if you’re ever out that way), and I wish I’d known she was there; I would most certainly have done a little stalking.  If I’m lucky enough to get to visit again, I’ll be sure to bring my books with me and have her autograph them!

So tell me…

Do you believe in the Great Pumpkin?

Enter now to win a Peanuts Christmas Prize Package, including a Making of a Tradition: A Charlie Brown Christmas book, an It’s The Great Pumpkin: The Making of Television Classic book, and a bag of Peanuts-themed Nestlé Crunch Minis!  Open to US residents who are 18 and older.  Ends 10/15/14.  Good luck!

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