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Sunday Morning News

Cartoonist Remembers 'Peanuts' Creator Charles Schulz

Aired February 13, 2000 - 9:40 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was already going to signal the end of an era with the final Sunday "Peanuts" strip hitting the morning papers.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: As we told you earlier, "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz died yesterday just hours before that final strip was distributed in papers all across the country. He is -- he really is an icon for cartoonists everywhere.

And joining us to talk a little bit more about that is editorial cartoonist Mike Luckovich of "The Atlanta Constitution," Pulitzer Prize winner, and also a person who has struck out in the world of comic strips of late.

And good to -- thanks for coming in. This is a tough morning, I think, for all -- anybody in your industry.

MIKE LUCKOVICH, "THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION": Well, it -- all cartoonists knew that he was sick, but it's still a shock, and it's a very sad time, because he was the god of cartooning for all of us. And any of us cartoonists that knew him really thought a lot of him. And so it really is a tough -- it's a tough day.

PHILLIPS: You have a neat story of how you met him. Will you tell us about that?

LUCKOVICH: OK. I had to go to San Francisco, and I went out to Santa Rosa, where he's based. And we had dinner together. And I had known him from previous cartoonists' conventions. But this was the first time that I really got to sit down and talk to him. And it was just so amazing. We had a great time. And we were just talking about cartoons and cartoonists, and it was so much fun to be with him.

And so we just kind of stayed in touch and got to know each other. And he's a fan of editorial cartooning, although one time he asked me, "Mike, why do you do those mean cartoons?" Because he was always -- his strip was always so gentle and so sweet, and editorial cartooning was so different from what he did. And I just said, "Well, hey, you know, any politician that I hit, I think deserves it." And he respected that.

But he was just a wonderful human being. I got to -- this was so amazing. Eight months ago, the cartoonists had a convention in San Antonio, and I got to go out with Schulz and my three children, and we got to play catch with him. Baseball has figured so prominently in the life of Charlie Brown and all, and it was just such an amazing thing to be able to do that and to spend time with him.

O'BRIEN: He drop any fly balls or...

LUCKOVICH: No, he's a -- he was good. I mean, he made some great catches, so...

O'BRIEN: Let me -- you just talked to him this past week.

LUCKOVICH: Right.

O'BRIEN: What -- how did he seem? What was he -- what was on his mind?

LUCKOVICH: Well, the thing that touched me was, he was -- he felt -- he was worried that he was going to be forgotten.

O'BRIEN: Really?

LUCKOVICH: Yes. I mean, this was a man who, despite his success, he was still an insecure person. That's why his strip worked so well, is because he was basing it on his own insecurities. So it was frustrating, because I was telling him -- we cartoonists that know him call him Sparky. And I was saying, "Sparky, you know, no one's going to forget you. We're all going to be your friend whether you're drawing the thing or not."

On the other hand, he was already thinking about doing another animation, "Peanut" -- animated "Peanuts" special, and he kind of described to me the plot, and he seemed excited about that. So he was alternately high and low in this conversation. But the thing that I'm honored to -- I'm just honored that he was my friend, and I'm going to miss him.

O'BRIEN: Well, Mike Luckovich, thanks very much.

PHILLIPS: Yes, thank you.

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