SoCal woman says she convinced 'Peanuts' creator to add black character in 1960s

The young and the young at heart will head to theaters tonight to see Charlie Brown in a way they've never seen him before.

"The Peanuts Movie" makes its big screen debut Friday.

The new film is the first ever computer-animated 3D flick that captures the spirit of the 65-year-old comic strip.

Among those excited is Southern California resident Harriet Glickman, who in 1968 convinced cartoonist Charles Schulz to create a black Peanuts character.

Glickman, a retired teacher, says Schulz listened, introducing Franklin that same year.

"If there were young adult black people working on the staff many would pull me aside and say, thank you. Thank you so much. When I was little. I never saw myself,'" Glickman said.

Glickman says Franklin's presence was, at the time, profound. Nearly all the comics in the era were dominated by white characters.