Barnes & Noble
This wonderful half hour show, originally shown on CBS in 1966, is the pinnacle of Peanuts specials, an exercise in gentle humor and subtle satire depicting one boy's quixotic crusade and a dizzying trek across no-man's land by a beagle. It's Halloween, and everyone dresses up in costumes to go trick-or-treating. Charlie Brown, in a sheet with holes cut for his eyes, declares himself a ghost, but looks more like a potato and winds up collecting a bag full of rocks. The only person who doesn't go trick-or-treating is Linus, who, hoping to prove that the Great Pumpkin really does exist, sits alone in a pumpkin patch all night awaiting the mythical mega-gourd's arrival. Snoopy, meanwhile, boards his trademark Sopwith Camel to fight the nefarious Red Baron, only to be shot down. Lost in an imaginary war-strewn countryside, the intrepid dog must wander his way back home. (Snoopy's odyssey seems so monumental that it wouldn't be surprising if one of its effects on impressionable young viewers is sowing seeds of later wanderlust.) For the first time, Charlie Brown isn't the focus of the special, although his trick-or-treating failure provides some memorable laughs. Linus's singular faith in the Great Pumpkin is at the heart of the show and is both touching and meaningful, reminding us that no matter the occasion, there are stronger feelings in this world than the want for candy. The restored DVD includes the equally autumnal special, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown. Pete Segall
Barnes & Noble
The first prime-time Peanuts special introduced Charles M. Schulz's timeless gang to the world of television and was awarded both an Emmy and a Peabody award. Originally broadcast December 9, 1965, on CBS -- years before Seasonal Affective Disorder entered our lexicon -- the story is driven by Charlie Brown, sort of a tyro Scrooge made even more miserable by the increasingly crass commercialism of holiday cheer. Charlie agrees to direct the school Christmas pageant and in the process tries to discover the true meaning of the holiday. Although its animation is dated and its evangelism is unsubtle, A Charlie Brown Christmas -- like all the Peanuts holiday specials -- is so good-hearted that it's very easy to overlook its flaws. Linus wrapping his blanket around the tiny, stunted tree remains among the most endearing images ever produced for network television. For grown-ups, this is how Charlie Brown and Snoopy and Sally will always be remembered, stumbling and dancing around the school stage in a childish torrent of goodwill. For kids, the simple charm of the white beagle with black ears and his friends will likely beguile them from here to next Tuesday. The new DVD is unedited and includes footage that was shorn after the initial broadcast, as well as the more recent special, It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown. Pete Segall
All Movie Guide
As incredible as it seems, CBS head man James Aubrey originally vetoed his network's presentation of the animated A Charlie Brown Christmas on the grounds that Charles M. Schultz's round-headed protagonist was a "loser" who wouldn't attract an audience! The story proposes that Charlie Brown is convinced that the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten by his Peanuts friends, not to mention the rest of the world. "Psychiatrist" Lucy advises Charlie Brown to get into the holiday spirit by directing the kids' upcoming Christmas play. Despite his utter lack of control over his cast, Charlie Brown takes his job seriously, even setting out to find a genuine Christmas tree to decorate the set instead of the usual aluminum job. But Charlie Brown's tree is a scrawny, pathetic thing, and all seems lost. That is, until the rest of the Peanuts gang decide to pitch in and decorate the woebegone tree. An instant hit when first telecast December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has been rebroadcast virtually every year since. It was produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez, the latter providing the squeals and growls of Charlie Brown's hyper-intelligent dog, Snoopy. Hal Erickson
All Movie Guide
Charlie Brown and the gang learn the true meaning of Thanksgiving after Peppermint Patty boldly arranges for everyone to celebrate the holiday at Charlie's house. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving originally aired on television and like the other animated Peanuts specials, features a toe-tapping, wistful score by Vince Guaraldi and his trio. Sandra Brennan
All Movie Guide
It's Halloween in Peanuts land. Charlie Brown is thrilled that at last he's been invited to a costume party. Snoopy's costume choice consists of the goggles and scarf of a World War I flying ace, who is ever in search of the elusive Red Baron. And Linus makes preparations for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin, whom he believes will rise from the pumpkin patch and deliver presents to all the good little boys and girls. At episode's end, Charlie Brown finds himself with a trick-or-treat bag full of rocks; Snoopy once more fails to bring the Red Baron to heel; and Linus spends the entire night in the pumpkin patch, waiting in vain for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin ("But just wait till next year!") The second of Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez' animated Peanuts specials, the 30-minute It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was first telecast October 27, 1966. Hal Erickson
Loading...
© 2009 All Media Guide, LLC