It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
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| Directed by: | Bill Melendez |
| Written by: | Charles M. Schulz |
| Release date: | October 27, 1966 |
| Running time: | 25 minutes |
| Proceded by: | Charlie Brown's All-Stars |
| Followed by: | You're in Love, Charlie Brown |
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a critically-acclaimed animated television special, based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.
It was the third Peanuts special (and first Halloween special) to be produced and animated by Bill Melendez. Its initial broadcast took place on October 27, 1966 on the CBS network, before the popular sitcom My Three Sons. CBS re-aired the special annually through 2000, with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001. The program was nominated for an Emmy award. It has been issued on home video several times, including a Remastered Deluxe Edition of the special released by Paramount on October 23, 2003 (and on September 2, 2008 by Warner Home Video) with the 1981 special It's Magic, Charlie Brown as a bonus feature.
To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, a retrospective book was published in 2006 entitled, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; The Making of a Televison Classic, with the entire script, never-before-seen photographs, storyboard excerpts, and interviews with the original child actors who provided the voices of the Peanuts gang.
Contents |
Plot
Edit
The story opens with Linus and Lucy going out into a nearby pumpkin patch to find a pumpkin to use as a jack-o'-lantern. After rejecting a couple of smaller choices by Linus, Lucy points to the biggest pumpkin in the patch, which Linus clumsily rolls back home. When they get home, Lucy takes a big knife and slices into the pumpkin to gut it, at which point a horrified Linus says, "Ohhhh, you didn't tell me you were going to kill it!", and starts crying.
This is followed by an opening sequence, in which trick-or-treaters (dressed as Mr. Hyde, a witch, and three ghosts; most likely the children in the special) get pursued by sinister-looking phantoms representing Halloween. The trick-or-treaters are forced to hide in a near-by pumpkin patch until the coast is clear, at which point the title is shown on screen along with Charles M. Schulz's creator credit, followed by an owl hooting as it flies off a tree branch and towards the audience.
With autumn already in full swing, Charlie Brown is busy raking leaves with Snoopy's help. Linus sees the pile and jumps right in the middle of it, forgetting he had a wet lollipop (called a sucker in this special) in his possession. Moments later Lucy comes with a football for Charlie Brown to kick. He initially refuses but Lucy shows him a contract, which she says promises she will not pull the ball away, but when Charlie Brown is about to kick the ball, she does pull it away, which sends him landing flat on his back, like always.
Later, Linus writes a letter to The Great Pumpkin, to Charlie Brown's disbelief, Snoopy's laughter, Patty's assurance that the Great Pumpkin is a fake, and even to Lucy's violent threat to make Linus stop ("You better cut it out right now or I'll pound you!"). Linus laments in the letter that "more people believe in Santa Claus than in you (The Great Pumpkin), but let's face it; Santa Claus has had more publicity. But being number two, perhaps you try harder" (a tongue-in-cheek jab at Avis Rent-A-Car's popular slogan of the day).
After Linus mails his letter to the Great Pumpkin (using his blanket to open the mailbox after Lucy refuses to help), Charlie Brown dances when he receives an invitation to go to Violet's Halloween party. His bubble is quickly burst by Lucy who mentions there were two lists, people to invite and people not to invite; Lucy is certain Charlie Brown's name was on the wrong list.
On Halloween night, the gang gets their costumes ready. Lucy dresses as a witch, while the other kids dress up as ghosts. "Pig-Pen" is easily recognized by his trademark cloud of dust, while Charlie Brown has eyeholes cut out all over his sheet, matter-of-factly stating he had a little trouble with the scissors. Sally asks asks if she can join the gang trick-or-treating. Lucy explains how to trick-or-treat and Sally asks if it is legal.
Before going trick-or-treating, the gang stops off at the pumpkin patch to make fun of Linus's missing out on all the fun as last year (especially when he asks if they came to sing "pumpkin carols"). Linus remains convinced that the Great Pumpkin will indeed come because he thinks the patch he is in is sincere enough and even convinces Sally to stick around and wait with him. The rest of the gang go off leaving Sally and Linus behind.
During trick-or-treating, everyone else gets assorted candy, gum, apples, cookies, popcorn balls, and even money. However, at every house, Charlie Brown gets the same thing — a rock. After tricks-or-treats, and another quick stop at the pumpkin patch to rib Linus and Sally again, the gang all go off to Violet's Halloween party.
Meanwhile, Snoopy, wearing his World War I Flying Ace gear, climbs aboard his Sopwith Camel (in reality, his doghouse) to do battle with the Red Baron. After being shot down, Snoopy makes his way across the countryside, before briefly crashing the Halloween party.
When 4:00 a.m. rolls around on November 1, Lucy gets up to check on Linus. Seeing his bed empty, she goes out to the pumpkin patch to find him lying on the ground shivering, covered in his security blanket. Lucy grudgingly walks him home and to his room, taking off his shoes and socks. He passes out in his own bed as Lucy puts the covers on him before angrily walking out of his room.
Later on that day, Linus and Charlie Brown are at the wall talking about the previous night's events. When Charlie Brown tries to console Linus saying "I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, too", Linus blows a fuse and angrily vows to Charlie Brown that the Great Pumpkin will come next year, his ranting continuing as the end credits roll.
Voice castEdit
- Peter Robbins - Charlie Brown
- Christopher Shea- Linus van Pelt
- Sally Dryer - Lucy van Pelt
- Kathy Steinberg - Sally Brown
- Ann Altieri - Frieda/Violet
- Paul Winchell - "Pig-Pen"
- Lisa De Faria - Patty
- Bill Melendez - Snoopy
RumorsEdit
For some unknown reason, many people believe that the first time this special aired on TV, and only the first time, there was an added scene included, in which the Great Pumpkin was actually revealed. However, as the rumor goes, the scene was deleted.
However, the rumor is false, and every Peanuts fan would know that. Schulz would never approve of the Great Pumpkin appearing in a TV special. Besides, what would the Great Pumpkin even look like?[1]
References in other mediaEdit
- In the Penguins of Madagascar episode "Friend-in-a-box", Skipper and Private look through a ViewMasters as binoculars and Skipper say, "I see a bald kid and his dog sitting in a pumpkin patch, what a block-head." This is most likely Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
- There is an island on Poptropica [2] called "Great Pumpkin Island", that is based on this TV special. Players have to help Linus wait for the Great Pumkin, help Charlie Brown play party games, and help Snoopy fight the Red Baron.
NotesEdit
- The special was originally jointly sponsored by Coca-Cola and Dolly Madison Cakes.
- The songs that Schroeder plays on his piano with Snoopy dancing and weeping to the tunes are:
- "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"
- "There's a Long, Long Trail A-winding"
- "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag"
- "Roses of Picardy"
- After this special originally aired, children all over the United States sent candy to Charlie Brown out of sympathy.
- Kathy Steinberg had almost finished recording all her lines of dialog as Sally when the producers received a phone call from her mother informing them that one of Kathy's teeth was loose. Fearing that a sudden lisp would ruin the continuity dialogue, the producers rushed the young actress into the studio to finish recording her lines. Just as Kathy was speaking her last line, the tooth came flying out of her mouth.
- When Snoopy pretends to cross wartime France as a downed pilot, he passes signs pointing to two real locations in the Champagne country northeast of Paris: Chalons sur Marne and Pont a Mousson.
- When Linus walks into the living room after writing a letter to the Great Pumpkin, Lucy is sitting in front of the TV reading a TV Guide. The picture on the cover of the magazine is a picture of Lucy.
