You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown is the fourteenth prime-time animated TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on October 28, 1975. It has been released to DVD by Warner Home Video.
Plot
The special begins with Snoopy on a tennis court testing an automated ball server, which soon malfunctions and pelts the beagle repeatedly with tennis balls. Then, Linus and Sally are seen going to a tennis court to play tennis, but when they arrive, Linus notes that the courts are "full with big kids". Sally loses her temper and warns the big kids to get off the court "or my boyfriend (meaning Linus) will clobber you!" After hearing that, Linus panics and runs away, since he does not like when Sally thinks of him as her boyfriend (or more likely, because he knows the "big kids" would clobber him). Sally then sits at a nearby bench.
Snoopy arrives, and plays against an unseen player. After executing rather unorthodox tactics, Snoopy gains the lead. However, as a result of a few mistakes, he blows his lead of 6-5, (and reacts by ramming the net, beating up his racket, etc.) A one-point sudden-death tie-breaker is held, but Snoopy misses a pass, losing the match. Snoopy responds by breaking his racket in two. The winner of the match is revealed to be Woodstock.
After Snoopy and Woodstock's game, Peppermint Patty arrives on a motor bike and tells Snoopy about the upcoming motocross race for charity; she suggests that Snoopy should get a bike and enter.
Meanwhile, Linus and Charlie Brown are tossing a football around, until Lucy comes and asks him if he wants to try and kick a football she is holding. Charlie Brown becomes so angry that she thinks he will fall for that again. They are then interrupted by Peppermint Patty on her motor bike, who tells them about the motocross race, and states that the winner of the motocross will win two tickets to the Pro Bowl. She tells them she will be entering the race, and they should enter, then rides off. Linus thinks the race is a good idea, and volunteers as the pit crew, with Charlie Brown as the racer. Charlie Brown agrees, but only if he and Linus combine their money and buy a bike together. Lucy then tells Charlie Brown that he should kick the football for practice, and she, of course, pulls it away making him fall.
At the bike shop, they purchase a poor-quality bike because that is all they can afford. When Charlie Brown asks if it runs, Linus replies that "even if the bike walks, we'll be running ahead".
Charlie Brown and Linus then get ready for the race. Peppermint Patty wishes them luck, but says she will still beat them. While they are getting ready to start the race, Peppermint Patty notices a contestant named the "Masked Marvel" and says he will be no problem for her. It is soon revealed that Snoopy is the "Masked Marvel".
The race commences, with Snoopy and Charlie Brown promptly wiping out on the first turn. Two ambulances have to come due to the accident and Charlie Brown loses his helmet.
While rushing to the hospitals, the ambulances accidentally switch the two around, and Charlie Brown is abruptly taken to a vet kennel while Snoopy is admitted into the hospital. After snapping out of his daze, Charlie Brown realizes he is in the wrong place, and must return to the race. He escapes from the vet, and then pulls Snoopy from the hospital. They make their way back to the motocross.
When they arrive back at the race, Linus hands Charlie Brown a hollowed out pumpkin for a helmet, as per the rule that each competitor requires a helmet; with Sally reminding him not to even mention the "Great Pumpkin". Charlie Brown and Snoopy then return to racing. Meanwhile, all the other competitors have accidents in the various mud traps, so now only Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, and Snoopy remain in the race. However, Peppermint Patty soon gets stuck in a mud trap, and is also out of the race. Now only Charlie Brown and Snoopy remain. Snoopy goes so much faster then Charlie Brown, and it looks like Snoopy is about to win the race. However, while Snoopy is showing off, his bike suddenly breaks down and he is forced to find a replacement: the tennis ball server.
While Snoopy is riding on his tennis ball server, he throws tennis balls at Charlie Brown, which knock him off his bike. Having gained a massive lead, Snoopy stops for a picnic (a reference to the classic story of "The Tortoise and the Hare"). However, Charlie Brown catches up to Snoopy. Charlie Brown slowly makes his way around all the traps, and his steady speed helps him pass all the terrains. However, Snoopy rushes through the race, and gets stuck in a mud trap like the other competitors.
Charlie Brown wins the race by default, which makes Lucy think the world is coming to an end. All the characters come to cheer for Charlie Brown, since he wins and gets the prize. The child in charge of the motocross comes over and kisses Charlie Brown, and hands him the prize. Charlie Brown realizes the prize is not the Pro Bowl tickets he was expecting, but a gift certificate for five free haircuts. The child in charge says she could not afford the grand prize of Pro Bowl tickets, so instead she gives him the haircut certificate. This makes Charlie Brown upset, since his father is a barber, and anyway, he does not have much hair to cut.
At the end of the day, Charlie Brown is still upset about the prize, but Linus consoles Charlie Brown by telling him that the fact that he won is more important than receiving a prize.
The next day, a confident Charlie Brown is ready to pitch another baseball game, saying to the team that in spite of his "980 straight defeats", he is certain that he will win this game. However, as the viewers would expect, Charlie Brown's first pitch is hit right back to him, causing him to literally lose his shirt.
And putting that's all folks in the ending.
Trivia
- This is the last Peanuts television special to air during Vince Guaraldi's lifetime. Guaraldi had just completed the soundtrack for It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown on February 6, 1976 when he died due to a sudden heart attack.
- The girl in charge of the motocross resembles the girl scout Loretta who had previously appeared in the strip and is called "Loretta" by Marcie.
- Charlie Brown's line on him being unable to use the 5-free-haircut gift certificate because he "Does not have much to cut", has led many viewers to think that Charlie Brown is bald. Charles M. Schulz always said that Charlie Brown's hair was not easily visible because it was very short and very fair.
- When Linus and Sally are searching for a pumpkin for Charlie Brown to use as a helmet, the Great Pumpkin Waltz from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown can be heard briefly.
- This special received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special.
Voice cast
- Duncan Watson ā Charlie Brown/Franklin/Kid
- Melanie Kohn ā Lucy van Pelt/Loretta
- Stuart Brotman ā Peppermint Patty
- Jimmy Ahrens ā Marcie
- Gail Davis ā Sally
- Liam Martin ā Linus van Pelt/Schroeder
- Bill Melendez ā Snoopy/Woodstock
Frieda, Violet, Roy, Patty, and 555 95472 make brief cameos, but are silent.
External links
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown on the Internet Movie Database.
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown on the Big Cartoon Database.
- You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown on AllMovie.