We wrap up our look at non-holiday specials from the 1970's yes, this is final non-holiday lookback of Peanuts specials from the 1970's since we didn't go in chronological order. This is one is a controversial special and I'll get to that in this look.
"It's Your First Kiss" premiered on October 24th 1977 on guess where? (C B S!) For a note about most of the Peanuts series the Little Red Haired Girl didn't really have a name or a look in any of the comics. The reader would never see what she looked like. Now, Schulz did have a design for her in the 1950's but, never used it and really he is later said the reason was because he didn't think there was a look to satisfy the readers. Though, it would be been interesting to have her be built up by Charlie Brown so much and think she is the most beautiful girl in the world and see her and not look much different to any other peanuts character would have been amazing.
The little red haired girl in the specials took a different note - she was seen. Though not a real consistent look besides that she has red hair. Personally, I like the design in "The Peanuts Movie"; the most.
copyright Blue Sky which is owned by Disney by this point probably I don't even know anymore please help me!
Also, her name wasn't really in the comic strips so some specials and the 2015 movie gave her the name Heather, which is fine or something.
Anyway, this special was the first special to show her in face, she had been mentioned in past specials but not seen before. The first to use the name too. So, after all that let's start.
It starts with Woodstock using Snoopy as a helicopter because Peanuts doesn't have any logic to it, if you think it does then you are in the wrong world. Just like what kind of elementary school has a homecoming? Anyway the town is is having a homecoming parade , Charlie Brown and Linus and some others are escorts. (don't think that way) The homecoming queen is Heather. (I'm glad I don't have to the other name this time) Charlie Brown will be her date and also will get to kiss her. (this town has interesting customs)
For those that don't know homecoming involves football, again I'm not sure why an elementary school's football thing is such a big affair when it's usually a high school thing but this might not be a very good special either. (Didn't you just say that the dog became a helicopter for a while?) For 1977 this special is advanced having two girls on football team (Lucy and Peppermint Patty) good work special. Even the crowd is children and Snoopy of course, is the ref. ( We are now taking calls , Delaware Hello. Hey yes, first time caller long time show watcher, I have a Peanuts theory. Yes sir, what is it? I think all the adults are dead and Snoopy is the supreme leader which is why he takes all things you see adults doing. Thanks caller, this gag is over now) Meanwhile, Lucy decides not to take this football game seriously and decides that the best way to start the game is to do the football gag with Charlie Brown. and both teams pile on top of flopped over Charlie Brown. He crawls out and gets some boos because these people must be stupid and not able comprehend what just happened. Or this might not be a very good special. (Kansas Hello. Hey yeah, I think Lucy is a --, thanks caller we don't wanna have to use the 7 second delay again)
More football action because football football. Now there's a chance for Charlie Brown to be hero and get the extra point. Again, Lucy is there and guess what she does with the football? So yes, she moves the ball away during the game that's supposed be serious game not her and Charlie Brown faffing around in the park and does this because reasons. (Indiana Hello. Yeah, I think Lucy Van Pelt is worst person ever! I'm glad you didn't try to swear! %#@! You. Mean!) Charlie Brown flies and lands on the other football players. (Pause!)
Gotta love how causal this team dresses/Copyright Peanuts
Hello, I'm Bret Baxter here to tell you a fun fact! At about 7:41 into this special you will notice that Peppermint Patty was possessed by the devil where she starts speaking in tongues. This is not actually, her being possessed by the devil it also not your VCR or DVD player being possessed either , it is instead an edit. In the original clip Peppermint Patty speaks like a normal human being as shown here :
So yes, you don't need to call an exorcist but instead... (Hey! Who are you?) I'm trying to tell the people about -- (Get out!)
More after the jump
Apparently, the crowd must be drunk on rootbeer because they are booing him even though , they should have plainly seen what Lucy did. Charlie Brown does try to kick with a kicking tee but Lucy has decided to be annoying today and tells she's the kicking tee. (Let's check our social media replies, ah yes LucyKicker30987 says that Charlie Brown should just kick her. I can't advocate violence there LucyKicker!) Does she pull the ball away again? What do you think? Charlie Brown then gets sacked.
Snoopy is a balanced dog/ Copyright Peanuts
Now apparently, Peppermint Patty is not bright and didn't notice that Lucy , except in one instance, was a hindrance to Charlie Brown's kicking and the team by doing her gag, because she does tear down Charlie Brown for being a bad kicker. More football football football. I will say I do like the music in this special though. For anything about this special before I get to the rest of it you can't say that Linus was a bad friend in this special. Time for another field goal and again Lucy decides that doing the gag was more important that taking the game seriously and screws it up for Charlie Brown and team again. The team loses by 1 point.
fly Snoopy fly/ copyright Peanuts
As Bret said earlier in this blog post (yeah let's go with that he's real) there's another moment that was edited in the special from the original broadcast where it sounds like Peppermint was speaking kind of in reverse I'll get to more on that later. You can watch the original cut here . Charlie takes this as his failure and laments that Heather might not want to see him. Snoopy flies woodstock and his TV stuff back to wherever that goes. Now, Charlie Brown is at the homecoming dance and Peppermint Patty is mad at him for losing the game and even Lucy has a comment even though its her fault. Alright, cut here.
Most people would understand that Peanuts has a long running gag of Lucy pulling away the football and that's fine. The problem in this special is that this game was called important, had some seriousness as a value to it. Yet, they decided to write in the gag because reasons. If the rule of the Peanuts is Charlie Brown isn't supposed to win anything ever, or have a good time. Funnily enough, we have a special where Charlie Brown wins something that happened before this special so, what is it? Also, there's a crowd that could I think, see that Lucy was puling this stunt yet, apparently that never happened it was Charlie Brown's fault and Lucy gets away.
Good Grief / Copyright Peanuts
Now, this special could redeem itself from it's moment of insanity. come on special you can do it! Charlie Brown gets a nice moment and gets to be with Heather, the dream girl, and he's nervous as heck, and kisses her which causes them to show us why the recycled some animation earlier with a fun sequence. Charlie Brown wakes up from his drug induced sequence where doesn't remember the night before. (What did he drink?) It ends there pretty much.
Also out of context. Copyright Peanuts
This special. No. I have to say no. It doesn't wok really, the football gag was too much (count 4 times) and it wasn't the right time for it being a football game that was supposed to be important. The editing mentioned was because viewers didn't really take to this special during it's original airing. It shows how strong Peanuts specials viewing was when people would take the time to send actual things and letters so, in this case they weren't happy with how Charlie Brown was treated in this special and so they edited it. Peppermint Patty's chewing him out was taken and reversed where it makes it a special where you can find hidden messages by reversing audio. It's sad that this special wasn't very good not even anything quirky for me to say "hey give this watch just to see how weird it was" (ala It's the great in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown). That's our lookback.
Tune in next time, when we get fined by the FCC somehow for that caller earlier.
No comments:
Post a Comment