So, I have written about this special before, but I feel since this special is turning 40 in 2020, and I have more thoughts and insights into special, that I'd do a rewrite. Keeping the old post up, but doing something a little updated and what I hope is a better look than the old one, it's always good to try and improve on something.
Peppermint Patty is probably one of more interesting Peanuts characters because she stood out as a character with a lot character. I always heard this rumor that Peppermint Patty was considered for her own strip, if anything, she would be a character that could hold a strip.
"She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown" is the 19th Special in the Peanuts line of specials, it's first of the 1980's specials coming out on February 25th 1980 airing on the CBS network. (Charlie Brown station) As of this writing, it makes yearly appearances on ABC with "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown" as a lead-in.
This special starts Peppermint Patty. You will only see her, Marcie, Snoopy. and Woodstock in prominence. Can Peppermint Patty hold an entire special?
It starts with Peppermint Patty ice skating while, being coached by Snoopy who acts like an old Soviet ice skating coach. Then after the intro, it has the familiar,from the strips, Peppermint Patty being asleep in class. Also, there's a voice for the teacher and it's trumpets it's actual woman's voice, so this a rarity. The reason why Peppermint Patty is dozing off is because she's been waking up at 4:30AM to train for ice skating. (That is early, like even local news shouldn't be on that early early)
Sandals in the snow, how brave/ Copyright Peanuts
Hey there's Chuck, she wakes up him just to tell him that she's going to wake up Snoopy, tells him to go back to sleep. I'm pointing this out now, ABC air this differently, like really differently. They start with a scene later on that'll point out, then show the title, then they cut the part where Peppermint wakes up Chuck and just goes straight into her waking up Snoopy and bringing him to the pond to practice They cut almost of the stuff I mentioned above, then show her practicing to the music of "O mio babbino caro" (It was my Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown will later use this piece of music) This part is where we come back together with ABC's airing. One of the cool things about special's animation is the ice skating. They asked professional skaters if everything they did was accurate before they finished the special. The main goal was to have it be believable that Peppermint Patty would be ice skating in a regional competition. They filmed three skaters : Mary Ellen Kinsey, Amy Schulz, and Karen Hutton and studied the results frame by frame. This shows the great care and attention that went into Peanuts specials and respect for the audience, I love this fact. (my source)
She is a good skate/ Copyright Peanuts
Up next, some skaters show up and want to ride play hockey they want to force Peppermint Patty and Snoopy off , but these two knock them with two pushes and Snoopy just scoops them off the ice. (Don't mess with these two, ever!) This part is where ABC starts their airing with more Peppermint Patty practicing with the music and Marcie there this time. ( Watch this post be weird f the specials change networks and that network airs this unedited.)
Peppermint Patty wants Marcie to make her skating dress, and in true Peppermint Patty fashion she doesn't listen to Marcie saying that she's not someone who can make a dress. (I'm not going to mention every ABC edit because that bogs down everything) It's interesting to hear them use a woman's voice for the fabric store woman as well, that's a little wow. After a quick moon transition, peppermint Patty shows up to look at the dress. Marcie made one with out arms (it's hip in some countries)
Fashion trend of the future/ Copyright Peanuts
more after the jump
She walks outside in the silly dress to her coach, and since Snoopy is Snoopy he can do anything like make a dress. This dog is really top dog.
Fashionable/ Copyright Peanuts
She also wants something done about her hair, but Snoopy's suggestion is a red curly haired wing but this is dropped due to it being silly. (That would confuse the heck out of Charlie Brown) It's Skating competition time! Remember, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Schroeder? There they are in the audience. They also have the announcer voice be a male instead of horns. Snoopy is a Zamboni driver because this special he's just showing off. (Snoopy actually wrote and drew this special, he also colored it, ran it on CBS, owned CBS, then he also wrote this blog post) They have some other public domain classical music for the other ice skaters. (It fits naturally because that's the kind music you'd expect) I like the little touch of the judges skating out with their numbers.
Here are the scores/ Copyright Peanuts
Snoopy is also managing the music because of course he is. Finally, it's Peppermint Patty's turn to shred but, cassette tape gonna cassette and it breaks. After Snoopy fights a tape player, Woodstock saves they day by whistling "O mio babbino caro" for Peppermint Patty. (It's beautiful!) She gets the highest score and wins! Because she's Peppermint Patty, Chuck wouldn't have done so hot.
she wins!
Snoopy gives Peppermint Patty a kiss, which she doesn't mind because she' s not Lucy and special is over.
So Can Peppermint Patty hold her own special? Yeah, she can. The special showed us her work and dedication to her skating. Her character's good points are brought up through out and her flaw of not listening to people but it doesn't come off too much as being mean or rude as much just her over confidence. Snoopy and Peppermint Patty interactions are always great so, this one was full of them with him being her crabby old coach he brings a lot to the special with out overshadowing Patty.
Here's a fun fact. This special was based off a string of strips from 1974.
Some of things changed from the strip story, was the hair thing. Where in the strips the wig was used after Charlie Brown's father, a barber, though she was a boy and cut it real short.
Also, this special stays on with the ice-skating competition, while, in the strip she was confused it was a roller skating competition.
They did keep the dress thing the special
If you want to check out the whole thing you can read it starting from November 4,1974 to December 7, 1974 .
So, please do check out this special, if you haven't it's a great quality special for the start of the 80's Peanuts specials. That's our lookback , tune in next time when when we learn that Linus is a tango dancer, in There's a rose in my mouth ,Charlie Brown" .(If that was real oh if that was real)
Even re used the joke!
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