The Flashback Peanuts
Charlie Brown needs to be celebrated so this was it. "A Charlie Brown Celebration" is a Peanuts special from may of 1982 on the CBS network (of course). It was an hour long special , which sparked CBS to pick up a new animated weekly series called "The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show". This special is pretty much a collection of Peanuts stories that would be too long to make a 30 minute (24 Minutes+ Commercials) special. Also Charles Schulz himself introduces the special and he explains how the special will work which is nice and handy.
The segments have varying lengths kind of like how Schulz explains his comic strips can be one timers or have a story line that runs for weeks. In other words this is like a celebration of Charlie Brown and the gang in animated form.
The first segment ,called School, is about a minute long with Sally doing her classic laments about school starting. A short bump where Lucy tickles Snoopy and he falls of his dog house and giggles some more. Then it goes back to school ,but the time has skipped to the first day of school with more laments about school by Sally Brown. Then it's Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder in classes. Again it's just about another minute long.
That's not how you sit in a desk / Copyright Peanuts
The second segment is called Kite. Charlie Brown does his famous kite flying and he gets caught in a tree. Then it turns into a segment about Lucy and Linus talking about Edgar Allen Poe. Charlie Brown does more kite flying and gets everyone all tangled up.
All Tied up/ Copyright Peanuts
The third segment : Charlie Brown's School Days. Back to school (wow!) We have Linus in his class writing about learning to butter up a teacher. This segment is about our main characters in school.
Linus is right/ Copyright Peanuts
The Fourth segment is called "Sally" it's about Sally (of course) but there's also get the Peanuts character, Eudora. It takes place at camp and it's mostly about Eudora teasing Snoopy, whom Sally brought with her.
Eudora in the Middle / Copyright Peanuts
The Fifth segment is called "Sally and Linus" which is about Lucy and Franklin. (alright I'm kidding just making sure you are paying attention) Linus reads about his camping and gets to queen snakes which makes his teacher faint. Sally has a hard time drawing a cow leg and complains and gets sent to the principal's office.
What are you in for? / Copyright Peanuts
The Sixth segment is called "Peppermint Patty". Peppermint Patty is looking for a private school to attend. Because she's Peppermint Patty she thinks Snoopy is a human and so of course a suggestion was Ace Obedience school. (She was looking for a cheap private school so her father wouldn't have to spend so much.) She tells Charlie Brown he tries to explain it to her but of course she's Peppermint Patty, she doesn't listen to anyone. She goes to the school and notices that everyone else has a dog and that there are no desks. Marcie asks her how was her day? Apparently , Peppermint Patty didn't notice it was dog school. Charlie Brown tells Snoopy that Peppermint Patty is not going to be happy with the beagle when she finds out it's a school for dogs. (Ha ha when she finds out) She's still at the school and apparently the school doesn't think this is strange at all. (What kind of world is this?) She graduates. (
Again what is this place?) Also Marcie still doesn't tell her but implies that she knows and just doesn't tell P.P. Marcie the next day, tells her that the teacher has been asking where she has been. She asks for attorney (Snoopy) to prove she has graduated , Snoopy of course is nervous because she may find out the truth now. (May) Peppermint Patty does find out and looks for Snoopy. (probably to show him how she knows how fetch now) She then gets into a fight with a cat the mean one who lives next door. (That escalated quickly) Peppermint Patty and Snoopy end up fighting World War 2 (the cat) and I think they lost. P.P goes back to people school.
This was the longest segment so far.
More after the jump
Look what the cat dragged in / Copyright Peanuts
The Seventh Segment : Linus. This one Linus and Sally are on a field trip. It's mostly Sally being annoyed by school some more. Linus remembers the place they went before and then he is reunited to famous peanuts character, Truffles. Sally gets jealous and she and Truffles start fighting over Linus. He goes on the roof and he refuses to get down until they stop fighting. Then he gets stuck. She asks Snoopy and Woodstock to rescue him which I guess they do.
Aww Luffles / Copyright Peanuts
The Eight Segment is Piano. Lucy is doing her classic interact with Schroeder at his piano. She tells him how if they were married she would dust his piano every day. The she temps him for reaction by talking about Beethoven. It's pretty much Lucy and Schroeder doing their normal segment. Eventually she throws his Piano into the sewer. (not very nice) Charlie Brown helps him and they go down to where the water goes but it was a lost cause, so he buys a new one.
Then he threw her down the sewer / Copyright Peanuts
The Ninth Segment is called Lucy , in this one Lucy in angry that she isn't thankful for anything, Linus tries to help. So he does something sweet and she cries. Then Lucy has Linus get fire wood while she plays jokes on him and talks about Abe Lincoln. (random)
awwww/ copyright Peanuts
The Tenth segment : Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Marcie doesn't really like playing baseball. She also recommends that they need caps. So she takes initiative and tries to make some caps. They go through a cycle of caps that annoy Peppermint Patty. P.P sees that a baseball team is having a free cap day for children, so her plan is to run through nine times to get nine caps. (Yes this plan has flaws we could point out.) Marcie runs after the first cap , Peppermint Patty quits on her plan.
Hmm fly ball/ Copyright Peanuts
The Eleventh segment, Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown was pitching and he's feeling sick and decides to go home. Charlie goes to the E.R by himself. Sally can't find him and apparently decides that it's a good time to move into his room. (Long running Peanuts Gag) Then she finds out that Chuck is in the hospital. (You maybe asking where the parents are, well Barber's picnic and C.B didn't want to bother them or know where it is or something.) Meanwhile, Charlie Brown wonders if he's dead. Everyone else is worried even Lucy. (Yes her too) She even cries. Peppermint Patty and Marcie are turned away at the hospital because they are too young. (This didn't stop Chuck and Linus in Why Charlie Brown Why,) The Continuing theme of Marcie being in love with C.B continues she wants him to ask her to the prom in the future. Lucy is unhappy when Charlie Brown's mom says he's not any better, and promises that she would never pull the football away again if he gets away. Then Charlie Brown gets better. So the football thing happens and Charlie Brown doesn't kick the ball and kicks her hand. (Darn it Schulz , darn it!)
The one where Charlie Brown doesn't die/ Copyright Peanuts
That's the special. This was the first of three television specials for the Peanuts that featured multiple stories that others were : "
It's and Adventure , Charlie Brown" and "
Snoopy the Musical" but this was the first one. I like the idea of taking some story lines that aren't long enough to be 24 minutes long. And none of the segments feel like they go on to long. Since it's the peanuts there are alot of gags that made me laugh and there is of course some sweetness too. It's great to see the variety of characters even including Eudora and Truffles is a nice touch.
That's the special tune in next time when see how Truffles and Linus are doing now.
