For years, decades really, while he was alive, Charles Schulz’s Peanuts gang had about 40 TV specials, 18 episodes over two seasons of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show and four full feature movies. But it might not all have happened if It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown didn’t work so well and become an hit.
The first Charlie Brown/Peanuts special is A Charlie Brown Christmas. Yes, the animation was not the best. (You can actually see Pigpen’s body disappear for a few frames in older versions.) But the simplicity of its story of a Charlie Brown depressed and finding happiness in a small Christmas tree he thinks will be the best is sweet and charming. And that iconic scene of the gang dancing to “Linus and Lucy” is so embedded in pop culture. The music by Vince Guaraldi has become a staple of Christmas music with his jazzy beats. And Linus’s delivery of the Birth of Christ is loved by many.
However, the follow-up Charlie Brown’s All Stars is almost forgotten even though it has Chuck standing up for the girls on the baseball team when they try to get a sponsor, yet it’s refused. Therefore, the team behind the first two were giving an ultimatum by CBS network executives – it had to be a “blockbuster.” Or else it would’ve ended with the first U.S. airing of the special on this date, Oct. 27 in 1966.
Schulz along with producer Lee Mendelson and director Bill Melendez, were faced with a tough idea but they were given more freedom. The result is a very good improvement technically over the Christmas episode. Halloween is approaching and Linus (voiced by Christopher Shea) has sent a letter to The Great Pumpkin awaiting his arrival this year in the nearby pumpkin. However, Linus is chastised and criticized for believing in it even though he criticizes Charlie (voiced by Peter Robbins) in believing in Santa Claus.
Attracted to Linus, Charlie’s sister, Lucy (voiced by Cathy Steinberg), decides to forego “Tricks or Treats” with her brother and the rest of the gang to wait in the pumpkin patch with Linus. However The Great Pumpkin never arrives with Linus mistaking Snoopy with his aviator hat on for the imaginary entity. This also angers Lucy who screams, “You owe me restitution!” before she walks away in a rage.
Charlie doesn’t have much luck out trick-or-treating as his ghost sheet costume with multiple holes only nets hand-size rocks being thrown into his bag. The idea that homeowners have rocks just sitting there next to the front door so they can toss them into someone’s bag is both funny and depressing. They just know some child is going to have a terrible costume they can criticize in a passive-aggressive way.
Linus’ sister, Lucy Van Pelt (voiced by Sally Dryer) actually shows she’s caring for asking for an extra piece of candy for Linus. Later, when she wakes up discovering Linus is not in his bed, she goes out and leads him half-asleep back inside from the cold, helping him getting into bed. Lucy is portrayed as cruel and mean to both Charlie and Linus earlier in the special. Yet, she does show a softer side.
This is also the first special to portraying Lucy holding the football for Charlie to kick it only for her to pull it away at the last minute as he slips and falls down. Lucy isn’t a nice person criticizing Linus as well as using the back of Charlie’s head to model for how they will carve the pumpkin by drawing on it. However, Snoopy manages to get back at her as she tries to bob for apples. I also like how Snoopy (voiced by Melendez) is shown standing behind a corner at the party with only his face seen with a sly smile on. For first-time viewers, they could tell he was up to something.
Now, many years later, it may not seem like much of a special to adults who have seen it over and over each year. But following an initial airing on CBC Oct. 26, 1966, it tied with Bonanza as the week’s top-rated show pulling in about 17.3 million viewers. There were only three networks and it beat out Star Trek on NBC and The Dating Game on ABC for the top show of that slot.
The Great Pumpkin is mixture of good fun and not-too-scary plot. It’s based around Halloween, but it doesn’t have anything that might lead to nightmares. Even the opening credits as the Peanuts gang are out being chased by images of ghosts, black cats and floating pumpkins isn’t really scary. Guaraldi manages to add some sinister feel to the music but not too menacing.
It adds to the somber feel as Snoopy imagines himself down in the French countryside during the war-torn times of World War I without really touching on the gruesome violence of that war. And as Snoopy sees himself as the Flying Ace battling the Red Baron, is where the animators really shine at portraying a dogfight without ever zooming away from Snoopy on top of his doghouse. Also, the beautiful animation of French lands would pop up years later in Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back)!
But I think why the special has held up is how it shows how someone like Linus who is seems to be smarter, both in academic and street smarts, is so foolish to keep believing in something that isn’t real. At other times, Linus is so sensitive he also carries around his security blanket and sucks on his thumb.
It’s the same as Lucy. She often portrays herself as cruel, mean and wanting to be in charge. Yet, she’ll melt around Schroeder who she is obsessed with. And he has no care for her. Therefore, it drives her crazy. Even though they’re kids, they seem to have the same issues adults face with wanting to be stronger and smarter, but also letting it slip when a weakness is found.
The Great Pumpkin aired every year on CBS until 2001 where it moved to ABC. In 2018, Apple purchased the licensing rights and have allowed it to be streamed on Apple+ for free for one weekend. So, it should be available.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 