A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964 documentary)

"Charlie Brown is, I think a little bit like everyone.  We all need reassurance that some people really do like us.  But I guess Charlie Brown is mostly me. That’s why he often has that dumb expression on his face."
-Charles Schulz

This review is a bit of a change from my usual content.  I recently received a DVD of the documentary A Boy Named Charlie Brown (not to be confused with the 1969 theatrical film of the same name) and thought it was worth writing up, since it includes early Peanuts animation and was the first time Charles Schulz, Bill Melendez, Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi collaborated.  

This documentary was produced in 1964 but never aired on television.  It's historically important because without it, all the Charlie Brown specials that followed wouldn't have been produced, or would have been very different.  Melendez and Schulz previously worked together on Ford commercials, but the rest were new collaborators.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown shows us "a day in the life of Charles M. Schulz."  Mendelson and company film Schulz drawing his comic strip, going through fan letters and driving his kids to school.

A high point features footage of Schulz' appearance at Charlie Brown Day, held on May 14, 1964 at Candlestick Park.  Schulz threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to a game between the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.

I love these old school Peanuts toys!:

Short animated sequences are shown every few minutes during the film.  It opens with Charlie Brown attempting to play a piano, only to be told his playing is "terrible."

Other animation includes:

Snoopy's attempted theft of Linus' blanket.

Charlie Brown tries to fly a kite.

Lucy pulls the football away when Chuck attempts to kick it!

Schroeder plays piano while Lucy tries to attract his attention.

The animation is a slight step down from the TV specials that followed, but it looks pretty good considering their budget was tiny and the creative team was figuring how to translate the characters into a new medium.  As the screencaps above show, the cartoon segments give us some of Peanuts "greatest hits" up to that point.

At this time, this DVD is only available for purchase at the Charles M. Schulz Museum and the museum's online gift shop.

Since A Boy Named Charlie Brown is different from what I normally feature here, I won't use my usual "Sparky" rating.  However, it's highly recommended for any hardcore fans of Peanuts.

'You're At The Comic Con, Charlie Brown!'

No, that's not a title of a forthcoming Charlie Brown special (though it would be a lot of fun!), but it's a good way to begin my very, extremely belated look-back at the Richmond Wizard World Comic-Con.  You can find a more in-depth report at my sister blog, Holiday Film Reviews.  It was the first time I ever attended an event of that size and it was lots of fun.  Wizard knows how to throw a great party! 

Like any comic-con, there were lots of great cosplayers in attendance.  We saw a bunch of superheroes, Star Wars villains and Lord Of The Rings characters.  I figure "when in Rome", so I decided to get into the act and dress as a certain "round-headed kid.":

While walking around the Con, "Chuck" attracted attention wherever he went.  I was stopped by quite a few people who wanted to get their picture taken with Charlie Brown, including:

"Wash" from the series Firefly tv series:

Catwoman:

The Tick:

And Gamorra, daughter of Thanos and a Guardian of the Galaxy!:

I'll be honest, after donning the bald wig & yellow shirt, I was a little nervous about how "Chuck" would be received.  Would Charlie Brown be appreciated by hundreds of people dressed as Asgardian gods, zombies and Dothraki?  The answer was a resounding YES!  Everywhere I went, people yelled out "Hey, it's Charlie Brown!!" and sent smiles in my direction.  Which is a very good sign, with 2015 being Chuck's 65th anniversary and a new Peanuts movie in the works.   

And I was happy to see that I was not the only one dressed up as a "old school" comic strip character:

"Dick Tracy" and "Charlie Brown", together again for the first time!

But my favorite pictures of all were taken at the Rolling Dead Zombie Tech booth.  They are super-fans of The Walking Dead tv series and built a motorcycle inspired by the one Daryl Dixon rides.

 

If you are fan of The Walking Dead, check out the Rolling Dead's Facebook page, here.

I don't think Lucy would pull the football away from this guy:

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown

Premiered February 14, 1968.

"That dog is gonna drive us crazy!"
-Lucy Van Pelt.

Snoopy (Bill Melendez) is annoying all the kids and driving them crazy.

He's been playing pranks and sneaking up on kids and assaulting them.

Charlie Brown  (Peter Robbins) decides to send the beagle back to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for "a refresher course in obedience and the social graces."

Charlie Brown writes a letter to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Snoopy doesn't approve of its content!

Since it's a long walk to the puppy farm, Snoopy will stop on the way and spend the night at the home of Peppermint Patty (Gail DeFaria).

But things don't go according to plan.  Peppermint Patty is glad to have Snoopy as her guest.  But he tries her patience, demanding root beer, demanding service, treating her house as a resort, making a big mess and eating Peppermint Patty's family out of house and home.

At the same time, Charlie Brown and Linus (Christopher Shea) start to miss Snoopy.  They talk about how quiet it is without the beagle around.

Charlie Brown receives a call from Daisy Hill and learns Snoopy never showed up for training.  He calls Peppermint Patty and discovers Snoopy spent a week at her house.  Peppermint Patty is happy to see Chuck, who is forced to put Snoopy on a leash.  But Snoopy turns the tables on his "owner" and escapes to Schroeder's house, then back to Peppermint Patty's place.

Peppermint Patty says he can stay, but mentions that everyone in the house pulls their own weight.  Snoopy is put to work washing dishes, mowing the lawn, sweeping and vacuuming the floors.

No one can eat dinner until Snoopy finishes his chores.  The beagle gets frustrated and breaks a bunch of dishes.  After this tantrum, Peppermint Patty forces Snoopy to spend the night in the garage.

Snoopy ran back to Peppermint Patty because he didn't want to kept on a leash.  But he starts to think life was better with Charlie Brown.

Will Snoopy return to Charlie Brown?  Will he be taught to curb his bad behavior?

Review:
While I had the children's book that adapted He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown, this is another special that wasn't aired very often when I was a kid.

It's an enjoyable special, even if Snoopy is more of a jerk than usual.  We're used to him stealing Linus' blanket, but assaulting Charlie Brown, Schroeder and Linus crosses the line.

I won't spoil the whole ending, but I don't get the impression that Snoopy learned a lot or paid for any of his transgressions.  But that's okay, Peanuts storylines (in animation and the comic strip) often didn't have resolutions or happy endings.

Most of the special takes place at Peppermint Patty's house.  Usually, the specials take place at school, Chuck or Linus' house, I appreciated the "change of venue."  Hardcore Peanuts experts will appreciate the appearance of Roy, an obscure character from the strip, in a non-speaking role.

Peppermint Patty & Roy watch Snoopy eat.

We also get a fantasy sequence that features Snoopy battling the Red Baron.  This is the last "air war" featured in a Charlie Brown special.

"Curse you, Red Baron!"

The animation is great here.  Lots of fun action scenes, and I love Snoopy's expressions when he attacks the kids. 

Peter Robbins, Gail DeFaria, Christopher Shea and Sally Dryer all do a nice job as Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty Linus and Lucy.  It should be noted that this is the last special produced that features the same voice actors who appeared in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Speaking of voices, this is the closest Snoopy comes to speaking onscreen.  When he pretends to shoot Patty and Violet, he makes a sound that sounds very much like the word "bang."

Music:
We get a nice new piece composed by Vince Guaraldi  that serves as theme music (called "New Snoopy Theme" and "It's Your Dog, Charlie Brown", depending on the source) for the opening and closing credits.  It's an uptempo tune that always brings a smile to my face.

There's a nice montage of Snoopy performing household chores, accompanied by Guaraldi's bossa nova-influenced composition "Pebble Beach."  John Scott Trotter arranged Guaraldi's music and it's all very good.

Availability:
This special is available on 2 different dvds.  One is simply titled (appropriately enough) He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown, and it's also part of the Peanuts 1960s Collection.  It can also be streamed on Amazon.

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown is a very good if lesser-known special from the classic era of Charlie Brown specials.  It's recommended for all Peanuts fans and everyone who has owned a dog who needs obedience training.  

My rating:

4 Sparkys!

A visit to Planet Snoopy

I've got some more reviews on the way shortly, but I have to post a brief recap of a recent "adventure." 

Last month, I visited Kings Dominion with Rigby_Mel, my co-blogger at Holiday Film Reviews.  For those who don't know, Kings Dominion is a theme park located 20 miles north of Richmond,VA. It's a place we visited frequently when we were kids.

Kings Dominion is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.  The park has brought back many attractions that were part of our childhood, like the Singing Mushrooms.  Here's a video that features the Mushrooms:  

Since my last visit, they added a section to the park called Planet Snoopy!  While it's aimed at kids, this Charlie Brown fan had to check it out.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite rides at the park was the Scooby Doo Coaster.  Since KD no longer has an affiliation with Hanna-Barbera, it has been rechristend the Woodstock Express.

 
It's a nice "mid-tempo" rollercoaster, still as much fun as it was years ago.

We also checked out other rides, like the Flying Ace, which went up a lot higher off the ground than expected.

And we made a point of being photographed with a certain beagle, also known as "that funny looking kid who plays shortstop."

Left-to-right:Rigby_Mel, Snoopy and I.

And while I'm way to old for Snoopy's Moon Bounce, the giant Snoopy astronaut is pretty cool.

I am dwarfed by the giant Snoopy.

So if you're a Charlie Brown enthusiast, and you find yourself in the vicinity of Kings Dominion, a visit to Planet Snoopy promises fun for Peanuts fans of all ages.

There's No Time For Love, Charlie Brown

Premiered March 11, 1973.
Peppermint Patty:
You kinda like me, don't you Chuck?  I'm glad you don't come right out and say it though.  I respect you for that.
Charlie Brown:
That's all I need.  Respect (sighs).

Schoolwork is weighing heavy on Charlie Brown (Chad Webber), Sally (Hilary Momberger) , Linus (Stephen Shea) and Peppermint Patty (Christopher DeFaria).  They are having trouble in their history, math and science classes.

Peppermint Patty & Franklin (Todd Barbee) discuss their school assignments.

Charlie Brown's school goes on a field trip to an art museum.  He will have to write a report on the museum, if he doesn't get an A on the report, he will fail the class.  This makes Charlie Brown even more stressed out and nervous than usual  As he approaches the museum with his sister Sally, he runs into Peppermint Patty and Marcie.  Their school is also visiting the museum.

They get distracted and are separated from the other kids.  The museum is next to a supermarket, but the gang gets confused and enters the market, thinking it's the museum!

Peppermint Patty teases Charlie Brown that he "kinda likes" her.  Chuck isn't quite sure how to respond to this.

The kids are surprised to see that the "museum" is selling so many of it's items.  Marcie thinks a stack of cans "looks like a stack of tomato cans in a supermarket".  Peppermint Patty corrects her, calling it "Pop Art".

Meanwhile, Lucy (Robin Kohn) and Linus are exploring the real museum.  Linus is quite impressed with the paintings and sculptures.  But Lucy says she's "not used to pictures that don't move or have commercials". 

Marcie says she's thinks Peppermint Patty is in love with Charlie Brown.  She responds by asking "How could anybody ever be in love with boring dull wishy-washy old Chuck."  Charlie Brown overhears this and walks away in sadness.

Is Marcie right?  Does Peppermint Patty love Charlie Brown?  Will she apologize to Chuck?  Will they be able to write a paper about a museum they never entered?  Will Charlie Brown fail his class?

J.A. Morris says:
This is a fun special, even if it doesn't have much of a plot.  You might say it's "character-driven" rather than "story-driven", but with such great characters as the Peanuts gang, that's okay. 

Fans of Peppermint Patty will appreciate her interactions with Marcie and Charlie Brown.  "Chuck" seems to bring out the worst in Peppermint Patty, while insisting that he "kinda" likes her.

Charlie Brown, Marcie & Peppermint Patty help each other with homework.

  I guess it's a case of confused emotions, since she can't admit (even to herself!) that she has a crush on Charlie Brown.  

Charlie Brown watches slides of the art museum & suspects he went to the wrong place.

Linus doesn't have a big role, but he has one of the best (and longest) lines of the special.  When Charlie Brown asks what the point is of going to school and getting good grades, Linus says "Well, I think that the purpose of going to school is to get good grades so then you can go on to high school; and the purpose is to study hard so you can get good grades so you can go to college; and the purpose of going to college is so you can get good grades so you can go on to graduate school," and he goes on like that for a few more sentences!  It sounds like Charles Schulz had a cynical outlook about education when this was produced.   

Snoopy fans will appreciate his brief solo number, where he attempts to be a cashier at the supermarket. 

I liked the examples of sculptures and paintings in the museum scenes, very representative of art I found in museums when I was a kid.  Check out the name of the "nude" sculpture in the image below.

And we get some humorous commentary about the (then-recent) Pop Art movement and the "New Math" that was introduced schools in the 1960s and 70s.

In the opening of the special, we get a montage of all the kids' school experiences.  The dialog from during this portion sounds like it was taken directly from the Peanuts comic strip.

Vince Guaraldi was still around, so the music is as strong as you would expect.  I noticed a little more trumpet and saxophone than in previous specials.  We get another performance of the song "Joe Cool". The song was first sung by Guaraldi in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown, but this version contains different lyrics.

Availability:
This special can be found on dvd on the Peanuts: 1970's Collection dvd, and it also streams on Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.


There's No Time For Love is a good special that focuses on two of my favorite characters, Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty.  It's also a nice time capsule of 1970s America and is especially recommended to Peanuts fans who grew up in that decade, but fans of all ages should enjoy it.  Also strongly recommended to anyone who ever had a crush but was unable to articulate their feelings!

My rating:

.5



3 and a half Sparkys.