The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Thread!

[minor muppetz]

I found out yesterday that He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown will be headlining a single-disc DVD soon, with Life's a Circus, Charlie Brown as the bonus special, and a featurette on Snoopy ice-skating. Of course the 1960s and 1970s collections will make this release obsolete (unless you want to see the featurette).

And you know, both these specials would have made good bonus specials on the Snoopy Come Home DVD (it came out before Warner Home Video got the rights to the specials).

 

[minor muppetz]

I've noticed somethign odd about Marcie's scene in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I realize Marcie most likely replaced Patty for that scene (it would have been odd to use Sally there), but Marcie disapoints Charlie Brown by revealing that the valentine card she had with the initials "C.B." were meant for somebody else. Somehow Marcie didn't seem right in that scene, as she often appears to have a crush on him and is usually nicer to Charlie Brown than most of the others. They should have just left Patty in that scene, or put Peppermint Patty there (but only becaus ehtey share a name), or maybe replace Patty with Lucy.

 

[MelissaY1]

I'm a big Peanuts fan as well. I was THRILLED they recently released "It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown" as a bonus on the "Snoopy's Reunion" DVD. I had Flashbeagle on tape as a kid and always loved the music, the animation, etc. and am so excited to own it again, even if it wasn't one of the strongest Peanuts specials...

 

[minor muppetz]

After watching Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, it is interesting how Violet is the first one to feel sorry for Charlie Brown not getting a valentine, since she was one of the girls who was meanest to Charlie Brown in the comics and specials (behind Lucy and tied with Patty). I know that the ending was based on an actual sunday strip (only Violet was present to give Charlie Brown a used valentine, while in the special Lucy, Sally, and Frieda came along as well), but it does seem like it would have been more in character for Marcie.

It's also interesting how at the Valentines party, Violet asks if anybody gave Charlie Brown a valentine, and Lucy rudely comments "Who would waste a valentine on Charlie Brown?", and then later they present Charlie Brown with a used valentine, with no further in-between scenes where either the other girls start feeling guilty or Violet getting the others to give Charlie Browna valentine.

And isn't it kidn of weird how Sally is one of the girls to give Charlie Brown a valentine at the end? She's his sister, they should have had Patty there instead.

 

[CountFan1998]

I watched the songs from the animated version of 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown', and I told my friend at school about it, and she was in a production of it, and actually hit the kid who played Linus!

 

[minor muppetz]

I've read that Charles Schultz didn't have full controll over what happens in the TV specials (even though he's the only credited writer), which explains things like the Little Red-Haired Girl being seen in a few specials, and it sort of makes me wonder who normally did the pitching for the plots of specials. Like, if it was usually the network/sponsor, it Bill Melendez or Lee Mendelson usually came up with the idea, if Charles Schultz usually came up with the idea (which I think is most likely, or at least he probably had to approve the ideas), or if it's somebody else.

I know that the specials started because Lee Mendelson wanted to produce a documentary on Charles Schultz, and then Coca-Cola saw it and wanted to sponsor a Peanuts christmas special. But I wonder if the sponsors or networks often approached Schultz with certain ideas, like wanting to do a certain holiday special or, say, a baseball-themed special.

I wonder what the first Peanuts special was to truly be unsuccessful. I also wonder how the four movies grossed at the box office (was the lack of a fifth movie due to Schultz not wanting to do another movie/being unable to think of a good one, or a poor box office performance of the last one or two?).

 

[CensoredAlso]

But I wonder if the sponsors or networks often approached Schultz with certain ideas, like wanting to do a certain holiday special or, say, a baseball-themed special.

Have you read the book on the making of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"? It explains the origin of the Halloween special in great detail.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well, like the cancer special for example, I uderstand that it was the Cancer Association of America that asked Schulz to create like a short, instructional video for hospitals to show young cancer patients, however, Schulz was so enthusiastic about the project, that he wanted to turn it into a half-hour TV special, even though both Melendez and Mendelson were reluctant about the idea.

I think perhaps in cases like this, Schulz may have been given a premise to work with, but actually wrote the scripts himself based on those premises.

 

[minor muppetz]

Have you read the book on the making of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"? It explains the origin of the Halloween special in great detail.

I've never owned the book, but I've read parts of it in the store, mainly the part about how the special came to be. It seems Schultz and the producers did a bit of brainstorming before deciding to do a Halloween story.

 

[Drtooth]

Here's what I don't get.

Boom comics is going to have a Snoopy comic book series with supposedly new stories.

Now, I know that Charles stipulated that no one can continue his stuff and all specials have to be rigidly based off existing strips... but then again, there was that strange 1960's Peanuts comic book series he wasn't involved with.

They already did a GN based on a TV special, but it WAS based off a TV special based off the strips. I kinda want to see what this is about and if they're indeed new stories or just visually re-imagined strips connected to make a coherent plot.