Charlie Brown's All-Stars
Encyclopedia
Charlie Brown's All-Stars is the second prime-time animated
TV special based upon the popular comic strip
Peanuts
, by Charles M. Schulz
. It was the second such TV special (following A Charlie Brown Christmas
) to be produced by Lee Mendelson
and Bill Melendez
(who also directed), and originally aired on the CBS
network on June 8, 1966. It ceased to be aired annually by 1972, and was last shown on CBS in April 1982 (although the Disney Channel
and Nickelodeon
did re-air the special in the 1990s). ABC
returned the special to television on April 7, 2009, as a companion to It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
.
On March 2, 2004, it was released to DVD
as a bonus special, along with It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! and Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown
. On July 7, 2009, it was released in remaster
ed form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1960's Collection."
The excitement gets the better of Charlie Brown, and he eagerly tells the team the good news. Lucy is apprehensive, but states that if Charlie Brown can really get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. Later at home, Charlie Brown gets a phone call from Mr. Hennessey, and is told that the league does not allow girls or dogs. Charlie Brown tries to reason with Mr. Hennessey, but Mr. Hennessey replies that they are the league's rules, not his. Unwilling to sacrifice his friends, Charlie Brown reluctantly declines Mr. Hennessey's offer.
Moments later, Charlie Brown relays the news to Linus, who tells him that Lucy and the team will most likely be angry with his decision. However, Charlie hits on an idea: he will not tell them until after the next game, figuring their lifted spirits will drive them to a great win. Linus says this may not be a good idea, but Charlie Brown feels it will work. The game starts off slowly, but as it picks up, the team begins to play spectacularly. Unfortunately, they lose the game in the end when, in the last inning, Charlie Brown's bid to tie the game by stealing home fails.
Having failed to win them the game, Lucy and several others tell Charlie Brown that if it were not for the uniforms and the league deal, they would quit. Charlie Brown then tells the team (leaving out the reasons why) that he told Mr. Hennessey that the deal was off. This causes the team to yell in anger and storm off. As the girls complain about their misfortune (and Snoopy is shown sharing their disgust), Linus speaks up telling them the real reason why Charlie Brown turned the offer down. Both Linus and Schroeder berate the girls (Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda) and Snoopy for their selfishness; pointing out that Charlie Brown was not willing to sacrifice them just to get the uniforms. This causes the girls and Snoopy to feel terrible for being so hard on Charlie Brown. They are uncertain what to do, until Lucy comes up with an idea to make up for the insults: make a special uniform for Charlie Brown. And they do just that, using the only fabric available - Linus' beloved security blanket.
The girls and Snoopy present the newly-made uniform (complete with the words "Our Manager" on the front) to Charlie Brown, who is very pleased with it. He is determined that his team will win the next day, but the next day, it rains, so there is no ball game. Charlie Brown just stands in the rain on the pitcher's mound, where Linus finds him and tells him that nobody will come to the field. He then looks nervously at Charlie Brown, and tells him that his uniform was made from his blanket. So Charlie Brown lets Linus hold the shirt-tail against his cheek and suck his thumb, while the two of them stand together in the pouring rain.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV special based upon the popular comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, by Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
. It was the second such TV special (following A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
) to be produced by Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson
Lee Mendelson is an American television producer. He is best known as the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials....
and Bill Melendez
Bill Melendez
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
(who also directed), and originally aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network on June 8, 1966. It ceased to be aired annually by 1972, and was last shown on CBS in April 1982 (although the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
did re-air the special in the 1990s). ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
returned the special to television on April 7, 2009, as a companion to It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown is the 12th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz...
.
On March 2, 2004, it was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
as a bonus special, along with It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown! and Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown
Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown
Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown is a Peanuts special. It originally aired on the ABC network on August 29, 2003. It was released to DVD on March 2, 2004.-Plot:...
. On July 7, 2009, it was released in remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1960's Collection."
Plot
After Charlie Brown's team loses their first game of the season (123-0), his team throws down their caps in disgust and quits. Frustrated and depressed, Charlie Brown wanders around aimlessly until Linus meets him with good news: Mr. Hennessey, operator of a local hardware store, is offering to sponsor Charlie Brown's team, place them in an organized league, and even buy them new uniforms.The excitement gets the better of Charlie Brown, and he eagerly tells the team the good news. Lucy is apprehensive, but states that if Charlie Brown can really get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. Later at home, Charlie Brown gets a phone call from Mr. Hennessey, and is told that the league does not allow girls or dogs. Charlie Brown tries to reason with Mr. Hennessey, but Mr. Hennessey replies that they are the league's rules, not his. Unwilling to sacrifice his friends, Charlie Brown reluctantly declines Mr. Hennessey's offer.
Moments later, Charlie Brown relays the news to Linus, who tells him that Lucy and the team will most likely be angry with his decision. However, Charlie hits on an idea: he will not tell them until after the next game, figuring their lifted spirits will drive them to a great win. Linus says this may not be a good idea, but Charlie Brown feels it will work. The game starts off slowly, but as it picks up, the team begins to play spectacularly. Unfortunately, they lose the game in the end when, in the last inning, Charlie Brown's bid to tie the game by stealing home fails.
Having failed to win them the game, Lucy and several others tell Charlie Brown that if it were not for the uniforms and the league deal, they would quit. Charlie Brown then tells the team (leaving out the reasons why) that he told Mr. Hennessey that the deal was off. This causes the team to yell in anger and storm off. As the girls complain about their misfortune (and Snoopy is shown sharing their disgust), Linus speaks up telling them the real reason why Charlie Brown turned the offer down. Both Linus and Schroeder berate the girls (Lucy, Patty, Violet and Frieda) and Snoopy for their selfishness; pointing out that Charlie Brown was not willing to sacrifice them just to get the uniforms. This causes the girls and Snoopy to feel terrible for being so hard on Charlie Brown. They are uncertain what to do, until Lucy comes up with an idea to make up for the insults: make a special uniform for Charlie Brown. And they do just that, using the only fabric available - Linus' beloved security blanket.
The girls and Snoopy present the newly-made uniform (complete with the words "Our Manager" on the front) to Charlie Brown, who is very pleased with it. He is determined that his team will win the next day, but the next day, it rains, so there is no ball game. Charlie Brown just stands in the rain on the pitcher's mound, where Linus finds him and tells him that nobody will come to the field. He then looks nervously at Charlie Brown, and tells him that his uniform was made from his blanket. So Charlie Brown lets Linus hold the shirt-tail against his cheek and suck his thumb, while the two of them stand together in the pouring rain.
Voice cast
- Peter RobbinsPeter Robbins (actor)Peter Robbins is a former child actor best known for his voice-over work as Charlie Brown in the 1960s.-The original Charlie Brown:...
- Charlie Brown - Sally DryerSally DryerSally Dryer is a former child actor best known for her voice-over work in the 1960s.-Career:...
- Lucy van Pelt - Christopher Shea- Linus van Pelt
- Ann Altieri- Frieda
- Glenn Mendelson- Schroeder
- Cathy Steinberg- Sally Brown
- Lynn Vanderlip- Patty
- Gabrielle Defaria Ritter- Peppermint Patty
Film credits
- CHARLIE BROWN'S ALL-STARS
- Written by: Charles M. Schulz
- Brought to you by the people in your town who bottle: Coca-Cola
- And by the folks who bake: Dolly Madison
- Story: Mark Evanier, Sharman DiVono
- Produced by: Bob Curtis, Mitch Schauer
- Supervising Director: Paul Gruwell
- Sequence Directors: Tom Ray, Jeff Hall, Tom Tataranowicz
- Directed by: Bill Melendez
- Executive Producer: Lee Mendelson
- Associate Producer: Phil Roman
- Original Score Composed and Conducted by: Vince Guaraldi
- Layouts: Ed Levitt, Bernard Gruver, Dean Spille, Cliff Voorhees, Kevin Wurzer
- Storyboards: Mitch Schauer, Kurt Conner, Gary Conard, Bob Nesler, Karl Toerge, Davis Doi
- Models: Lin Larsen, Mitch Schauer
- Backgrounds: Gloria Wood, Serge Michaels
- Animation: Bob Carlson, Herman Cohen, Ruth Kissane, Ed Love, Frank Smith, Reuben Timmins, Russ Von Neida, John Walker, Rudy Zamora, Ed DeMattia, Bob Zamboni, Sam Nicholson, Kevin Petrilak, Lloyd Vaughan, John Kafka, Bill Littlejohn, Alan Zaslove, Manuel Perez, Warren Batchelder, Bob Matz, Don Williams, Manny Gould, John Gibbs, Bob Taylor, John Freeman, Ken Walker, Bob Richardson, Richard Thompson
- Ink and Paint: Beverly Robbins, Eleanor Warren, Faith Kovaleski, Flora Hastings
- Editing: Robert T. Gillis
- Assisted by: Steve Melendez
- Sound by: Producers' Sound Service
- Camera: Nick Vasu
- A LEE MENDELSON-BILL MELENDEZ PRODUCTION
- In Cooperation With United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
- THE END
- "Charlie Brown's All-Stars"
- © 1966 United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
Book vs. Show
A book about the show came out around the time show premiered. In the book, Charlie Brown, just goes up to the team, and said the whole simple "we don't need them" line, turns and walks away as the whole team heaps abuse after abuse on him, until Linus steps in to stand up for him, but without telling them why. In the book, Schroeder is not shown berating the girls and Snoopy along with Linus, although he does in the television show. It is Schroeder who says: "Those uniforms meant just as much to Charlie Brown, as they did to you. Probably more!".Goofs
- Early in the show, Charlie Brown says "we have 5 boys, 3 girls, and 1 dog on the team" - but all 4 of the girls are shown playing along with Snoopy and the 5 boys.
- Despite Linus already knowing about why Charlie Brown had to give up the uniforms long before the next game, he is shown wailing along with the rest of the team when Charlie Brown breaks the news to them.
- After Charlie Brown and the girls gets tangled in the jump rope, Patty, Violet and Freida's skateboards suddenly appear in the next shot.
- In the first scene, Charlie Brown runs off the baseball field and into a nearby residential area in an effort to catch a long fly ball. Along the way he passes Violet, Frieda and Patty on the sidewalk jumping rope, who therefore are presumably not part of the baseball game. But after Charlie Brown misses the catch, Violet, Frieda and Patty are among the capped teammates who walk up to berate him for his error. The team has another boy, who appears instead of Pig Pen, next to Shermy. Therefore, the team has a total of 11 players, when only 9 is necessary.
- In the scene where Charlie Brown tells Linus about why he can't get the uniforms, Linus has no baseball hat. But in a close-up shot of Linus, he's wearing a cap. In the next shot, he isn't.