You're in Love, Charlie Brown
Encyclopedia
You're in Love, Charlie Brown is the fourth prime-time animated
TV specials based upon the popular comic strip
Peanuts
, by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on CBS on June 12, 1967. It is also the second non-holiday oriented Peanuts' special, following Charlie Brown's All-Stars
.
is upset about everything. On the way to school, he meets Linus
and tells him he is frustrated that he can't enjoy himself like all the other kids at school. But when he notices the Little Red-Haired Girl
sitting on a passing bus, Linus immediately realizes that Charlie Brown is in love.
During the next-to-last day of school, Charlie Brown agonizes over the Little Red-Haired Girl, trying to think of different ways to get her attention, only to have each attempt fail embarrassingly. First he writes her a love note, but he gets called on by the teacher to read a report in front of the class, and accidentally reads the note aloud to the raucous laughter of the class. Then he goes to the pencil sharpener to sharpen... his ball point pen. Lunch hour is just as frustrating. He tries to get up the courage to go and talk to the girl, only to fail at the last moment. Then he panics when the Little Red-Haired Girl approaches, tying his peanut butter sandwich in a knot and pulling his lunch sack down over his face. On the way home, Lucy
and Violet
jeer at Charlie Brown for a ridiculous answer he gave in class. Linus defends him by revealing that he loves the Little Red-Haired Girl, but it only gives the girls another way to humiliate Charlie Brown.
That afternoon, Charlie Brown goes over to Lucy's psychiatry booth, but Lucy, already upset over Schroeder for ignoring her after she breaks his piano and Beethoven bust, isn't much help. Later, he meets Peppermint Patty and talks about the girl at school, but before he can mention her red hair, Patty jumps in and tells Chuck that she will set up a meeting with her. Patty then tells Lucy that "Someone" wants to meet her at the ball park that night. Lucy agrees, thinking the "Someone" is Schroeder
, and Patty returns to tell Charlie Brown everything is all set. When the two meet each other at home plate, they respond with "You! Bleah!"
The next morning, the last day of school before summer vacation, Charlie Brown plans to get up at 4:30 a.m. and meet the Little Red-Haired Girl at the bus stop. But he falls asleep on the bench, and when the bus comes, it leaves him behind. He arrives late at school and is sent to the principal's office right after yelling at the teacher when asked why he was late. When he comes back to class, the teacher calls on him to solve a math problem on the blackboard. Thinking he will finally impress the Little Red-Haired Girl, he struts to the blackboard and works hard, writing college geometry formulas, but when the teacher asks him if he knows what he is doing, he sheepishly admits he has not a clue. He is once again laughed at, and once again goes slowly back to his desk.
At noon school is finally over, and determined to finally meet the Little Red-Haired Girl, Charlie Brown beats everyone out to the school bus to meet her. But a clamoring crowd of fellow students pushes him away. The last student gets on the bus, and it pulls away again, leaving Charlie Brown behind. He shouts out his misery until he notices a sheet of paper that had gotten slipped into his hand. It reads:
Charlie Brown's anguish quickly turns into delight and hope as he dances up the hill toward home as the end credits roll. At the very end, he stops and asks himself, "Good grief! How will I live until September?"
Additionally similar to the fight senquences of the 1966 Batman series
, it was the only known Peanuts special in which the more intense sound effects are actually spelled out in onomatopoeic words: wiggly R's when Charlie Brown's alarm clock goes off, and a very hard, straight word "Click-click" when he opens some school doors getting to school silently, as he is late (however, in The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
episode "Linus and Lucy" the word Pow can be seen when Snoopy punches somebody in Sally's class).
Along with the special It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
, this was released to DVD
as a bonus feature on the Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown-Remastered Deluxe Edition DVD
on January 15, 2008. On July 7, 2009, it was rereleased on DVD, in remastered form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1960's Collection." It will be released on the Happiness is Peanuts: Friends Forever DVD on December 27, 2011 (2 days after Christmas Day).
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 specials 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. It originally aired on CBS on June 12, 1967. It is also the second non-holiday oriented Peanuts' special, following Charlie Brown's All-Stars
Charlie Brown's All-Stars
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 to be produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez , and originally aired on the CBS network on June 8, 1966...
.
Plot
It is late spring, school is about to let out for summer vacation, and Charlie BrownCharlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
is upset about everything. On the way to school, he meets Linus
Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
and tells him he is frustrated that he can't enjoy himself like all the other kids at school. But when he notices the Little Red-Haired Girl
Little Red-Haired Girl
The Little Red-Haired Girl is an unseen character in the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, and is a symbol of unrequited love. While never seen in the strip, she appears onscreen in several television specials. Her name is sometimes cited in these as Heather. She serves as the object of...
sitting on a passing bus, Linus immediately realizes that Charlie Brown is in love.
During the next-to-last day of school, Charlie Brown agonizes over the Little Red-Haired Girl, trying to think of different ways to get her attention, only to have each attempt fail embarrassingly. First he writes her a love note, but he gets called on by the teacher to read a report in front of the class, and accidentally reads the note aloud to the raucous laughter of the class. Then he goes to the pencil sharpener to sharpen... his ball point pen. Lunch hour is just as frustrating. He tries to get up the courage to go and talk to the girl, only to fail at the last moment. Then he panics when the Little Red-Haired Girl approaches, tying his peanut butter sandwich in a knot and pulling his lunch sack down over his face. On the way home, Lucy
Lucy van Pelt
Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
and Violet
Violet (Peanuts)
Violet Gray is a fictional character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Violet has shoulder-length dark hair, and she frequently wears green dresses...
jeer at Charlie Brown for a ridiculous answer he gave in class. Linus defends him by revealing that he loves the Little Red-Haired Girl, but it only gives the girls another way to humiliate Charlie Brown.
That afternoon, Charlie Brown goes over to Lucy's psychiatry booth, but Lucy, already upset over Schroeder for ignoring her after she breaks his piano and Beethoven bust, isn't much help. Later, he meets Peppermint Patty and talks about the girl at school, but before he can mention her red hair, Patty jumps in and tells Chuck that she will set up a meeting with her. Patty then tells Lucy that "Someone" wants to meet her at the ball park that night. Lucy agrees, thinking the "Someone" is Schroeder
Schroeder (Peanuts)
Schroeder is a fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. He is distinguished by his precocious skill at playing the toy piano, as well as by his love of classical music and the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in particular...
, and Patty returns to tell Charlie Brown everything is all set. When the two meet each other at home plate, they respond with "You! Bleah!"
The next morning, the last day of school before summer vacation, Charlie Brown plans to get up at 4:30 a.m. and meet the Little Red-Haired Girl at the bus stop. But he falls asleep on the bench, and when the bus comes, it leaves him behind. He arrives late at school and is sent to the principal's office right after yelling at the teacher when asked why he was late. When he comes back to class, the teacher calls on him to solve a math problem on the blackboard. Thinking he will finally impress the Little Red-Haired Girl, he struts to the blackboard and works hard, writing college geometry formulas, but when the teacher asks him if he knows what he is doing, he sheepishly admits he has not a clue. He is once again laughed at, and once again goes slowly back to his desk.
At noon school is finally over, and determined to finally meet the Little Red-Haired Girl, Charlie Brown beats everyone out to the school bus to meet her. But a clamoring crowd of fellow students pushes him away. The last student gets on the bus, and it pulls away again, leaving Charlie Brown behind. He shouts out his misery until he notices a sheet of paper that had gotten slipped into his hand. It reads:
- I Like You, Charlie Brown. signed Little Red Haired Girl
Charlie Brown's anguish quickly turns into delight and hope as he dances up the hill toward home as the end credits roll. At the very end, he stops and asks himself, "Good grief! How will I live until September?"
Notability
You're In Love, Charlie Brown is notable for at least two important firsts:- It marked the on-screen debut of Peppermint PattyPeppermint PattyPatricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends...
, who was introduced in the classic comic strip the year before. - It was also the first special that used "tromboning" (a muted trombone) in place of adult voices.
Additionally similar to the fight senquences of the 1966 Batman series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
, it was the only known Peanuts special in which the more intense sound effects are actually spelled out in onomatopoeic words: wiggly R's when Charlie Brown's alarm clock goes off, and a very hard, straight word "Click-click" when he opens some school doors getting to school silently, as he is late (however, in The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show is an animated television series featuring characters and storylines from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It aired Saturday mornings on the CBS network from 1983 to 1985. It re-aired on The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon in the 1990s...
episode "Linus and Lucy" the word Pow can be seen when Snoopy punches somebody in Sally's class).
Along with the special It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown is the 16th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz...
, this 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 feature on the Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown-Remastered Deluxe Edition DVD
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is the 13th prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on January 28, 1975. ABC will next air it on February 11, 2011....
on January 15, 2008. On July 7, 2009, it was rereleased on DVD, in remastered form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1960's Collection." It will be released on the Happiness is Peanuts: Friends Forever DVD on December 27, 2011 (2 days after Christmas Day).