It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown
Genre Animated TV special
Created by Charles M. Schulz
Directed by Bill Melendez
Starring Various (see below)
Theme music composer Vince Guaraldi
Production
Producer(s) Lee Mendelson
Bill Melendez
Editor(s) Bob Gillis
Chuck McCann
Rudy Zamora, Jr.
Running time 24 min.
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
First shown in September 27, 1969
Chronology
Preceded by He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown
Followed by Play It Again, Charlie Brown

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown is the sixth prime-time animated TV specials based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. It was directed by Bill Meléndez and originally aired on CBS on September 27, 1969. This was also the first Peanuts special not to feature the majority of the original voice cast from the inaugural A Charlie Brown Christmas, except for Peter Robbins and Sally Dryer.

Plot

School is out for the summer and Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, and Pig Pen are planning to spend it reading every comic book, watching television, playing baseball, and playing classical music. However, Lucy tells them that she signed them up for camp. The girls are eager to go, but the boys hate the idea. (Charlie Brown adds that it's like finding out that he was drafted.) The boys shove each other to get on the bus, while the girls line up in order. At camp, Charlie Brown is chosen captain of the boys camp. The boys and girls have a swim race which the girls win easily. Then they have a softball game, which the boys lose with only one run. Other competitions are just as lopsided.

Afterwards, the boys sit around the campfire and reflect on how miserable they are (In this scene, the colors of the shirts of Schroeder and Linus are mixed up).

Charlie Brown and Shermy, disillusioned by their continued defeat, see Snoopy arm wrestling with the boys. They realize that the boys might get even with an arm wrestling game, with "The Masked Marvel" (Snoopy) as their champion. Snoopy goes into training, eating the camp's awful food, doing exercises, and drinking a nutritious and noxious concoction. In the contest, Snoopy goes against Lucy. They both get sweaty and tired in the match, which ends when Snoopy kisses Lucy. He pins her hand: but she says that kissing her was a foul, and she is the winner.

Back at school, Charlie Brown only comes up with 13 words on his essay that he and Linus are forced to write on the first day, after both boys are caught playing hangman in class. Linus gets an A but Charlie Brown gets a C-. Linus then says "Oh, well, it was a short summer, Charlie Brown", followed by Charlie Brown saying gloomily "And it looks like it's going to be a long winter".

DVD

On July 7, 2009, it was released on DVD for the first time, in remastered form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1960s Collection."

Voice cast

This was the last Peanuts TV special for Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown. This was also the last special for Sally Dryer, Ann Altieri, and Gail DeFaria as well.

Production credits

External links