It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown
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''It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown'' is the 11th
prime-time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
based upon the popular
comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
''
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
,'' by
Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wi ...
. It was originally aired on the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
network on February 1, 1974. This was the first
Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...
television special that
Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer. Melendez is known for working on the Peanuts animated specials, ''Peanuts'' animated specials ...
did not direct, but he still served as producer and provided the voices of
Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
and
Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
.


Summary

While building a nest on his tree, Woodstock has trouble keeping the straw for it together; and it falls apart and causes Woodstock and all the straw to fall to the ground. After a few unsuccessful attempts, Woodstock finally ties the straw together in a unique manner which makes it safe and secure. Meanwhile,
Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sortie (siege warfare), Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, ...
vents her frustration to
Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...
over being assigned another science project. Woodstock's nest disappears the next afternoon, so he turns to
Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
for help. Adopting the guise of
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
, Snoopy and Woodstock go on the hunt for the missing nest. Most of the places they check include: * Charlie Brown's house, where they wake him up and give him the third degree. He naturally denies anything about taking the nest. *
Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...
and
Linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...
' house, using an excessive amount of dust to check for fingerprints. Snoopy eventually finds a broom straw and believes this is enough evidence to make Lucy a suspect. He tries to handcuff her, but she throws him out of the house. *
Marcie Marcie is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated Daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. Marcie is a studious girl who is sometimes depicted as being terrible at sports. ...
's house, where Snoopy pulls out his notepad and questions her on the whereabouts of the nest. She is unable to understand Snoopy in his dog language and slams the door in his face. *
Pig-Pen Pig-Pen is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. While amiable, he is a young boy who is, except on rare occasions, extremely dirty and attracts a permanent cloud of dust. History "Pig-Pen" is a nickname. I ...
's house, where Snoopy immediately dismisses him as a suspect once he answers the door in his usual dusty trademark fashion entrance. As Snoopy takes off, Pig-Pen tells him to come back anytime because he does not get many visitors. * Finally, the home of
Peppermint Patty Peppermint Patty is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts''. Her full name is Patricia Reichardt, which is very rarely used in the strip. She is one of a small group in the strip who live across town from C ...
, who thinks Snoopy is playing Cops and Robbers, so she dons a burglar mask and chases him through her house. Frightened, Snoopy and Woodstock escape. Upon stopping back at Woodstock's tree, Snoopy takes more notice of a set of footprints he had seen before; they lead away from Woodstock's tree, so the two follow them straight to the elementary school. After making their way inside through an open window, they ultimately find Woodstock's nest under glass in a display case. The two grab the nest and run back to Woodstock's tree where Snoopy sets it back in its proper place. The next day, Sally complains to Charlie Brown that her science exhibit has been stolen. When she reveals that her exhibit was a so-called "prehistoric bird's nest", Charlie Brown puts two and two together and realizes it was ''she'' who took Woodstock's nest. Sally claims that the nest had to have been "prehistoric" since the straw was tied together unusually. Even with Charlie Brown's explanation that the nest was made by Woodstock, Sally is convinced that since she found the nest, it belongs to her. When she encounters Snoopy and Woodstock, she demands that they return ''her'' nest. The three are about to come to blows when Charlie Brown suggests that they handle the problem in a different way, so they all go to see Lucy in her psychiatric booth, which she temporarily converts to a courtroom enlisting Linus as stenographer, and she tacks two cents on to her normal five-cent fee to cover court costs and asks they pay in advance rather than after. The two sides present their case to Judge Lucy: Snoopy, as Woodstock's attorney, with a document containing excessive legal jargon, and Sally with "Finders keepers, losers weepers". Stenographer Linus is not much help as he can only remember a few words said before the case was fully announced, but Lucy rules in favor of Woodstock, saying that since ''he'' built the nest, ''he'' should keep it. Lucy's ruling leaves Sally without a science class exhibit, but Charlie Brown and Snoopy come up with an idea. Snoopy is willing to volunteer to be her exhibit in a re-creation of Pavlov's salivating dog experiment. Although Sally disagrees at first, she decides to go along with it and ultimately gets an "A" on her science project. In the end credits, as Woodstock lies on his nest, the bottom falls out, sending Woodstock falling out of his tree.


Voice cast

*Todd Barbee as
Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...
* Melanie Kohn as Lucy van Pelt *
Stephen Shea Stephen Shea (born December 21, 1961, in Los Angeles, California) is a former child actor most noted for voicing the character of Linus van Pelt (inheriting the role from his older brother, Christopher) in seven animated ''Peanuts'' television ...
as Linus van Pelt *Donna Forman as
Peppermint Patty Peppermint Patty is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts''. Her full name is Patricia Reichardt, which is very rarely used in the strip. She is one of a small group in the strip who live across town from C ...
*Jimmy Ahrens as
Marcie Marcie is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated Daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. Marcie is a studious girl who is sometimes depicted as being terrible at sports. ...
*Lynn Mortensen as
Sally Brown Sally Brown is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles Schulz. She is the younger sister of main character Charlie Brown. She was first mentioned in May 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appeara ...
*Tom Muller as
Pig-Pen Pig-Pen is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. While amiable, he is a young boy who is, except on rare occasions, extremely dirty and attracts a permanent cloud of dust. History "Pig-Pen" is a nickname. I ...
*
Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American character animator, voice actor, film director and producer. Melendez is known for working on the Peanuts animated specials, ''Peanuts'' animated specials ...
as
Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...
/
Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
** Peter Robbins (archived) – Lucy van Pelt, Peppermint Patty (screaming only)


Music score

The music score for ''It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown'' was composed by
Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...
and conducted and arranged by
John Scott Trotter John Scott Trotter Jr. (June 14, 1908 – October 29, 1975), also known as "Uncle John", was an American arranger, composer and orchestra leader. Trotter was best known for conducting the John Scott Trotter Orchestra which backed singer and ...
. The score was performed by the Vince Guaraldi Quartet on January 5, 11, 23 and 30, 1974, at
Wally Heider Studios Wally Heider Studios was a recording studio founded in San Francisco in 1969 by recording engineer and studio owner Wally Heider. Between 1969 and 1980, numerous notable artists recorded at the studios, including Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jeff ...
, featuring Guaraldi (piano, electric piano, electric harpsichord, electric guitar and whistling),
Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...
(trumpet), Seward McCain (electric bass),
Eliot Zigmund Eliot Zigmund (born April 14, 1945) is an American jazz drummer, who has worked extensively as a session musician. Biography Zigmund studied at Mannes School of Music and City College of New York, where he graduated in 1969. After moving to Cali ...
(drums, January 11) and Mike Clark (drums, all other dates). The song "Mystery Theme" was reworked in an uptempo version for ''
It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown ''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! '' is the 12th prime-time animated TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. In the United States, it debuted on CBS on April 9, 1974 at 8 PM. ''It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie ...
'', which was broadcast two months later. #"Little Birdie" (instrumental version) #"Mystery Theme" #"It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (version 1) #"Mystery Theme" (reprise) #"Sassy Sally" (slow variation of "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown") #"Little Birdie" (instrumental version, reprise) #"It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (version 1 reprise) #"Mystery Theme" (second reprise) #"Cops and Robbers" #"It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (version 1 reprise) #"Mystery Theme" (third reprise) #"Cops and Robbers" (reprise) #"It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (version 2; school version) #"Sally's Blues" #"Mystery Interlude" (variation of "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown") #"Joe Cool" (instrumental "whistling" version with brass) #"It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (version 1 reprise) #"Sassy Sally" (slow variation of "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown") #"Mystery Theme" (fourth reprise, end credits) No official soundtrack for ''It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown'' was released. However, recording session master tapes for seven 1970s-era ''Peanuts'' television specials scored by Guaraldi were discovered by his son, David, in the mid-2000s. The songs "Little Birdie" (instrumental version), "It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown" (third reprise, school version), "Cops and Robbers," "Sally's Blues" and "Joe Cool" (instrumental "whistling" version with brass) were released in 2008 on the compilation album, '' Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2''. A live version of "Cops and Robbers" was also recorded by Guaraldi on February 6, 1974, for a radio performance released on ''
Live on the Air ''Live on the Air'' is a live performance double CD by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio), released November 14, 2008 through D & D Records (Guaraldi's label). Background ''Live on the Air'' consists of a ...
''.


Credits

* Created and Written by: Charles M. Schulz * Story by: Jeffrey Moss, Jon Stone, Ray Sipherd, Norman Stiles, Joseph A. Bailey, Jerry Juhl * Directed by: Phil Roman * Produced by: Bill Melendez * Executive Producer: Lee Mendelson * A Lee Mendelson-Bill Melendez Production * Music Composed and Performed by: Vince Guaraldi * Music Supervision: John Scott Trotter


Home media

This special was released on DVD for the first time, in
remaster Remaster refers to changing the quality of the sound or of the image, or both, of previously created recordings, either audiophonic, cinematic, or videographic. The terms digital remastering and digitally remastered are also used. Mastering A ...
ed form as part of the DVD box set, ''Peanuts 1970's Collection, Volume One''. Before that, it was released on
RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
's
SelectaVision SelectaVision was a trademark name used on four classes of device by RCA: * The Holotape, a prototype video medium * Magnetic tape * VHS videocassette recorders, and * Capacitance Electronic Disc videodisc players and the discs themselves. Cap ...
CED format in 1983, and on VHS by Kartes Video Communications in 1987, and by Paramount on August 17, 1994 (as part of a sweepstakes contest with
Travelodge Travelodge (formerly TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. However, many of t ...
), and a mass market release on October 1, 1996. The Paramount release is notable for fixing an animation error where Charlie Brown, Sally, and Snoopy are shown in mid-air by zooming in the footage


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:It's A Mystery, Charlie Brown 1970s animated television specials CBS television specials Peanuts television specials Television shows directed by Phil Roman 1970s American television specials 1974 television specials 1974 in American television Television shows written by Charles M. Schulz