Charlie Brown's All-Stars

''Charlie Brown's All Stars!'' is the second prime-time animated television special based upon the 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 CBS on June 8, 1966, with annual re-airings on CBS through 1971.

Plot summary

The special begins with a chase of Charlie Brown trying to catch a long-shot ball he fails to get and his team shouts at him: "YOU BLOCKHEAD, CHARLIE BROWN!"

After Charlie Brown's baseball team lost their first game of the season, his players quit. Linus meets Charlie Brown with good news: Mr. Hennessy, the operator of the local hardware store, is offering to sponsor Charlie Brown's baseball 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 then states that if Charlie Brown can get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. However, Mr. Hennessy later informs Charlie Brown that the league allows neither girls nor dogs to play baseball. Unwilling to exclude the girls and Snoopy, Charlie Brown reluctantly declines Mr. Hennesse's offer.

Linus tells Charlie Brown his teammates will not like the news, which gives Charlie Brown an idea: he won't tell them until after the next game, hoping their lifted spirits will help them win. Despite Linus' warning, Charlie Brown goes through with it, and the team plays well until Charlie Brown fails to tie the game, resulting in a loss. When Lucy and the others claim they would quit were it not for the league deal, Charlie Brown reluctantly reveals to their fury that he severed the contract, although he avoids explaining why. After he runs off, Linus berates the team by disclosing why Charlie Brown declines the offer, prompting Schroeder to add that the team never treats Charlie Brown well despite his willingness to sacrifice his dignity for the team. The others agree and decide to make it up to Charlie Brown by making him his uniform. Lacking supplies, they use the only available material: Linus' beloved security blanket. (During the scene of it, Lucy and the other girls use Linus as a mannequin/ dress dummy as they use the security blanket as the material to create the uniform. Linus --used as a mannequin/dress dummy-- only watches in horror.)

Charlie Brown is pleased with the uniform and is confident they will win their next game. However, it rains the next day, so no one on the team or the opposing side comes to the baseball field, and no one except Charlie Brown (and Snoopy, who goes surfing in the puddles). Linus arrives as Charlie Brown stubbornly insists people will show up. Linus is unaware about his blanket being destroyed, until he nervously looks at Charlie Brown's uniform. When Charlie Brown questions Linus about it, Linus he finally cries out about the fate of his blanket (saying to Charlie Brown that his uniform was made from his blanket). This prompts a dejected Charlie Brown. And he happily lets Linus use the shirt-tail so he (Linus) can use it like a security blanket for old time's sake. The two stand together in the pouring rain, while the credits roll.

Cast

* Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown
* Christopher Shea as Linus van Pelt
* Sally Dryer as Lucy van Pelt
* Cathy Steinberg as Sally Brown
* Bill Melendez as Snoopy
* Ann Altieri as Frieda
* Glenn Mendelson as Schroeder
* Geoffrey Ornstein as Pig-Pen
* Lynn Vanderlip as Patty
* Kip DeFaria as Shermy
* Karen Mendelson as Violet
This is the first ''Peanuts'' special to not feature Tracy Stratford as Lucy van Pelt; she was replaced with Sally Dryer, who voiced Violet in the previous special. This is also the first special where Karen Mendelson voices Violet.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for ''Charlie Brown's All Stars!'' was composed and conducted by Vince Guaraldi and performed by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet.

#"Charlie's Run"
#"Charlie Brown and His All-Stars"
#"Baseball Theme"
#"Baseball Theme" (brass version)
#"Baseball Theme" (guitar version)
#"All-Stars Theme" (variation of "Oh, Good Grief")
#"All-Stars Theme" (reprise)
#"Air Music" (aka "Surfin' Snoopy")
#"Pebble Beach" (brass version)
#"All-Stars Theme" (second reprise)
#"Baseball Theme" (reprise)
#"Air Music"
#"Baseball Theme" (reprise, brass version)
#"Trumpet Fanfare"
#"All-Stars Theme" (third reprise)
#"Air Music"
#"Baseball Theme" (second reprise, brass version)
#"Rain, Rain, Go Away"
#"All-Stars Theme" (fourth reprise, end credit)

No official soundtrack for ''Charlie Brown's All Stars!'' was released, although select music cues have been made available on several compilation albums:
* "Air Music" appeared on '' Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits'' (1998), as "Surfin' Snoopy". The song was used in ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' for later broadcasts when Snoopy expeditiously decorates his doghouse for Christmas.
*A variation of "Rain, Rain, Go Away" appeared on '' Oh Good Grief!'' (1968).

End Credits

* Created and Written by: Charles M. Schulz
* Original Score Composed and Conducted by: Vince Guaraldi
* Graphic Blandishment by:
** Ed Levitt,
** Bernard Gruver,
** Ruth Kissane,
** Dean Spille,
** Frank Smith,
** Bob Carlson John Walker
** Rudy Zamora Ed Love
** Herman Cohen Beverly Robbins
** Reuben Timmons Eleanor Warren
** Russ Von Neida Faith Kovaleski
* Editing: Robert T. Gillis
** Assisted by: Steven Melendez
* Sound by: Producers' Sound Service
* Camera: Nick Vasu
* Executive Producer: Lee Mendelson
* Produced and Directed by: Bill Melendez

Book vs. television special

A book about the television special was published shortly after it initially aired. In the book, Charlie Brown tells his teammates "we don't need them," then turns and walks away as they verbally abuse him until Linus defends him, in this instance without giving a reason. In the book, Schroeder is not shown berating the girls and Snoopy along with Linus, although he does in the television show: "Those uniforms meant just as much to Charlie Brown as they did to you. Probably more!" At the end, Linus just comes up to Charlie wearing the new uniform on the pitchers mound and Charlie wordlessly lets him use his shirt tail to hold up against his cheek.

Home media

The special was first released on RCA's SelectaVision CED format in 1983 as part of the "A Charlie Brown Festival Vol. IV" compilation. It was also released on VHS and Betamax by Media Home Entertainment in 1984, along with '' It's Magic, Charlie Brown''. It would be released again by its kids subdivision Hi-Tops Video in 1988. Paramount Home Media Distribution released it on VHS on January 9, 1996, along with ''It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown''. ''Charlie Brown's All Stars!'' was released in DVD format on March 2, 2004, grouped with the similarly themed ''It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown'' (1992) and '' Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown'' (2003). On July 7, 2009, it was released in remastered form as part of the DVD box set, ''Peanuts 1960's Collection''. It was again released as part of the 4K edition of ''It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'' in 2017.

Cancelled video game adaption

A cancelled video game titled ''Charlie Brown's All Stars'' for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable was likely going to be an adaption of the special. It was developed simultaneously with ''Snoopy vs. the Red Baron'' by FarSight Studios and was going to be published by Namco Bandai Games. It was going to release in the spring of 2007; however, it was cancelled due to an excessive amount of projects by the studio and lack of staff.

Production notes

*The scene where Snoopy is surfing is later reanimated in '' Snoopy Come Home'', which in turn was later re-used in ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'', and '' Snoopy's Reunion''.
*Like ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' and ''It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'' before it, this special also had sponsoring from Coca-Cola (and Dolly Madison on a repeat after 1966), which was later edited out from later broadcasts and video/DVD releases.
*The original music cue "Surfin' Snoopy" was later used in a re-broadcast of "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
*This is the first non-holiday-oriented Peanuts special.
* Even though Linus knows why Charlie Brown didn't get the uniforms, he can be seen getting mad and yelling at Charlie Brown with the others. He then explains to them why Charlie Brown turned down the offer.
* This special was originally announced as ''Good Grief, Charlie Brown'' and was advertised as such in ''The New York Times''.
* The special's premiere was pre-empted in the Topeka, Kansas television market due to WIBW-TV's coverage of the F5 tornado that struck Topeka that evening.

Reception

The special was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 1967, along with ''It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown''. It lost to Hanna-Barbera's ''Jack and the Beanstalk'', starring Gene Kelly.

References

External links

*

{{Vince Guaraldi

Peanuts television specials
CBS television specials
1960s American television specials
1960s animated television specials
Television shows directed by Bill Melendez
1966 television specials
Baseball animation