''It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown'' is the 11th

prime-time Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to b ...

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

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 en ...

based upon the

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') 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 ext ...

,'' by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on the CBS network on February 1, 1974. This was the first

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the Protagonist, principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown ...

television special that Bill Melendez 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 American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. He also appears in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of ...

and

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

Plot

Woodstock struggles to construct a secure nest on a tree branch, repeatedly failing to keep the straw intact. After several unsuccessful attempts, he ultimately devises a unique method of tying the materials together, resulting in a stable and structurally sound nest. The following day, Woodstock discovers that the nest has mysteriously vanished. Distressed, he seeks assistance from Snoopy, who adopts the persona of Sherlock Holmes to investigate the disappearance. Together, they begin a series of visits to various neighborhood homes in pursuit of clues. Their search leads them first to Charlie Brown, whom they awaken and interrogate, though he denies any involvement. At the Van Pelt household, they conduct an exaggerated dusting for fingerprints and find a broom straw, which Snoopy deems suspicious. However, Lucy rejects his accusation and physically ejects him from the premises. At Marcie's house, Snoopy attempts to question her, but she fails to understand him and shuts the door. A visit to Pig-Pen quickly results in his dismissal as a suspect due to his characteristically dusty appearance. Finally, Peppermint Patty mistakes Snoopy's investigation for a game of 'Cops and Robbers' and chases him through her house, prompting his retreat. Returning to the site of the missing nest, Snoopy notices a trail of footprints leading away from the tree. He and Woodstock follow the trail to the local elementary school. Entering through an open window, they find the nest displayed under glass as part of a classroom science exhibit. They reclaim it and return it to its original location in the tree. The next day, Sally informs Charlie Brown that her science project—a 'prehistoric bird's nest'—has been stolen. Charlie Brown realizes that Sally had unknowingly taken Woodstock's nest for her assignment. Despite being confronted, Sally insists that her discovery entitles her to keep it. To resolve the dispute, Charlie Brown suggests they consult Lucy, who temporarily transforms her psychiatric booth into a courtroom. She enlists Linus as the court stenographer and adds a surcharge to her standard fee to cover legal costs. Snoopy, acting as Woodstock's attorney, presents a legal brief filled with elaborate legalese jargon. Sally counters with a simple 'finders keepers' argument. Linus proves ineffective as a stenographer, recalling only a few opening words of the case. Nevertheless, Judge Lucy rules in favor of Woodstock, stating that because he built the nest, he is its rightful owner. Though disappointed by the verdict and now lacking a science exhibit, Sally accepts an alternative proposal: Snoopy volunteers to participate in a live demonstration of Pavlov's

classical conditioning Classical conditioning (also respondent conditioning and Pavlovian conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent Stimulus (physiology), stimulus (e.g. food, a puff of air on the eye, a potential rival) is paired with a n ...

experiment. Initially skeptical, Sally ultimately agrees. The project earns her an 'A'. The story concludes with Woodstock resting on his restored nest, which promptly collapses beneath him, sending him tumbling to the ground once again.

Voice cast

*Todd Barbee as

* Melanie Kohn as Lucy van Pelt * Stephen Shea as Linus van Pelt *Donna LeTourneau as

Peppermint Patty Peppermint Patty is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts''. Her full name, very rarely used in the strip, is Patricia Reichardt. She is one of a small group in the strip who live across town from Charlie ...

*Jimmy Ahrens as Marcie *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 appea ...

*Tom Muller as

Pig-Pen Pig-Pen is a fictional character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz, syndicated in Daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspaper, Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. While amiable, he is a young boy who is, ...

* Bill Melendez as

* Peter Robbins as Lucy van Pelt and Peppermint Patty (screaming; archival audio)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack 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, J ...

, 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 Ca ...

(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'', 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 ''Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2'' is a compilation soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records (Guaraldi's label) in 2008. The album is a follow-up to the 2007 release, ''V ...

''. 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''.

Home media

This special was released on DVD for the first time, in

remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

ed form as part of the DVD box set, ''Peanuts 1970's Collection, Volume One''. Before that, it was released on

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

SelectaVision SelectaVision was a trademark name used on four classes of device by the Radio Corporation of America: * The Holotape, a prototype video medium * Magnetic tape * VHS videocassette recorders, and * Capacitance Electronic Disc videodisc players ...

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), 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