It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown
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''It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown'' is the sixth
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 on 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 ...
,'' created by Charles M. Schulz. It was directed by
Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American animator, director, producer, and voice actor. Melendez is known for working on the ''Peanuts'' animated specials, as well as providing the voices of Sno ...
and originally aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
on September 27, 1969. ''It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown'' was the first ''Peanuts'' special to not receive any Emmy Award nominations.


Plot

As summer vacation begins, Charlie Brown, Linus, Schroeder, and Pig-Pen enthusiastically plan to indulge in comic books, television, baseball, and classical music. However, their excitement is abruptly curtailed when Lucy informs them that she has enrolled them all in summer camp. While the girls eagerly anticipate the adventure, the boys are dismayed by the prospect. The boys, displaying reluctance, jostle one another as they board the bus, while the girls form an orderly line. Upon arrival at camp, Charlie Brown is appointed captain of the boys' team. The boys and girls engage in a series of competitions, starting with a swimming race in which the girls claim a decisive victory. This is followed by a softball game, where the boys are soundly defeated, scoring only a single run. The remaining contests continue in similarly one-sided fashion, leaving the boys increasingly demoralized. Feeling dispirited by their relentless losses, Charlie Brown and Shermy witness Snoopy engaging in an arm-wrestling match with the boys. Inspired, they devise a plan to reclaim some pride by organizing an arm-wrestling competition, with "The Masked Marvel" (Snoopy) representing the boys. Snoopy embarks on a rigorous training regimen, consuming the camp's unpalatable food, performing exercises, and drinking a vile yet nutritious concoction. When the match commences, Snoopy faces off against Lucy. The contest is intense, with both participants sweating and growing weary. The match culminates in Snoopy kissing Lucy, which allows him to pin her hand; however, Lucy declares the kiss a foul, claiming victory for herself. As the new school year begins, Charlie Brown struggles to compose an essay assigned on the first day after he and Linus are caught playing hangman in class. While Linus earns an A, Charlie Brown receives a disappointing C−. Linus philosophically remarks, "Oh, well, it was a short summer, Charlie Brown," to which Charlie responds with resignation, "And it looks like it's going to be a long winter."


Cast

* Peter Robbins as
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 ...
*
Pamelyn Ferdin Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American animal rights activist and former actress. Ferdin's acting career was primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, though she appeared in projects sporadically in the 1980s and later years. She beg ...
as Lucy van Pelt * Glenn Gilger as Linus van Pelt * Hilary Momberger 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 ...
* Ann Altieri as Frieda and Violet Gray * David Carey as Shermy * Christopher DeFaria 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 ...
* Gai DeFaria 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, ...
* Sally Dryer as Sophie, Clara and Shirley * Matthew Liftin as Roy * Lisa DeFaria as
Patty A patty is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Common ground meat used include beef, bison, elk, turkey, chicken, ostrich, and salmon. Patties are found in multiple cuisine ...
* John Daschback as Schroeder *
Bill Melendez José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) was an American animator, director, producer, and voice actor. Melendez is known for working on the ''Peanuts'' animated specials, as well as providing the voices of Sno ...
as
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 ...


Credits

* Created and Written by: Charles M. Schulz * Directed by: Bill Melendez * Produced by: Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez * Graphic Blandishment: Ed Levitt, Bernard Gruver, Ellie Bonnard, Evert Brown, Don Lusk, Frank Smith, Bob Carlson, Spencer Peel, Ruth Kissane, Beverly Robbins, Rudy Zamora, Brad Case, Phil Roman, Alan Zaslove, Bill Littlejohn, Herman Cohen, Manuel Perez, Hank Smith, Jan Strejan, Sam Jaimes, Eleanor Warren, Faith Kovaleski, Manon Washburn, Gwenn Dotzler * Original Score Composed and Performed by: Vince Guaraldi * Arranged and Conducted by: John Scott Trotter * Editing: Bob Gillis, Chuck McCann, Steve Melendez * Recording: ** Voices: Radio Recorders, Sid Nicholas ** Music: United Recorders, Arte Becker ** Mix: Producers' Sound Service, Don Minkler, Bill Mumford * Camera: Jim Dixon, Nick Vasu, Wally Bulloch * In Cooperation with United Feature Syndicate, Inc.


Production notes

''It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown'' was the first ''Peanuts'' special to not feature the majority of the original voice cast from the inaugural ''
A Charlie Brown Christmas ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'', by Charles M. Schulz, and features the voices of Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Tracy Str ...
'' (1965), who had begun to age out of their roles; Ann Altieri, Sally Dryer and Peter Robbins (in his last appearance voicing Charlie Brown) did return, as did Melendez, who once again not only directed but voiced
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 ...
. Among the notable additions to the cast was
Pamelyn Ferdin Pamelyn Ferdin (born February 4, 1959) is an American animal rights activist and former actress. Ferdin's acting career was primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, though she appeared in projects sporadically in the 1980s and later years. She beg ...
, Robbins's co-star on '' Blondie'', replacing Sally Dryer as Lucy, who instead voiced minor roles.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack for ''It Was a Short Summer, 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 ...
(except where noted) 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 Decet on September 11–12, 1969, at Western Recorders, featuring
Monty Budwig Monte Rex Budwig (December 26, 1929 – March 9, 1992) was a West Coast jazz double bassist, professionally known as Monty Budwig. Early life Monte Rex Budwig was born in Pender, Nebraska, on December 26, 1929.His full birthname was Monte Rex ...
(double bass), Herb Ellis (guitar),
Jack Sperling Jack Sperling (August 17, 1922 – February 26, 2004) was an American jazz drummer who performed as a sideman in big bands and as a studio musician for pop and jazz acts, movies, and television. Career In 1941 he played with trumpeter Bunny ...
(drums),
Victor Feldman Victor Stanley Feldman (7 April 1934 – 12 May 1987) was an English jazz musician who played mainly piano, vibraphone, and percussion. He began performing professionally during childhood, eventually earning acclaim in the UK jazz scene as ...
(percussion),
Frank Rosolino Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist. Biography Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, G ...
(trombone),
Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orc ...
(trumpet), Pete Candoli (trumpet), Peter Christlieb (woodwind) and William Hood (woodwind).Mendelson, Sean; Mendelson, Jason; Liner notes from CD version of ''It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording'' (2024) On July 5, 2024, a remastered album featuring the original recordings and several bonus tracks was released to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the special.


Home media

In 1985,
Media Home Entertainment Media Home Entertainment Inc. was a home video company headquartered in Culver City, California, originally established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band. Media Home Entertainment also distributed video product under additional labels — The N ...
released the special on VHS and Betamax along with ''
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ''It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'' is a 1966 American animated Halloween television special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. The third ''Peanuts'' special, and the second holiday-themed special, to be created, i ...
'' and '' What a Nightmare, Charlie Brown''. It was re-released by its kids subdivision
Hi-Tops Video Hi-Tops Video was a children's home video sublabel of Media Home Entertainment (a division of Heron Communications), active from 1986 until 1991. Some of its releases include some Charlie Brown specials, ''Madeline'' and primarily some of the ori ...
in 1989.
Paramount Home Media Distribution Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures. The division oversees Para ...
released the special along with ''
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown ''You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown'' is the eighth prime-time animated TV special produced based upon the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz, and the 10th one to air. It originally aired on CBS on October 29, 1972, nine days before ...
'' as part of the ''Snoopy Double Feature: Volume 3'' compilation on August 17, 1994. On July 7, 2009, it 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 1960s Collection''. On October 6, 2015, the special was released in the remastered deluxe edition of '' He's a Bully, Charlie Brown'' along with an episode from ''
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show ''The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show'' (known as ''You're on Nickelodeon, Charlie Brown'' during reruns on Nickelodeon) is an American animated television series featuring characters and storylines from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip ''Peanu ...
'' as bonus specials.


References


External links

* {{Peanuts filmography CBS television specials Peanuts television specials 1960s American television specials 1960s animated television specials 1969 television specials 1969 in American television