Day Fifteen: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
I know the Christmas has the monopoly on TV specials and that’s okay. Some are great while some are absolutely dreadful. Plus, how can you beat 24 hours of A Christmas Story? The answer is…you really can’t.
So, how does that make a hardcore Halloween fan like myself feel? Just fine. Halloween has one major TV special and I prefer quality over quantity any day (although, if someone could talk a TV network to greenlight a stop-motion special for Halloween, count me in) so just having the one is plenty. While the networks start playing plenty of horror flicks in October, I still like the idea of having a family-friendly TV special to watch as a family as well. So, what is this wonderful TV special I keep hyping?
It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
So, what makes this TV special so special (besides the fact that it stars The Peanuts)? For one, the story focuses on Linus as opposed to Charlie Brown. Not that I have anything against Charlie Brown, but I can only take so much of him. Linus has a bit of that childhood innocence that Charlie Brown is lacking (too many footballs pulled up in the air when he goes to kick them I suppose).
Like Santa Claus is to Christmas, the Great Pumpkin is to Halloween. Instead of trick-or-treating with his friends and going to a Halloween party, Linus chooses to sit in the pumpkin patch and wait for the Great Pumpkin arrive. Charlie’s little sister, Sally, joins Linus for his wait.
There are plenty of Peanuts-related mayhem as well in the special – Snoopy goes after the Red Baron, Charlie Brown only gets rocks when he trick-or-treats, and other things I don’t want to bring up (because I’m sure there are about two of you who may have not seen it yet).
I watched it this morning (I have it on DVD – told you I was a Halloween nut) before I wrote this blog just to refresh my memory of it. It’s still fun and charming, but I never really realized until this morning how incredibly cruel Lucy is. I know that’s her thing and all, but until this morning, I never realized how malicious her cruelty is. It didn’t change my enjoyment of the show though.
Bottom Line – this should be required Halloween viewing for everyone.
So, the big question on your mind now is this – when will It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown be on TV this Halloween season?
Funny you should ask. According to my DVR, ABC plans to air It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on 10/27/11 at 8:00 pm EST.
And, in case you can’t wait until 10/27, here’s a quick YouTube clip:
10/27, 8:00 pm
