It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

I was born in 1966. Since I can remember, I've been a Peanuts fan. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown was a must watch show for me every Halloween since about the age of 4. Eating a TV dinner and watching it in the den was the highlight of Halloween. It got me primed to go trick or treating.

As an adult with children in their 20's, I still stop what I'm doing to watch Linus sit in the pumpkin patch with Sally. I know that its silly but at the end of the show, I always feel let down just like Linus. My kids shake their heads when I start going off that by now he should know better.

I will be an old woman and still watching It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. It reminds of a simpler time when kids could off in groups to trick or treat. You could get popcorn balls and candy apples along with other goodies. If Halloween fell on a school day, teachers kept you busy working a cool project in hopes of keeping you calm.

Now what would Halloween, my favorite holiday, be without Charlie

Brown and the Great Pumpkin? Not to date myself, but I remember the very first time it aired on

CBS at the ripe old age of 7! I've never missed it since! Nothing encapsulates childhood, camaraderie and the spirit of

Halloween more than this Charles M. Schultz classic. Charlie

Brown and his bag of rocks, Snoopy and the Red Baron, Linus'

ingenious use of his security blanket for a ghost costume, Vince

Guaraldi's great score, and of course, bossy Lucy and her

sarcastic voice of reason - I think we all know a 'Lucy' growing up! All the feelings of anticipation, excitement and fear so commonly

associated with this spooky holiday is captured here - even the

feeling of great disappointment when awakening the day after and

knowing one must wait another FULL year for this greatest of

holidays to come again - another year to plan and live out your

fantasy. Well, at least there's Charlie Brown Xmas to get us over

the hump! Good Grief!!

After A Charlie Brown Christmas, this one came along the next fall. While it is not quite the first one, it has some good moments. Of course when this was made, Halloween was more of a trick or treat holiday as this one was originally sponsored by Dolly Madison, the maker of cup cakes. This high point of this one is Lucy talking about wearing a costume to match your personality.

Snoopy has his first major World War 1 Flying Ace segment here and it is effectively woven into the story. As a Halloween Special, Linus is always waiting for the Great Pumpkin & it is consistent with Linus that he makes a negative remarks about Santa believers. After all, in the previous Christmas Special, Santa is not mentioned in his speech of what Christmas is all about.

The Halloween party, which is a bigger staple today than ever is here though if this were to be updated, Snoopy could decorate his dog house with Halloween Lights, like he did with Christmas lights in the other special. While it is not Christmas, it did help build Charles Schultz resume so that he would do lots more television & movies with the Peanuts gang.

This special is great. I love the background music, especially the upbeat tempo played while Charlie Brown dances because he has finally been invited to a Halloween party...by mistake. The scene with Snoopy and the Red Baron is an abrupt switch from the storyline, but it is very well done; 5 minutes or so without any talking.

Did anyone notice how big the moon is in the pumpkin patch? It is huge!

I grew up with this and all the other Peanuts specials. I remember sitting up until 8:00pm (late for me at that age) and loving it. I remember the Mounds and Almond Joy ads. I even remember the catchy CBS "Special Presentation" intro. What can be said for this classic that hasn't been said before? From Linus and Sally in the pumpkin patch all night to the still quoted "I got a rock!" line, not many holiday specials that don't involve Charlie Brown and the gang bring a smile to my face like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Thanks for the memories, Mr. Schulz.

My grade: A+