It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown


It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown is the sixth prime-time animated television special based on the popular comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. It was directed by Bill Meléndez and originally aired on CBS on September 27, 1969.

Plot

School is out for the summer and Charlie, Linus, Schroeder, and Pig Pen are planning to spend it reading every comic book, watching television, playing baseball, and playing classical music. However, Lucy tells them that she signed them up for camp. The girls are eager to go, but the boys hate the idea. The boys shove each other to get on the bus, while the girls line up in order. At camp, Charlie is chosen as captain of the boys' camp. The boys and girls have a swim race which the girls win easily. Then they have a softball game, which the boys lose with only one run. Other competitions are just as lopsided.
Charlie and Shermy, disillusioned by their continued defeat, see Snoopy arm-wrestling with the boys. They realize that the boys might get even with an arm wrestling game, with "The Masked Marvel" as their champion. Snoopy goes into training, eating the camp's awful food, doing exercises, and drinking a nutritious and noxious concoction. In the contest, Snoopy goes up against Lucy. They both get sweaty and tired in the match, which ends when Snoopy kisses Lucy. He pins her hand; but she says that kissing her was a foul, and she is the winner.
Back at school, Charlie only comes up with 13 words on his essay that he and Linus are forced to write on the first day, having been caught playing hangman in class. Linus gets an A but Charlie gets a C-. Linus then says "Oh, well, it was a short summer, Charlie Brown", to which Charlie gloomily replies, "And it looks like it's going to be a long winter".

Voice cast

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, who began to age out of their roles; Ann Altieri, Sally Dryer and Peter Robbins did return before they began to age out their roles, except for Melendez, who voiced Snoopy and Woodstock. Among the notable additions to the cast was Pamelyn Ferdin, Robbins's co-star on Blondie.

Music score

The music score for was composed by Vince Guaraldi and conducted and arranged by John Scott Trotter. The score was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Octet on September 11, 1969, at United Western Recorders, featuring Herb Ellis, Monty Budwig, Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli, Frank Rosolino, Victor Feldman and Jack Sperling.
  1. "Charlie Brown Theme"
  2. "Linus and Lucy"
  3. ""
  4. "Oh, Good Grief"
  5. "You're in Love, Charlie Brown"
  6. "Schroeder"
  7. "Bus Blues"
  8. "Bus Blues"
  9. ""
  10. "Frieda "
  11. "Oh, Good Grief"
  12. "Come and Get It"
  13. "Mess Call"
  14. "Bon Voyage"
  15. "Peppermint Patty"
  16. "Nova Bossa" /"Love Will Come"/"Nova Bossa"
  17. "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag"
  18. "There's a Long Long Trail A-Winding"
  19. "Reveille"
  20. "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown"
  21. "Pebble Beach"
  22. "You're in Love, Charlie Brown"
  23. "He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown"
  24. "The Masked Marvel"
  25. "Air Music"
  26. "The Masked Marvel"
  27. "You're in Love, Charlie Brown"
  28. "The Masked Marvel"
  29. "Linus and Lucy"
  30. "Oh, Good Grief"
  31. "Charlie Brown Theme"
  32. ""

    Home media

On July 7, 2009, it was released on DVD for the first time, in remastered 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 as bonus specials.