A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)

Charlie Brown makes his way to the national spelling bee finals.

Director:

Bill Melendez

Writers:

Charles M. Schulz (created by), Charles M. Schulz

Stars:

Peter Robbins, Pamelyn Ferdin, Glenn Gilger

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Robbins	...	Charlie Brown / Linus' scream (voice)
Pamelyn Ferdin	...	Lucy Van Pelt (voice)
Glenn Gilger	...	Linus Van Pelt (voice)
Andy Pforsich	...	Schroeder (voice)
Sally Dryer	...	Patty (voice)
Ann Altieri	...	Violet (voice) (as Anne Altieri)
Erin Sullivan	...	Sally (voice)
Lynda Mendelson	...	Frieda (voice) (as Linda Mendelson)
Christopher DeFaria	...	Pig Pen (voice)
David Carey	...	2nd Boy (voice)
Guy Pforsich	...	3rd Boy (voice)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy (voice)

Storyline

Poor Charlie Brown. He can't fly a kite, and he always loses in baseball. Having his faults projected onto a screen by Lucy doesn't help him much either. Against the sage advice and taunting of the girls in his class, he volunteers for the class spelling bee...and wins! Next, it's the school spelling bee. Once again, a winner! Good grief! Now the pressure is on as he is off to New York City for the televised national spelling bee. With Snoopy and Linus present for moral support, can Charlie Brown spell his way to a national championship?

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Plot Keywords:

cartoon | new york city | elementary school | 1960s | peanuts | 

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Taglines:

The Peanuts' Gang in their First Movie!

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Snoopy imitated playing hockey while at Rockefeller Center ice rink, the penalty he was called for was for high sticking.

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Goofs

The baseball game Charlie Brown's team was playing should've been called long before it was over due to mercy rules.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lucy Van Pelt: Aren't the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton. I could just lie here all day and watch them drift by. If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud's formations. What do you think you see, Linus?
Linus Van Pelt: Well, those clouds up there look to me look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean.
[points up]
Linus Van Pelt: That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor. And that group of clouds over there...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the opening credits, when Snoopy plays "vulture" sitting on a tree, he slips and crashes on the "Directed by Bill Melendez" credit, which dashes into scattered black text below.

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Alternate Versions

The version aired for television cut out the following scenes: -Every scene from the opening credits to Charlie Brown and Linus sitting on the porch drawing in the dirt with sticks. -Snoopy being fed and having his nightmare. -Charlie's appointment with Lucy as a psychiatrist. -The girls singing "Failure Face". -Charlie and Linus studying for the all-school spelling bee. (The "I before E" song.) -The scene with Lucy and Schroeder after Charlie heads off to New York, and the animation of him playing the piano. -Most of Snoopy's ice skating routine at Rockefeller Center, including the whole hockey interlude. However, it does include at least two things that were removed from the original showing: -Lucy going over a few more things Charlie might have to deal with as a celebrity, and how much her fee as his *agent* should be. -Charlie jumping up and spelling out the last word he says in a sentence while studying, then calling room service.

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Connections

Follows A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

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Soundtracks

I Before E
Music by John Scott Trotter
Lyrics by Bill Melendez & Alan Shean

User Reviews

An animated film that would make Bergman proud!

The PEANUTS films, coming from a student of international cinema, have contained some of the truest statements I have borne witness to in my life. If you were to really sit down and listen to what these characters say to each other you would be surprised at how much you can truly relate to them. A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN is the best of them because it does the best job combining the artistic with the humanistic. Even though this is a movie that is defined through a series of seemingly unrelated moments (a fantasized hockey game, a spelling bee, a beautiful performance on piano by Schroeder, a baseball game) this only adds to the closeness we feel toward the characters. The tragic sequence in the Film where Linus expresses remorse for lending Charlie Brown his literal "security blanket" and seeks to find it is a sequence that would make Bergman proud! I rarely recommend movies that I truly like but I have to say that A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN is a film for everyone!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Box Office

Gross USA:

$13,080,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinema Center Films, Lee Mendelson Film Productions, Bill Melendez Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min 79 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording) Stereo (1983 VHS release) Dolby Stereo (5.1 Surround) (1983 VHS release)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1