It's Halloween and while ever-fretful Charlie Brown (voiced by Peter Robbins) anxiously awaits a night of trick-or-treating his best friend Linus (Christopher Shea) has more unorthodox expectations for the holiday. This year Linus spends the night in a pumpkin patch where he is determined to stay awake long enough to finally catch sight of the Great Pumpkin, a folkloric figure whom he believes will bestow presents and candy to all good little children. Linus' eccentric beliefs confound most of the neighbourhood kids, not least his mortified big sister Lucy (Sally Dryer). However, hopelessly smitten with Linus, Charlie Brown's kid sister Sally (Kathy Steinberg) elects to spend the evening alongside her "sweet baboo" waiting for the Great Pumpkin's grand arrival.
Adapted from the classic comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was the third animated TV holiday special with the Peanuts gang. To this day it remains one of the most popular, second only to A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). These specials became a staple of American television throughout the next fifty years, continuing beyond the death of series animator and Snoopy voice actor Bill Melendez in 2008. Kicking off with a mini gem of slapstick comedy detailing the Van Pelt siblings' quest for the perfect Halloween pumpkin, the twenty-five minute long special features almost all the running gags familiar to fans of the series. Which includes Lucy pulling another football prank on the always-gullible Charlie Brown. However, the bulk of the deceptively simplistic plot reflects Schulz's deft grasp of childhood psychology, in terms of both anxieties and aspirations.
For years Peanuts fans have debated what the exact meaning behind the story and more specifically the existence or non-existence of the Great Pumpkin is meant to represent. While some interpret Schulz's fable as a satire of religious 'belligerence' in the face of 'bare facts', others attach a myriad of metaphysical layers to its ambiguous ending. Indeed such a multitude of meanings have been attached to what is, let's face it, a children's cartoon one would not be surprised to learn that some see it as proof Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing. Yet, as so often with Charles Schulz, the meaning of the story is rooted in basic humanity. It boils down to respect for different beliefs. Charlie Brown might not subscribe to Linus' tales about the benevolence of the Great Pumpkin but he does not mock him for being different. For all Chuck's neuroses he remains a model of patience and tolerance and basically, a good friend. Similarly, Lucy might give her kid brother a hard time for 'embarrassing' the family, but still collects an extra piece of candy from each house so he does not miss out. Such is the quirky nature of Schulz's writing, it is likely It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is less concerned with Halloween specifically than all religious or culturally specific holidays. Taking into account the melting pot of American society, Schulz subtly implores his young audience to exhibit kindness, respect and empathy for say, Jewish or Asian kids at Christmastime.
More unsettling than Linus' quasi-pagan pumpkin worship is the controversial Trick or Treat running gag wherein at each house the gang visit poor, luckless Charlie Brown receives not candy but a rock! The sequence is said to have sat uncomfortably with producer Lee Mendelson although he wisely acquiesced when Melendez insisted it should stay in the cartoon. The first thought that pops into many viewers minds might be: who does that to a kid? Yet speaking as a former trick-or-treater who witnessed worse antisocial behaviour from grumpy grownups, let's just say the rock is not entirely implausible. Personal childhood traumas aside, Schulz would often recount how viewers were so affected by the scene he himself received thousands of boxes of candy "just for Charlie Brown." Interwoven into the main plot thread are the daring exploit's of Charlie Brown's scene-stealing dog Snoopy as a World War One flying ace duelling with the Red Baron. The reoccurring Red Baron segments in Peanuts specials and films provoke a surprisingly divisive response among fans, but add an enjoyably surrealistic note to Schulz's otherwise naturalistic story. Melendez and Schulz even inject a little pathos towards the end when Linus begins to doubt his own beliefs. Voice actor Christopher Shea brings a great deal of charm and empathy to his role as Linus in this rare moment in the spotlight for the blanket-snuggler. Music by The Vince Guaraldi Trio of course including that iconic piano-led 'Linus and Lucy' theme.
Like a lot of Schulz's tales, I saw this as preparing the audience for life's disappointments, which he took very seriously, even more so than life's triumphs. The Great Pumpkin is such a fantastic idea (in both senses), a Santa Claus for Halloween, only Schulz was not so cruel as to make the Pumpkin's non-appearance an obvious parallel with the existence of Father Christmas. His best work stays with the viewer well into adulthood, and you can watch it at different times in your life and get different things out of it. Simple but ingenious.
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