He's a Bully, Charlie Brown

He's a Bully, Charlie Brown is the 44th prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the ABC network on November 20, 2006.[1] It is the second most recent Peanuts television special and is primarily based on a story from the Peanuts comic strips originally appearing in April 1995.[2] He's a Bully, Charlie Brown was an idea Schulz had pitched, and worked on before his death on February 12, 2000. Schulz's working title for the special was It's Only Marbles, Charlie Brown. Animation was produced by Toon-Us-In.

He's a Bully, Charlie Brown
GenreAnimated television special
Created byCharles M. Schulz
Written byCharles M. Schulz
Justine Fontes
Directed byBill Melendez
Larry Leichliter
Voices of
Theme music composerVince Guaraldi
Opening theme"Linus and Lucy"
Ending theme"Linus and Lucy"
ComposersVince Guaraldi
David Benoit
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerCharles M. Schulz
EditorsJanet Leimenstoll
Jacob H. Trmrian
Running time21:35
Production companiesMendelson/Melendez Productions
United Feature Syndicate
Release
Original networkABC
Picture format16:9 widescreen (SDTV)
Audio formatDolby Surround 2.0
Original releaseNovember 20, 2006 (2006-11-20)
Chronology
Preceded byI Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (2003)
Followed byHappiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (2011)

It is the last special to be produced by and feature Bill Melendez as the voice of Snoopy and Woodstock, as he died on September 2, 2008.[3] It was also the last new special to air on ABC as the next special Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown aired on Fox. This is also the last Peanuts special from the 2000s, and the last special to be in standard definition.

Plot

At home, Rerun van Pelt finds some old marbles his grandfather Felix — a marble master in his day—kept in the attic. Charlie Brown goes to summer camp with Marcie while Peppermint Patty is stuck in summer school. He and Snoopy get ready for camp. They ride the bus and Peppermint Patty is there saying goodbye. Charlie Brown realizes that most of his friends are going to summer camp with him, making him feel better. Linus is eating a lollipop from the trading post and Rerun wants one and goes until he sees Joe Agate play marbles. He then decides at summer camp that he wants to be a marbles champ. Joe Agate, the bully, decides to play against Rerun on the false pretense of teaching him the game and then cheats him out of all his marbles. Joe Agate tells Rerun that Rerun should be "in the big leagues" and says everything is for keeps. The devastated Rerun complains to Charlie Brown. Disgusted, Charlie Brown takes responsibility and isolates himself in the boathouse, where Snoopy (as alter ego Joe Cool) instructs him on the game until he becomes skilled enough to win back the marbles from Joe.

Meanwhile, back home, Peppermint Patty suspects that Charlie Brown is Marcie's love interest. Her temper flares when Marcie and Charlie Brown go off to camp together while she is stuck in town attending summer school as a result of her poor grades. Marcie's teasing Patty over the telephone about it makes Patty even more jealous. Patty, overcome with envy, hatches a plan to leave town and interrupt Marcie's supposed romance, but when she arrives at camp she learns that nobody has seen Charlie Brown in days.

On the last day of camp, everyone tensely watches as Joe and Charlie Brown compete. There, Charlie Brown reveals Joe's unfair ways of playing. This shocks and angers Joe. Initially Joe wins and takes all of Charlie Brown's marbles, but Snoopy has two spares. Joe complains, but Charlie Brown claims "my dog, therefore, my marbles", which Joe cannot refute. Joe gets one, but then attempts a trick shot and misses. Charlie Brown shoots and wins the last marble, along with Joe's shooter. Charlie Brown makes another bet, if Joe wants his shooter back, they should play for all the marbles. Joe asks why he should agree to such a lopsided deal, because Charlie Brown only has three marbles and Joe has hundreds. Charlie Brown says that if he misses a single shot, no matter how much he has won, Joe gets all the marbles. Joe, feeling unbeatable at that bet, agrees. Charlie Brown wins all the marbles in a single turn, crushing Joe, who is forced to give all the marbles back. Joe sadly accuses Charlie Brown for cleaning out all his marbles. Charlie Brown (unfazed by Joe's threat) says he does not want his marbles and offers them back. He says to Joe Agate he can have back his marbles but the only marbles that should be given back to Rerun are the ones he stole from Rerun. But Joe tells Charlie Brown that he won fair and square, concedes all the marbles, and leaves. Triumphant, Charlie Brown returns home and enjoys seeing Lucy's irritation and astonishment learning that he had been a hero.

At home, Patty asks Marcie what Marcie did with Charlie Brown at camp while she was away. Marcie explains that there was the Moonlight Walk, before she says, "It wasn't really a walk. We just got started before Charles walked into a tree."

During the end credits, Snoopy and some birds sleep on tents, while Woodstock roasts a marshmallow and sings.

Voice cast

Patty, Frieda, Schroeder, and Pig-Pen also appear in this special, but do not speak.

Production notes

The storyline He's a Bully, Charlie Brown was an amalgamation of several different series of Peanuts strips; the "Joe Agate" storyline originally appeared in the strip in 1995, and the story involving Peppermint Patty sneaking away from summer school to see Charlie Brown at camp was an adaptation of a series of strips from 1989.

Music score

As with It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown and You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown, jazz pianist David Benoit performed and arranged the music score consisting of variations of songs originally performed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Guaraldi composed music scores for the first 16 Peanuts television specials and one feature film (A Boy Named Charlie Brown) before his untimely death in February 1976.[4]

All songs written by Vince Guaraldi, except where noted.

  1. "Linus and Lucy"
  2. "Air Music" (aka "Surfin' Snoopy")
  3. "Happiness Is"
  4. "Peppermint Patty"
  5. "Linus and Lucy" (reprise)
  6. "The Masked Marvel"
  7. "Oh, Good Grief" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson)
  8. "The Masked Marvel" (reprise)
  9. "Happiness Is" (reprise)
  10. "You're in Love, Charlie Brown"
  11. "Pebble Beach"
  12. "The Masked Marvel" (second reprise)
  13. Medley: "The Masked Marvel"/"Linus and Lucy"
  14. "Happiness Is" (second reprise)
  15. "Linus and Lucy" (second reprise)
  16. "Oh, Good Grief" (reprise) (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson)
  17. "Linus and Lucy" (third reprise, end credits)[4]

Reception

This special aired on ABC on 20 November 20, 2006, following a repeat broadcast of 1973's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The late November airing of He's a Bully, Charlie Brown seemed an odd choice, considering its summertime setting, but ABC felt the new special would do better in the ratings if it aired right after A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The decision paid off, as the two shows won their time slot with 9.4 million viewers, beating out a Madonna special on NBC.[5]

Home media

The special released on DVD as a bonus special in the remastered deluxe edition of You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown on October 7, 2008 by Warner Home Video. On October 6, 2015, Warner Home Video released the special on its own DVD with It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown and an episode from The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show as bonus specials.

References
  1. Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 41, 44, 174, 181. ISBN 978-1452110912.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
  3. Wolk, Josh (2000-03-02). "One Bad Apple". EW.com. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  4. Bang, Derrick (2012). Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. Jefferson, North Carolina, U.S.: McFarland. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-5902-5. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  5. washingtonpost.com
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