Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown Movie Review

From Amazon's Editorial Review:

"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz retired from the cartoonist's life early in 2000, and indeed left a few loose strings hanging among his chronically dissatisfied characters. He never did, for instance, cut Charlie Brown much slack in the romance department (or let him kick Lucy's football, for that matter). Sympathetic readers might have taken note of a story in the press just before Schulz said farewell, in which the inspiration for Charlie Brown's unrequited love interest--the never-seen, too-distant, "little red-haired girl"--was identified as a woman who turned down a marriage proposal from Schultz a half-century ago. That bit of biographical detail now adds poignancy to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, a 1975 television special built upon years of Valentine's Day "Peanuts" strips. This half-hour show finds Charlie Brown suffering, typically, the ignominy of receiving no hearts-and-flowers greetings while the rest of the gang, including Snoopy, spend their day sorting through piles of love notes. Worse, Schulz's famous sad sack can't get up the nerve to approach his unapproachable angel, though there may be--just may be--a glimmer of hope this time around. It may be Valentine's Day, but not much else is different in the "Peanuts" neighborhood." ~~Tom Keogh

From The Package:

"The 2008 remastered DVD has the two additional specials that were on the previous DVD, You're in Love, Charlie Brown (1967), in which our hero tries to meet the little red-haired girl, and It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977), a vastly more complex production that has two focuses for CB: win the big football even though Lucy keeps pulling the ball away, and escort--and kiss--the little red-haired girl to the homecoming ball. New for 2008 is a 15-minute featurette on the theme of unrequited love in the "Peanuts" world, with interviews of the Schulz family, Lee Mendelson, and others." ~~ David Horiuchi

Actors: Peanuts Gang, Charles M. Schulz
Directors: Phil Roman
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Original Recording Remastered
Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: January 15, 2008
Run Time: 25 minutes

Cast Members:

Charlie Brown: Duncan Watson
Lucy van Pelt: Melanie Kohn
Linus van Pelt: Stephen Shea
Sally Brown: Lynn Mortensen
Schroeder: Greg Felton
Snoopy & Woodstock: Bill Meléndez
Violet & Frieda: Linda Ercoli

"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is one of the best of the TV specials, featuring a strong storyline laced with lots of ironic comedy based around unfulfilled expectations. Nicely supplemented by the mini-documentary too. ~~ Ricadus

"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is a worthy addition to the Peanuts pantheon of prime-time holiday specials. Guess how many valentines Charlie Brown Receives? (The painful in-class distribution of cards rings true to my own childhood experience. In my kids' classes, they now require them to bring valentines cards for everyone, probably to avoid the tragi-comic scene that Charles endures so charmingly.) Even funnier is Linus's pining for his teacher, and Sally's mis-reading of the gift-buying by her "sweet babboo." As with all of the best Peanuts videos, this one works on (at least) two levels: Plenty of kid-friendly humor and hijinx, as well as wry dialogue for the more sophisticated viewers. Buy it with confidence." ~~ D. Anderson

"It was like watching this classic for the first time,and seeing it in a remaster edition even better, never get tired of it- the Peanuts gang is always great to see over and over again." ~~ J. Nira

"I remember how excited I was when this special 1st debuted in 1975. Charlie Brown has high hopes of getting lots of valentine this Valentine's Day including one from the beloved little red haired girl (he brings a suitcase to school). Linus has spent his allowance on a big heart-shaped box of candy for Miss Orthmar and Voilet inquires about heart-shaped shaving lotion for her teacher (who's a man). Lucy asks Schroeder: "Do you realize you could lose me some day?". Sally thinks the box of candy her sweet babboo bought is for her. Snoopy does his hand-puppets show (or should we say "paw-puppets"?). Funny and sad, this special got a lot of valentines sent Charles Schulz's way when it was 1st aired, all for Charlie Brown!" ~~ W. Langan

"This installment of the "Peanuts" series centers all around the travails of love and rejection and finds Charlie Brown checking his mailbox for Valentine's, Linus buying a huge box of candy for his teacher, (while Sally thinks it's for her) and Snoopy and Woodstock exchanging Valentines. This funny episode is fun for kids of all ages. ~~ A Customer

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"For the first time in one irresistible book, here are fifty love-struck years of Valentine's Day strips from the inimitable Charles Schulz. Could this be the year that the little redheaded girl sends Charlie Brown a valentine? For the Peanuts gang, love is in the air . . . along with laughter and friendship. This charming collection is a perfect way for you - and someone you love - to be a part of the fun!" ~~ Amazon

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Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
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