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It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown






A few days ago, my girls and I sat together in the living room and watched It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.  I have seen this charming special countless times over the years and have enjoyed it immensely.  There was something special about this viewing that I wanted to talk about in this blog.

Peanuts was the brainchild of Charles Schultz, who had first created Peanuts as a comic strip in 1950 and it ran daily until 2000.  Schultz was contacted about making his Peanuts Gang into several holiday specials through the years.  It's The Great Pumpkin, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and A Charlie Brown Christmas are Hoff Family favorites.

Anyone who knows me knows immediately knows that I connect to music.  (see my last two blogs)  In the recent years, I have paid more attention to the music in background.  Scored, crafted, and performed by Vince Guaraldi.  He is the one who wrote the Peanuts Theme entitled Linus and Lucy and that wonderful theme is the hallmark of the Peanuts Gang.  I can honestly say that I developed a love of jazz music because of Vince.  He manages to incorporate jazz elements into his music, and create a familiarity with each listen.

I was delighted to find the full soundtrack of the special in YouTube.  One song, Snoopy and the Leaf has always captured my attention.  Snoopy blows a falling leaf into a leaf pile, aided by the fancy footwork of a flute player, expertly demonstrating the flight of the leaf in the air with soaring notes.  Another standout tune is The Great Pumpkin Waltz.  Its gentle, lilting presence captures Linus' innocent heart as he writes a letter to The Great Pumpkin.  Other terrific cues are The Graveyard Theme, which plays over the title sequence and Breathless, which chronicles Snoopy's journey as a World War One Flying Ace.





Great Pumpkin appeals to the kids and the kid at heart.  How the children interact with once anther is expertly captured by Schultz and it still stands the test of time today.  One of my favorite bits was when Lucy told the other kids that in order for a costume to be effective, you have to choose a costume that is direct contrast to your personality.  She then slips on a Witch hat and mask.  Sarah sat and laughed that comedic bit.  Seeing her get the joke was a highlight for me!




It amazes me that there is still dialogue that we catch with each viewing that we didn't notice before.  For example, when Sally first joins Linus in the pumpkin patch, he asks is she wants to sing Pumpkin Carols.  That line elicited some belly laughs from all of us!



Whether you have seen this cartoon a million times or just now viewing it for the first time, it's magic will captured and enchant you.  Go relive some moments by seeing it again on YouTube.

To listen to the main theme, click here.

To catch the full soundtrack for The Great Pumpkin, click here.





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