TV Special Review: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: "You're in Love, Charlie Brown"

Cons: "It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown" is slow.

The Bottom Line:

Three Peanuts specials

Revolving around the theme

Of Valentine's love

'Tis the Season for Unrequited Love

I grew up loving Peanuts. There was something about the comic strip I connected with, especially Charlie Brown. As a fan, I know how hard it is for the gang to find love. And that is the subject of Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. It collects three of the half hour TV specials that have been done over the years.

"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" - 1975 - Valentines Day is coming, and everyone is getting ready for it. Charlie Brown is waiting for Valentines. Will he get them in the mail? Or maybe he'll get a bunch at school. Linus has a crush on his teacher and plans to give her something special to show it. However, Sally thinks the present Linus bought is for her. And in the middle of all the confusion, Snoopy is putting on a Pawpet Show. But trust me, you don't want to be in the front row of this very interactive puppet show.

This special has its funny parts, like Snoopy's show. I also got a kick out of Snoopy acting out Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How do I love thee?" poem. And the fact that he was acting it out as Sally was reading it from a little candy heart. But on the whole, this one was rather depressing. While I often feel sorry for Charlie Brown, this one was just too mean. What I found most surprising about the whole thing is that Charlie Brown's crush, The Cute Little Red Haired Girl, only gets one brief mention. Of course, she is a main component in the next two shorts, so I guess that makes up for it.

"You're in Love, Charlie Brown" - 1967 - School is almost out for the summer, and Charlie Brown wants to meet The Cute Little Red Haired Girl before vacation starts. He's so distracted, he's blowing reports in class and sharpening his ball point pen. Will he have the worst last day of school in history? Or will his plans to meet the girl of his dreams?

This is by far my favorite of the three on the disc. It's got the gentle humor of the strip. I laughed quite a few times at poor Charlie Brown's predicaments and reactions. And the ending was surprisingly sweet.

"It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown" - 1977 - It's homecoming time, and Charlie Brown is in the thick of things. He's the kicker on the football team. And he's part of the group escorting the homecoming queen and her court at the dance. And you'll never guess who the homecoming queen is. That's right, The Cute Little Red Haired Girl. Charlie Brown is scared that he has to dance with her. But before the dance, he has to survive the football game. And with Lucy the place holder, that's not as easy as it sounds.

Of the three, this one is the most boring. Most of the 30 minutes focuses on the football game, and the action is repetitive and predictable. Plus there's the fact that Charlie Brown is the only one being blamed when he misses the football. Still, the ending was enough to bring a smile to my face. As far as I know, this is the only time in the Peanuts universe we actually see The Cute Little Red Haired Girl. We also learn her name is Heather.

On the whole, all three are typical Peanuts shorts. What do I mean by that? They use regular kids to voice the characters. While it provides a realistic feel, the results aren't as professional as most cartoons. And the animation is cheap, lacking the flow and polish of most animation. Frankly, I find that part of the charm of these shorts and it never bothers me at all.

These shorts have now been released together twice. The first time, the disc included only the three shorts. That's the version I have. Just this year, it was released again. All three shorts are included again, this time restored. There is also a featurette about unrequited love in the Peanuts universe. Obviously, since I haven't seen this, I can't comment on it.

All three of these shorts are enjoyable, although "You're in Love" stands out to me. Still, if you love Peanuts, you'll want to spend some time watching Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.