On Halloween night the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children.
Sally was Lucy. Kathy was Sally. Chris was Charlie. Peter was Linus. And Bill was Snoopy.
For fifty years Charles M. Schulz’s Linus Van Pelt has been trying to convince us all to believe in The Great Pumpkin in The Peanuts holiday special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Following on the success of the Peanuts Christmas special, Schulz was tapped to pick a holiday and subject and went with Halloween over Thanksgiving and the Great Pumpkin was destined for the small screen in October 1966.
It’s the one time Charlie Brown wasn’t the only ostracized kid in the neighborhood (although he’s the one who gets rocks every year and we never learn why). Remember when all the little kids dressed up in the same costumes? Here the costumes of choice were ghosts and witches. And a World War I flying ace–Snoopy took his first flight on the screen in his Sopwith Camel in The Great Pumpkin.
Chris Shea voiced Linus, Kathy Steinberg voiced Sally, Peter Robbins was Charlie Brown, and Lucy was voiced by Sally Dryer. And Bill Melendez was the voice of Snoopy.
Who knew Sally was such a little lawyer? You don’t remember that? Watch it again and see. And who saves the day? Big sister Lucy.
If you missed the annual television viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!, don’t fret, you can watch the entire show here:
Or watch it on the ABC website here.
Oh, Great Pumpkin, if you really are a fake don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
