It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown
Animation • 1974 • 25 min
Starring
Todd Barbee, Melanie Kohn, Stephen Shea, Donna Le Tourneau, Jimmy Ahrens
Directed By
Written By
User Reviews
When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but it is a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn the meaning of Christmas.

With the school year coming to a close, Charlie Brown is trying to work up the courage to meet his dream girl, whom he only knows as "The Little Red Haired Girl." However, he's too nervous to go meet her upfront and all his attempts to impress her at school backfire disastrously. His friends, Linus and Peppermint Patty, try to help, but only aggravate the situation, while Charlie Brown desperately tries to find a solution to this romantic conundrum.

When the gang loses patience with Snoopy's mischief, he suddenly finds himself back in obedience training. With a vengeance, Snoopy decides it's time to run away to Peppermint Patty's house, but soon realizes life might not be so bad with Charlie Brown after all.

Play It Again, Charlie Brown is the seventh prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. This non-holiday Peanuts special centers on Lucy, her infatuation with Schroeder, and her willingness to do anything to win his affections.

When Woodstock's fancy new nest disappears one afternoon, he turns to Snoopy for help. Adopting the guise of Sherlock Holmes (complete with cloak, deerstalker cap and bubble pipe), Snoopy and Woodstock go on the hunt for the missing nest.

When the circus comes to town, Snoopy naturally pays a visit. There he falls for a beautiful poodle performing there. He soon runs away to join it. While he quickly becomes a star performer, Charlie Brown is distraught by Snoopy's decision while Snoopy himself has to face some realities of show business himself.

Introduced by creator Charles M. Schulz, this special follows the Peanuts gang through a series of individual comic strip adaptations, including Peppermint Patty accidentally attending a dog obedience school and Lucy trying to win Schroeder's heart by destroying his piano. Chaos peaks when Charlie Brown lands in the hospital with a mysterious illness, prompting a guilt-ridden Lucy to make a dramatic promise regarding her infamous football gag if he recovers.

Linus has to break devastating news, his father has a new job and has to relocate his family. Charlie Brown and the gang make their goodbyes and prepare for Linus and Lucy's departure.

This hour-long anthology presents six animated shorts. "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz appears on camera to introduce these adaptations of some of his favorite strips, which include Charlie Brown spending two unexpectedly pleasant weeks at summer camp; Peppermint Patty and Marcie taking jobs as golf caddies, with disastrous results; and Lucy trying to cure Linus' dependence on his security blanket.

As springtime rolls around, Charlie Brown's team is performing the usual hopeless task of getting in shape for the new season. To improve the team's morale, Charlie Brown manages to find a potential team sponsor who agrees to provide uniforms, provided that the team wins the first game of the season. However, considering the usual competence of the team, including new members like Leland who is too young to even tie his shoes, the challenge seems impossible.
Lovesick Charlie Brown hopes – still – to get a valentine from the Little Red-Haired Girl, as does Sally from Linus, Lucy from Schroeder and Peppermint Patty from Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown, Linus and the entire Peanuts gang are off on a lively Easter egg hunt. They suspect they've spotted the Easter Bunny … but the trouble is, he looks a lot like a certain beagle who's near and dear to Charlie Brown's heart. Is it truly the Easter Bunny, or is it just the irrepressible Snoopy playing a trick on the kids?
As the holiday season rolls around and all the Peanuts gang are getting ready for it. Whether it be Charlie Brown struggling to raise money for his girlfriend or Sally and Peppermint Patty struggling to rehearse and memorize their one word lines for the Christmas pageant, these kids try to keep with the Christmas spirit while Snoopy has his mischief to do.








