YOU’RE A GOOD SPORT CHARLIE BROWN
(not rated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5)
Duncan Watson as CHARLIE BROWN
Melanie Kohn as LUCY VAN PELT
Stuart Brotman as PEPPERMINT PATTY
Jimmy Ahrens as MARCIE
Gail Davis as SALLY BROWN
Liam Martin as LINUS VAN PELT
Bill Melendez as SNOOPY/WOODSTOCK
Studio: Warner Bros.
Directed by: Phil Roman
BY KEVIN CARR
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
As the dirt bike craze hit America in the mid-1970s, the sport came to animated TV specials. Peppermint Patty and the Masked Marvel (aka Snoopy) sign up for a local dirt bike race. Charlie Brown also enters, but is saddled with the number 13 and a pumpkin for a helmet. This 1975 TV special won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Special.
WHAT I LIKED
I was pretty close to Charlie Brown’s age in 1975, so there’s a heaping load of nostalgia that comes along with this show. I remember watching television – particularly Saturday morning cartoons – and seeing the dirt bike craze infiltrate pop culture. While I don’t remember seeing this TV special when it first aired, I was swept back into my childhood by the atmosphere of this show.
Like other Charlie Brown releases, this DVD comes with a B-feature, which is “You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown,” which is just as good as the A-feature and also features Snoopy as the Masked Marvel. In this flip-side extra, Charlie Brown and the gang enter a decathlon in the Junior Olympics. Ultimately, both of these half-hour episodes are packed with a lot more action than you usually see in Charlie Brown specials.
“You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown” will never be remembered or revered as much as “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” or “It’s Christmastime, Charlie Brown,” but it’s definitely just as good.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
As much as I loved watching both of these TV specials again as an adult, I would have appreciated a little more meat on the DVD. Less than an hour of content leaves me wanting a bit more.
DVD FEATURES
In addition to the second cartoon, “You’re the Greatest, Charlie Brown,” there’s also a featurette about the making of the main special called “Dust Yourself Off and Pick Yourself Up, Charlie Brown.” Like earlier Peanuts releases, this features interviews with family members and associates, giving special insight into the development of this television special.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Peanuts fans and anyone jonesin’ for a Masked Marvel fix.