Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975) (TV Special Review)

  It’s February again, the Valentines season, and typically around this time I’d post a review of a Romance picture, but this time … I felt like reviewing an actual Valentines special. Of course, when it comes to iconic characters with holiday themed specials, Charlie Brown and his band of Peanuts are always some of the first that come to mind. While I certainly grew-up watching all the classic Charlie Brown Specials as they aired on TV, the holiday offerings were the only ones I owned on home video, and as such, they’ll always hold a special place in my heart. The 1975 special titled “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” was the Peanuts thirteenth special, and their fifth holiday themed offering, following their Easter special. While this Valentines special isn’t quiet as famous as some of their earlier holiday staples, I do still view it as a classic, and it was a modest success. It even received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Children’s Programing.

  Valentines in general is a season for raising ones hope, and for Charlie Brown, the holiday is building his confidence that maybe at last … someone will finally take notice of him. Unfortunately, no mater how long he waits by his mail box, no-one seems to be giving him any Valentines love. His little sister Sally is also smitten for Charlie Browns best friend Linus, and is trying desperately to make him a special Valentine card by hand. On the opposite side of her coin, Linus has taken a liking for their school teacher, and has gotten a special heart-shaped box of candy just for her … too bad for him, she’s a grown-up, and has a boyfriend of her own. Once again, Charles Schulz is using his Peanuts as characters that viewers can both sympathies with, and possibly even relate to. Many of us can probably give examples of setting big expectations for special events, only for reality to sadly have different plans. For Valentines, Schulz felt this was the right time to focus on kids who view an upcoming holiday as sunshine and rainbows, only for rain clouds to hover overhead. 

  Back when I was a kid, this was the Charlie Brown special that I had the most mixed feelings for. It packs some of the biggest laughs, and delightful holiday appeals, but it’s also one of the most down-beat, and even kind of depressing Charlie Brown offerings. The music, mainly the piano track composed by Frédéric Chopin and John Scott Trotter, has a similar dual nature, ranging from being quite jubilant one moment, and then downbeat and gloomy the next. Even the goofy comedic aspects of this special are laced with kind of a harsh tone. One scene that always stood out to me was Lucy attending a romantic puppet show performed by Snoopy, which is like a cruel 3D experience, as all the details of water, mud and trash come crashing all over Lucy, leaving her a dirty mess. An especially mean moment comes from Snoopy, who initially looks like he’s going to give a nice Valentine to Woodstock … only to smash it in his face. Naturally, at the end, Woodstock returns his gratitude with his own face palming Valentine.

  When Linus fails to give his candy box to his teacher, he disposes of the chocolates over a bridge in a passionate rage … but at least Snoopy and Woodstock get a nice snack out of it. Even Schroeder’s poor little piano doesn’t make it through this special. While Beethoven was a deaf musician, Schroeder is figuratively deaf to the romantic words coming from Lucy, and she finally snaps, taking out her frustration on his piano, which gets smashed to bits. However, the moment that really had me both laughing and feeling horrible was Charlie Brown … after receiving zero Valentines from his class … gets a candy heart that reads “Forget it, Kid!” The following scene with Charlie Brown desperately searching through the empty Valentine box is simply one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen. Something that never quiet made sense to me was that even his best friend Linus didn’t give him a card, and heck, Peppermint Patty, Marcy and Franklin are all seen in his class … they’re close friends … why aren’t they giving him any cards?

  Mercifully though, despite not getting any Valentines cards, Charlie Brown chooses to keep his hope alive, and imagines that one day things will turn out well for him. That’s the beauty of Charlie Brown, he can get put through the ringer of negative emotions, and still choses to have an optimistic view for the things to come. 

For as down beat and upsetting as this special can get, there’s still just enough levity and cheerful moments to balance things out. Sally has an especially cute moment reading Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous poem “How Do I Love Thee?”, on one of those candy hearts, while Snoopy acts things out in the background. My favorite scene of the whole special is this moment with Charlie Brown trying to teach his little sister Sally how to make a Valentine, which is a scene lifted right from the comic strips. It’s a nice moment with Charlie putting in an effort to be helpful to his sister, although Snoopy naturally shows them both up. This is also one of the better decorated holiday specials, with pink and red colors, and heart shaped figures prominently featured, as well as Snoopy dressed as Cupid, and there’s even a nicely decorated title card.         

  One thing I feel this special sadly missed out on was continuing Charlie Browns affections for the Little Red Head Girl, who is his biggest crush through the series. Seriously, a Valentines special would have been a perfect place to continue their relationship, and just to poor salt on the wound, Charlie briefly mentions her at the end of the special, but she’s still not really a part of all the Valentine events … to bad. 

The Little Red Head Girl was first introduced in the 1967 special “You're in Love, Charlie Brown”, in which Charlie Brown’s anxieties keep him from telling her how he feels. While she never actually appears on screen, she still drives the whole special, and at the end leaves Charlie Brown a nice little friendship card. It’s a very sweet moment, and on a side note, the opening music is some of my favorite from any Charlie Brown special. The Little Red Head Girl eventually returned in the 1977 special titled “It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown”, in which she finally appears on screen, and her name is revealed to be Heather … although, she still doesn’t talk. 

Most of the special revolves around a football game, while the ending is a school dance, in which both Charlie Brown and the girl of his dreams get to share a special moment together. The big kiss promised in the title is a wonderful payoff, with some hilarious expressions on Charlie Brown beforehand, and a beautifully animated dream sequence afterword’s. I’m not kidding when I say that Charlies little flight of fantasy might just be my favorite piece of animation from any of his specials. However, the real payoff for Charlie Browns little romance with the Little Red-Haired Girl came about in the theatrical 2015 picture “The Peanuts Movie”. While still seen from a distance, this movie gives the girl her very first speaking lines in any Charlie Brown media, and she openly shares her feelings for Charlie Brown. The scene with the two of them at the end is simply one of the sweetest things from any Charlie Brown offering.     

  Of course, I should mention that the 2002 special titled “A Charlie Brown Valentine” did properly put focus on the Little Red-Haired Girl, and Charlie’s feelings for her, which was welcome. 

As for the original 1975 special “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” … it certainly juggles a lot of emotional beats, from cheerful, to gloomy, to funny, to heartbreaking, and in the end … it somehow always gets me in the mood for Valentine’s Day. As is always the case with Charlie Brown, his specials maintain the spirit of the holiday, all while avoiding the conventional elements one would expect. I definitely still have my fondness for this special, but it’s undeniably a harder one to recommend like the other Charlie Brown holiday offerings. I can picture viewers enjoying this one a great deal, but I can also picture just as many being put off by it. I suppose all I can say is, if you’re a long-time Peanuts fan, give this special a watch, and see if it’s the right kind of Valentine for you.    

Thanks for reading my review of the 1975 holiday special “Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown” … and continue to enjoy the specials you Love!