it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown (1966)

most peanuts holiday specials are still broadcast annually on tv, which makes them, for me, a special occasion. i've resisted the temptation, tho i've held in my hands just last weekend the holiday box set, of buying any of the tv work of charles m. schulz because they are on just once a year.

and but so, i caught this broadcast last tuesday. i've grown older, but charlie, linus, lucy, sally, pigpen, snoopy et al. have not. for sure, like totally. the same adventures, the same costumes preserved for posterity for ever. i can imagine an alien civilization happening by chance on our broadcasts and wondering who the fuck are these people?

well, anyway, i love halloween imagery, and there is something heroic in linus's stern belief in the great pumpkin, who rises from the pumpkin patch on halloween night and give to all the good boys and girls toys. the only one who doesn't think linus is full of shit is sally who's crazyinsane for the boy. and so they wait all night in the pumpkin patch for the great one to appear.

meanwhile, snoopy has his usual wwi flying ace adventures. while the rest of the gang go out trick-or-treating and then attend a halloween party. everyone scores on candy but charlie who had cut too many holes in his sheet-ghost costume. charlie looks like a pale spud. and when he reaches into his bag finds he was given rocks rather than confections.

there is something heroic in that as well. the special runs at about 22 minutes which is just about right for the usual madcap revelry. in the end, sally feels cheated about missing out on the halloween celebrations while momentarily believing in linus. she breaks out into screams to protest her sense of betrayal by linus. and linus falls asleep waiting, like vladimir and estragon, in the pumpkin patch.

fantastic. it is linus who ends the show telling charlie brown that next year, next year he'll see the great pumpkin rise to save the children of the world. anna asked me who my favorite character was. i said the usual, snoopy, and especially charlie brown. she told me it is linus who is admirable. yes, indeed.

i can't go on. i'll go on.