Tuned In

TV Tonight: You Gotta Be Sincere

By James Poniewozik | @poniewozik | October 27, 2009 | +
ABC
ABC
"IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN" - The classic animated Halloween-themed PEANUTS special, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, airs TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27 and WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (©1966 United Feature Syndicate Inc.)

ABC airs It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown tonight at 8 E.T. I don’t know if Charles Schultz ever read Albert Camus, but there’s something about the whole Peanuts body of work that espouses a kind of hopeful existentialism. The characters are in absurd situations; like Sisyphus, they are doomed to suffer the same failures over and over again (kicking the football, getting the Red Baron), and yet they not only persist but actually believe that they will succeed the next time out.

To me, Linus’ vigils in the pumpkin patch are the most touching of those hopeless quests, because not only is he always disappointed, he’s publicly mocked for even believing. Yet he goes back. And misses out on the candy. (It’s interesting, by the way, to see this picture of kids in the 1960s, when no one thinks twice about trick-or-treating unchaperoned, much less sitting out in a sincere pumpkin patch all night.)

Speaking of Peanuts, the Tuned In Jrs. and I have lately been watching the new boxed set of 1970s Peanuts DVDs that just came out. In one of the specials, You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown, Linus blows a massive lead in the polls in his student-council-president race by sharing his belief in the Great Pumpkin. Thus suffering the fate of religious-minority candidates everywhere. For Peanuts completists, it’s a nice collection of less-well-known Peanuts specials, like There’s No Time for Love, Charlie Brown.

Does anyone out there have a favorite obscure Peanuts special? And don’t even tell me Flashbeagle.

Related Topics: Halloween, peanuts, tv tonight

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  • shara says

    I like the Peanuts special where they are writing the constitution, or the declaration of independence. No, I think it was the constitution. I haven’t seen it in probably 18 years, but I always loved that one.

    Snoopy Come Home was my favorite childhood movie. I apparantly watched it every single day, as it was the only video that we owned for a long time.

    The one where they do the raft race was also freaking awesome.

  • Matt

    I agree with shara – it’s the raft race all the way. Even when I leaf through collections of the strip, my favorite ones are always when Charlie and Linus are at summer camp.

    Also good: the one where they’re in France.

  • samposts

    I’m looking forward to this special. It’s my favourite episode. There’s something about Linus’s unwavering belief in The Great Pumpkin that warms the heart. Not so much the mocking he receives, but I can look past that.

  • mrbilliam

    I did love “Snoopy, Come Home.” But I really loved the song in “Snoopy the Musical” in which Snoopy writes a story (“A door slammed, a maid screamed: that’s building suspense! When suddenly a pirate ship appeared on the horizon!”)

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