On October 27th, 1966, the animated classic ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ was released. The prime-time TV special was based on the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Do you have a favorite character from the ‘Peanuts’ gang?
Billed as a Halloween special, ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ was produced by Bill Melendez. He had worked on the previous two ‘Peanuts’ holiday-themed specials.
The now-famous music was composed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. The most notable song is the theme known as ‘Linus and Lucy.’ It is one of the most iconic piano pieces in modern music.
The Halloween special was aired every year on CBS and then on ABC. The plot involves Linus looking for the great pumpkin who visits the most sincere pumpkin patch every year.
He mistakes Snoopy for the shadow of the great pumpkin and faints. Linus waits patiently for the great pumpkin. Unfortunately, no one else believes in the creature, so he spends the night in the pumpkin patch.
Linus never sees the great pumpkin, but his friends are sympathetic to him in the end. He vows that the great pumpkin will appear next year as the Halloween special draws to a close.
As far as holiday specials are concerned, ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’ has become a traditional part of America’s Halloween celebration. It has aired every year since 1966 and has led to many great family memories.
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