November 28, 2024

A classic Peanuts Christmas countdown on FiveCentsPlease.org for 2024

Ho ho ho! FiveCentsPlease.org's annual tradition of counting down the days to Christmas with the Peanuts gang returns on Friday, November 29.

Our home page will feature a different seasonally themed comic each day through December 25.

New Christmas countdown panels are no longer being made, so this year we've reached into the archives to bring you historical panels from 1985.  They haven't been republished (as far as we know) since their original run nearly 40 years ago!

(A few years ago, FiveCentsPlease.org co-host Derrick Bang uncovered 12 years of previously lost countdown panels... and this year he found several additional sets!  You can read all about his hunt in his original blog post and this update on new discoveries.)

The sources for these panels weren't high quality and required a fair bit of cleanup, so they don't look as crisp as many Peanuts strips.

But nevertheless, we hope you'll still find them as charming as we do, and visit our home page each day to enjoy these panels as the holiday approaches!

November 25, 2024

The Peanuts Christmas countdown panels redux

November 28, 1982
[Authors’ note: 5CP posts generally are informal, like newspaper press releases. But as was the case with the original post on this subject, and because of the way this particular saga unfolded, a first-person approach seemed best. As a result, Derrick once again is stepping out from behind the curtain.]

Before we get started, it would be helpful to first read the original article linked above; some of what follows assumes as much.

Every three to four years, I spend a fresh week (or two) with newspapers.com, because this invaluable subscription site constantly adds new — or, rather, old — publication archives. My primary focus is on hitherto unknown nuggets about jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi's career; I always hope to add fresh entries to my comprehensive Guaraldi timeline. Newly included regional newspapers are the best bet, since they're likely to cover activities never mentioned in The Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle or other big-city newspapers. And, indeed, my recent search proved quite fruitful.

But I also had a secondary goal. I wasn't satisfied with my initial round of research regarding the annual Peanuts Christmas countdown panels; I've chafed at my clearly incomplete results for the first two years — 1982 and '83 — and I also was pretty sure that one 1984 panel hadn't been found. 

Determined to solve the above-noted issues, I dove back into the archives.

And emerged victorious ... after considerable effort. (Hey, research is its own reward.)

Starting with 1982 — when the cartoons were small squares, roughly the size of a Peanuts newspaper strip panel — I verified that the run began on November 28, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and produced 27 different panels through December 24. Check out the very first panel, at the top of this post.

(The feature concluded on December 24 until 1993; an additional Christmas Day panel didn’t begin until 1994.)

December 11, 1982
Thanks to lessons learned during my initial research, I initially focused on the phrase "shopping days." Unfortunately, after exhausting that search, I lacked four panels from 1982's run. It seemed unlikely that United Media had skipped those days, so it took some time to find a newspaper that obligingly ran the panels on the front page every day, and published seven days a week. At which point, the problem became obvious, as you can see in the December 11 panel, at right.

Different wording!

Happily, that newspaper yielded all four of the missing panels, which completed the run.

This format was repeated in 1983; the small square panels began on November 27 — again, the Sunday following Thanksgiving — and continued through December 24, this time yielding a run of 28. One example is shown below left. Once again, several were "wording outliers" that didn't use the phrase "shopping days," but this time I was prepared.

Beginning in 1984, the panels assumed their more “formal” appearance, although that year's starting date was a bit odd. Thanksgiving was early that year, on November 22 ... but the first panel didn't appear until the following Wednesday, November 28! This once again resulted in a run of 27, which confirmed my earlier fear; I had missed one, the first time around. Fortunately, it was quickly found.

December 24, 1983
Many newspaper editors still modified the appropriate number of “shopping days to Christmas” at their discretion. This was obvious, because of the wide variety of type fonts used to convey that message; once again, that meant that the same panel would pop up in different papers, with a different countdown number, and often on different days. Quantitative comparison came to the rescue. First, it became obvious that United Media's original font was dark and bold. Second, if the same panel appeared in (for example) 80 out of 100 newspapers on a given day, with the appropriate United Media font, it clearly was the correct one.

Duplicating that analysis ultimately revealed the correct sequence for all subsequent years. We therefore wound up with 15 "new" years' worth of earlier panels; we've already resurrected 1987-89 and '93 during the past four years, so — moving forward — you'll be treated to 11 more unseen-since-original-publication runs.

You'll see this year's resurrected series later this week — one per day starting November 29, on this blog's home page — when we revive the panels from 1985.

********

That's where this post would have concluded, when written several months ago, because — well — I thought the story was complete.

Life is full of surprises...

In late October, I received an email from Benjamin L. Clark, curator at Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center. We'd previously exchanged a few notes concerning the Peanuts countdown panels, so he knew about my interest. 

He called my attention to an eBay sale that featured "a large lot of 1966-69 Peanuts newspaper comic strip dailies with a Christmas focus." The attached photos included the one at right.

Benjamin called my attention to the items at lower left.

My jaw dropped. 

A different style of countdown panels ... and the 1969 copyright date was visible.


1969?!?!

I returned to newspapers.com before drawing another breath.

December 4, 1967
Over the course of the next several days, I established that this style of countdown panels ran for four years, from 1967 to 1970, inclusive. I successfully obtained full sets for each year ... although a few hiccups hampered the process. 

For starters, each run began in December, rather than the day after Thanksgiving. 

More crucially, the countdown numbering didn't seem correct. As a typical example, a December 4 panel claimed "17 shopping days left 'til Christmas." 

The light finally dawned, when I realized that — in the late 1960s and early '70s — Sunday still wasn't considered a shopping day.

(My, how times have changed...!)

This also explains the "apparent" math error in the second panel of this Peanuts strip, originally published December 10, 1965 (click on it for a larger image):


The younger generation has no memory of this, but well into the 1970s and '80s, many stores remained closed on Sundays due to "blue laws," which were put in place to comply with the Christian Sabbath. The first blue law was enacted in Virginia in 1617. A
lso known as Sunday Closing Laws or Lord's Day Acts, they prohibited the sale of certain goods on Sundays to uphold local moral and cultural standards. As one example, in Pennsylvania, blue laws prohibited the sale of many retail goods on Sundays until 1978, when the state Supreme Court overturned them. Some states maintained blue laws well into the 21st century, and New Jersey's Bergen County still maintains one

Regardless, these days the notion of stores being closed on Sundays — by law — seems absurd.

United Feature Syndicate also assumed that most newspapers wouldn't run a panel on Sundays ... which initially proved confusing, since I wasted a lot of time searching dozens of Sunday newspapers, until the significance of Sunday store closures became apparent. 

All this said, many newspaper editors were quite math-challenged, changing the numbers within given panels, and running them on wildly incorrect days.

The final tally:

December 24, 1970
• 1967 produced 18 panels; newspapers that printed them accurately began on December 4, and concluded on December 23. 

• 1968 produced 20 panels, usually beginning on December 2, and again concluding on December 23.

• 1969 also produced 20 panels, usually beginning on December 1, and concluding on December 24 ... with a sweet holiday message, as shown at right.

• 1970 produced 21 panels, also beginning on December 1, and concluding on December 24.

I also noticed a rather disturbing detail.

In 1968, once most newspapers got on board — some didn’t start right away — I found between 22 and 40 client newspapers for each Peanuts panel, on a given day…

December 8, 1968
…except on December 9, which came back with only 10 hits. A very low number.

Franklin debuted in the regular newspaper comic strip on July 31 that year, and December 9 was the only countdown panel in which he appeared that month.

Most of the papers that ran these panels were small regional publications, and a high percentage were in the Deep South. 

You can connect the dots.

Happily, things weren't quite as bad in 1969. Franklin's sole appearance, on December 8, was on the low end of average (21 hits), but at least it wasn't egregiously low. (He didn't appear in any 1970 panels.)

To employ advertising-speak, this four-year run didn't have near the penetration of the later series, when (for example) a given 1988 panel could be found in hundreds of newspapers, large and small. I never found more than 50 hits on a given day, from 1967 through '70, and more than 40 was rare. That may have contributed to the syndicate's decision to stop after 1970 ... until reviving the tradition 12 years later.

On a final note, I must say that all four of these sets employed better Schulz panels, and better "special dialogue," than some of the later runs that began in 1982. (I also must note that Schulz never had anything to do with any of the countdown panel captions; that was handled in-house by United Feature/United Media staffers.)


November 23, 2024

"You Don't Know Peanuts", the official Peanuts podcast, launches

Peanuts Worldwide and the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat (the newspaper of Charles Schulz' hometown) have launched "You Don’t Know Peanuts," the first official Peanuts podcast.

Hosted by Melissa Menta, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Peanuts Worldwide (she's worked with the Peanuts crew for over 20 years), and David Templeton, an arts and entertainment journalist for the Press-Democrat, the new podcast is subtitled "The Untold Stories Behind the Greatest Comic Strip of All Times", and will feature interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the world of Peanuts in its many forms.

The first episode, on the timely subject of "The Untold Stories of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Peanuts Balloons," is available now.

Future episodes of "You Don't Know Peanuts" will include Jason Mendelson (son of legendary Peanuts writer/producer Lee Mendelson) with making-of stories from the classic animated specials; Marissa Nance of Native Tongue Communication discussing Franklin’s origin story; artist Eli Sudbrack on the Peanuts Global Artist Collective; and Hallmark archivist Samantha Stephens on the Peanuts brand’s history with Hallmark.

Each episode will also feature "love letters" from fans about the impact of Peanuts on their lives, and trivia challenges.

You can learn more about the podcast and listen to it at https://www.youdontknowpeanuts.com , or you can get it from your favorite podcast source, including (but not limited to) Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For additional information, also see the press release or the Press-Democrat article announcing the podcast.

November 21, 2024

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving streams free on Apple TV+ this weekend (Nov 23-24, 2024)

Just a reminder that the free streaming window for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+ is this weekend only, Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24, 2024.

The classic Peanuts holiday show will not be broadcast on over-the-air television this year.

To stream the special for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and on several different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You won't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for the name of the special if you don't see it right away.

(Or if you're an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the show at any time, on any day.  The special is already #1 on Apple's Top Chart as of November 21!)

And if you need musical accompaniment for your holiday meal, don't forget that the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was released last year.   It's still available to buy on CD or LP - including new vinyl variants purple jelly bean, turkey tan, or a picture disc - or to stream on your favorite music service.

November 9, 2024

The Beagle Scout flies again!

The Beagle Scout Snoopy balloon will return to this year’s Macy’s 98th Annual Thanksgiving Parade.

The parade will air live from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, Nov. 28. It will begin on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and conclude at Macy's Herald Square flagship store. The parade broadcast also will stream on Peacock, with an encore on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

The 55-foot tall Beagle Scout Snoopy wears his red Scout tie and green backpack; his pal Woodstock rides on his hat, to join the festivities. This balloon debuted to honor 2023’s 50th anniversary of the first appearance of Beagle Scouts in the Peanuts newspaper strip.

Snoopy continues to be the longest-running character in the parade’s history.  He started in 1968 as the Flying Ace; this was followed by an Astronaut, Ice Skater, Ice Skater with Woodstock, Millenium Snoopy, an updated Flying Ace, Snoopy and Woodstock, an updated Astronaut, and now (again) Beagle Scout with Woodstock. 

The new Snoopy balloon will be joined by a Peanuts float: Camp Snoopy, with Woodstock and friends perched on top of their tent, on the lookout for some wild turkeys.  This will be the sixth version of the Peanuts float; the first was way back in 1967!

If you want even more Beagle Scout fun following the parade, season 1 of Camp Snoopy is available via subscription on Apple TV+. 

November 4, 2024

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack to be released January 17, 2025

You'll love this news - on January 17, 2025, Lee Mendelson Film Productions will release Vince Guaraldi's complete soundtrack to the 1975 Peanuts animated special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the show.

Coming on CD, black vinyl, two colored vinyl variants, and digitally, the album will feature 30 tracks - 22 cues from the show, plus 8 alternate takes and mixes - and will be 42 minutes long in total.

Physical releases will include liner notes by producers Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson, plus Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang.



A few Be My Valentine tracks have appeared previously on compilation albums, but this is the first time the entire score will be available; most of it has never been released before.

Taken from the original recording session tapes, the music has been newly mastered and mixed in clear stereo sound. You can hear a few short previews on Soundcloud here.

Click here for purchase and streaming links to select stores and services (the album is available from many other retailers and digital services as well).

The album will be available on CD and regular black vinyl from all retailers.  If you need something special for your vinyl-loving sweet babboo, the two colored vinyl variants of the Be My Valentine album will be a 'Heartburn Red", exclusive to independent record stores, and "Puppy Love Pink", available exclusively from Barnes & Noble.  (Note that the link to independent record stores is not necessarily a complete list; check with your local store to see if they have the version of the album you want!)

Like this fall's You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown LPs, the Be My Valentine LP releases will be "BioVinyl," made from recycled cooking oil and industrial waste instead of raw petroleum, and the packaging will once again be made from sustainably forested trees and compostable plastic wrapping.

You can read the full press release with more details on the Lee Mendelson Film Productions website.

Here's the track list for the upcoming Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack album:

Show Score

1. Heartburn Waltz
2. Heartburn Waltz (Reprise)
3. Linus and Lucy
4. Valentine Interlude #1 / Heartburn Waltz (2nd Reprise)
5. Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Major, Op. 49 No. 2 - 1. Allegro ma non troppo (by Ludwig van Beethoven)
6. Heartburn Waltz (3rd Reprise)
7. Linus and Lucy (Reprise)
8. Paw Pet Overture
9. Freddie's Mood (Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, by Frederic Chopin)
10. Heartburn Waltz (4th Reprise)
11. Never Again
12. Music Box Dance (Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116, by Johann Sebastian Bach)
13. Woodstock's Mambo
14. Heartburn Waltz (5th Reprise)
15. Jennie L.
16. Heartburn Waltz (6th Reprise)
17. Valentine Interlude #2 / Heartburn Waltz (7th Reprise)
18. There's Been a Change
19. Woodstock's Revenge
20. Charlie Brown's Wake-Up
21. Heartburn Waltz (8th Reprise)
22. Freddie's Mood (Show Version)

Bonus Tracks

23. Heartburn Waltz (Bonus Mix)
24. Jennie L. (Alternate Take)
25. Heartburn Waltz (Alternate Take)
26. Woodstock's Mambo (Bonus Mix)
27. Heartburn Waltz (Reprise) (Bonus Mix)
28. There's Been a Change (Alternate Take)
29. Heartburn Waltz (5th Reprise) (Bonus Mix)
30. Last Call for Love

Next year is the 75th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip, and this new album gets things off to an excellent start!

October 17, 2024

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown streams free on Apple TV+ this weekend (Oct 19-20, 2024)

Don't forget that the free streaming window for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on streaming service Apple TV+ is this weekend only, Saturday, October 19 and Sunday, October 20, 2024.

The classic Peanuts special will not be on over-the-air television this year.

So if watching the "broadcast" of It's the Great Pumpkin is a yearly event in your house, be sure to get ready to fire the stream up.

To stream the special for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and on several different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You won't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for the name of the special if you don't see it right away.

Of course, if you're an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the show at any time, on any day. It's already #2 on Apple's Top Chart as of October 17!

Also, remember that the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack for It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was released a couple of years ago.  It's still available to buy on CD or LP (including a pumpkin-shaped LP!), or stream on your favorite music service.  (Be aware there were two releases of this soundtrack - you want the superior one from 2022 that is labelled "Original Soundtrack Recording".)

September 25, 2024

It's the Great Pumpkin and other Peanuts holiday specials will stream free on Apple TV+ in 2024

Apple has announced that the big three Peanuts holiday specials - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; and A Charlie Brown Christmas - will once again be available for everyone to stream for free, without a subscription, for a short period before each holiday this year.

The free streaming window is just 2 days for each show, but it's better than no free option at all.

The free streaming dates for 2024 are:
  • It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown - Saturday, October 19 & Sunday, October 20, 2024
  • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving - Saturday, November 23 & Sunday, November 24, 2024
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas - Saturday, December 14 & Sunday, December 15, 2024
To watch the specials for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is also available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire, and on several different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You won't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for the name of the special if you don't see it right away.

(Of course, if you're already an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the specials at any time, on any day.)

As has been the case since 2022, there will be no over-the-air broadcast of the Peanuts specials this year.  The shows remain available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray.

And don't forget that thanks to the hard work of our friends at Lee Mendelson Film Productions, you can now stream or buy the wonderful Vince Guaraldi soundtracks for all three holiday specials on CD, LP, or digital!

August 30, 2024

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown soundtrack to be released September 6, 2024

Here's election season news that everyone will be happy to hear: a new album with the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack for the 1972 Peanuts television special You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital on Friday, September 6, 2024, courtesy of the good folks at Lee Mendelson Film Productions.

Most of this soundtrack is previously unreleased - a few tracks appeared previously on compilation albums, but this is the first time the full score from the show will be available, joined by nine bonus tracks of alternate takes.

The music from You're Not Elected features a variety of styles, with new variations of classic themes, some 1970's funk, a dixieland jazz version of the show's title track, and an extended version of the signature "Joe Cool" song, featuring Vince Guaraldi on vocals. All in excellent, crystal clear stereo sound.

You can listen to four sample tracks on Soundcloud here.



Three physical releases of the soundtrack will be available: a CD; a regular black vinyl LP, available at all retailers; and a "Woodstock Yellow" vinyl LP, exclusive to Independent record stores (see here).

All include detailed liner notes from co-producer Sean Mendelson and Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang.

The album will also be available on all streaming services and as a digital download for purchase.

Click here for purchase and streaming links to select stores and services (and the album is available from many other retailers and digital services as well).

The LPs are special in another way - they are made from "BioVinyl," made from recycled cooking oil and industrial waste. Chemically the end result is the exactly the same, so the records sound just as good and are just as durable as traditional vinyl, but they start from recycled material instead of new raw petroleum. Plus, the paper sleeve and booklet are made from sustainably forested trees, and even the plastic wrapping for the LP is made from compostable material.

You can read the full press release with more details about the music and packaging on the Lee Mendelson Film Productions website.

And be sure to check out the terrific interview about the You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown album from Cereal at Midnight, where producers Sean and Jason Mendelson are joined by bassist Seward McCain, who worked with Vince Guaraldi on the You're Not Elected soundtrack and many other 1970's Peanuts specials.  Watch it on YouTube, or listen to the audio-only version.

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is the latest in a series of new Peanuts soundtrack releases. Vote for Vince Guaraldi by purchasing this album - if you've enjoyed his other Peanuts music, you'll surely like this too!



In related news, if you're a collector of colored vinyl variants, last year's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving soundtrack album is being released in three new exclusive versions on October 18, 2024:
All of them look pretty cool, but note that the musical content is exactly the same as last year's album release - the only difference is the appearance of the LP.

The regular CD, black vinyl, and digital releases of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving also remain available.



Here's the full track list for the new You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown soundtrack album:

Show Score

1. Incumbent Waltz
2. You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
3. Oh, Good Grief!
4. Cookin' Snoopy (Fast Piano Jazz)
5. Blue Charlie Brown
6. Incumbent Waltz (Reprise)
7. Linus And Lucy / Poor Charlie Brown
8. Joe Cool (Vocal)
9. Incumbent Waltz (2nd Reprise)
10. Elect Linus (Dilemma) / Woodstock's Wake Up
11. Joe Cool (Unused Reprise)
12. Oh, Good Grief! (Reprise)
13. Deserted Charlie Brown
14. You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
15. Linus And Lucy (Reprise)
16. You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown (2nd Reprise - End Credits)

Bonus Content

17. Joe Cool (Alternate Take 1)
18. Joe Cool (Alternate Rehearsal Take)
19. Blue Charlie Brown (Alternate Take 1)
20. African Sleigh Ride (Bonus)
21. Cookin' Snoopy (Fast Piano Jazz - Alternate Take 1, 2. & 3)
22. Incumbent Waltz (2nd Reprise Alternate Take 1)
23. Incumbent Waltz (2nd Reprise Alternate Take 3)
24, Incumbent Waltz (Unused Cue)
25. Linus And Lucy (Acoustic Piano Mix)

May 29, 2024

The Beagle Scouts star in Camp Snoopy, coming June 14, 2024 on Apple TV+

Stock up on your marshmallows and roasting sticks... the Beagle Scouts will be featured in Camp Snoopy, the latest Peanuts show from the subscription service Apple TV+.

Premiering June 14, 2024, Snoopy and his little bird friends, along with Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang, will have an "adventure-filled summer outdoors" in 13 episodes, each 21 minutes long.



Apple's description of the show:
After discovering their troop is in danger of disbanding, Snoopy and the Beagle Scouts set off to immerse themselves in nature and the Great Outdoors to earn their badges, with the Beagle Scout Manual as their guide. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and friends enjoy their summer at Camp Spring Lake, crossing paths with Snoopy as they experience hiking, swimming, sitting around campfires and everything summer camp and the outdoors have to offer.

For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.

May 1, 2024

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown soundtrack wide release coming July 5, 2024

Initially released as a limited edition "camp green" vinyl release on Record Store Day in April (see earlier post), Lee Mendelson Film Productions has announced that Vince Guaraldi's complete soundtrack to the 1969 Peanuts animated special It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown will receive a wide release on July 5, 2024.

The album will be available in multiple formats - CD, digital, a regular black vinyl (available at all retailers), and a Record Store Day Indie Exclusive "summer night blue" vinyl.

The CD, digital, and black vinyl are available to pre-order now from Amazon and other retailers, and the RSD Indie Exclusive is pre-orderable from record stores.

(The blue vinyl is a limited edition, so if you're interested in it, you should make your order sooner rather than later.  The green variant sold out quickly.)

Update July 5: the CD, digital, and summer blue vinyl are available on the release date as expected; the black vinyl has been delayed a few weeks due to production delays.  But it's definitely still coming!



The album's 31 tracks are the complete original recording of Guaraldi's score from the special, plus six bonus alternate takes. This is the first time the score has been available (outside of last month's RSD exclusive).

In It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown and the gang recount their time at summer camp, where the "boys camp" and "girls camp" compete against each other in swimming, softball, and other events. After several poor showings, the boys get out their secret weapon - the "Masked Marvel" - to battle Lucy in an arm-wrestling contest.

The soundtrack features the first appearance of Vince Guaraldi's distinctive "Masked Marvel" theme, together with swinging new takes on familiar established Peanuts musical themes, performed by a larger jazz combo than in most other Peanuts TV specials.

The tracks are mastered from the original session tapes and sound terrific. You can stream three sample tracks here.

Physical copies of the album include liner notes with track-by-track analysis by Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang, and notes from Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson, sons of Peanuts special producer Lee Mendelson and co-producers of the record.

The full track list is below; you can find the full press release and additional details on the Mendelson Productions website.

If you'd like more background about the It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown soundtrack, check out these two new interviews with Jason and Sean Mendelson: WCB Jazz Vinyl and Cereal at Midnight (the latter is also available as a podcast).

It may be a long summer for us while we wait for this release to come out - but it'll be worth it to have another complete, new Peanuts soundtrack in our hands!


It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown track list:

A1. Charlie Brown Theme
A2. Linus And Lucy
A3. It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown
A4. Oh, Good Grief!
A5. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown
A6. Schroeder
A7. Bus Blues / Bus Blues (Reprise)
A8. It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
A9. Frieda (With The Naturally Curly Hair)
A10. Oh, Good Grief! (Reprise)
A11. Come And Get It / Hash / Hash With Horn / Am Break / Tah Dah
A12. Bon Voyage
A13. Peppermint Patty
A14. Love Will Come (Nova Bossa)
A15. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown

B1. Pebble Beach
B2. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
B3. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (Reprise)
B4. Masked Marvel
B5. Air Music
B6. Masked Marvel (Reprise) / Masked Marvel (2Nd Reprise)
B7. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown (2Nd Reprise)
B8. Linus And Lucy (Reprise)
B9. Oh, Good Grief! (2Nd Reprise)
B10. Charlie Brown Theme (Reprise)
B11. It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown (2Nd Reprise)

Bonus Content:
B12. Linus And Lucy (Alternate)
B13. Working On “It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown”
B14. Bus Blues (Alternate)
B15. Pebble Beach (Alternate)
B16. Masked Marvel (Alternate)
B17. Linus And Lucy (Reprise Alternate)

February 15, 2024

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown soundtrack vinyl for Record Store Day 2024

Following on the success of last year's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving album, Lee Mendelson Film Productions has announced the release of another classic Vince Guaraldi Peanuts soundtrack.

It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown will be issued on an exclusive "camp green" vinyl LP for Record Store Day on April 20, 2024.

The original soundtrack recording for this special has never been available before, and this album contains six bonus tracks as well.

If you missed the "camp green" vinyl, the album is receiving a wide release in more formats on July 5, 2024.  It will be available on CD, digital, and black vinyl; plus also a "summer night blue" vinyl only available from independent record stores.  See this blog post for more details.

Here's the full press release:

***



Available for the first time ever!
Vince Guaraldi’s complete soundtrack for 1969's It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown
Limited release in celebration of the special's 55th anniversary

Available exclusively on "Camp Green" Vinyl (12-inch, 45 RPM) 
for Record Store Day, April 20th

    “This entire score is can’t-be-played-often-enough ear candy. It’s as fresh and vibrant today — and as swinging — as when it was laid down 55 years ago: yet another captivating display of Guaraldi’s compositional genius and keyboard wizardry. Summer never sounded so sweet.”
— From the liner notes by Derrick Bang, Author, Vince Guaraldi at the Piano


Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) is thrilled to announce the release of Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, the sixth animated Peanuts special, from writer/creator Charles Schulz, director Bill Melendez and producers Melendez and Lee Mendelson. The special originally aired on CBS-TV on September 27, 1969, and currently can be streamed on Apple TV+.
 
The album includes the original recordings that comprise the special's song cues, plus six bonus and alternative tracks that never have been released or heard before.

Guaraldi lovingly created the soundtrack for the summer camp adventure that finds Charlie Brown and his gang facing off against the girls’ camp members, led by Peppermint Patty. The album's large jazz combo also delivers the best rendition of Guaraldi's classic tune, “Love Will Come (Nova Bossa),” and features his first use of additional percussion supplied by Victor Feldman.
 
The recording features Guaraldi (piano), Monty Budwig (double bass), Jack Sperling (drums), Conti and Pete Candoli (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Feldman (percussion), Herb Ellis (guitar), William Hood and Peter Christlieb (woodwinds), with John Scott Trotter as orchestra leader. The album was produced by Sean and Jason Mendelson, sons of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson, and restored and re-mastered by Vinson Hudson.
 
The album will be available exclusively at participating retail outlets starting April 20, 2024, as part of Record Store Day. Store locations and additional information is available at recordstoreday.com
 
The 12" 45 RMP LP will come in "camp green" and includes liner notes and a track-by-track analysis by Derrick Bang (author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano) and Sean Mendelson (son of Peanuts producer Lee Mendelson and album co-producer).  The package also boasts images from the special, and of the recently re-discovered original tape boxes (which led to this release).  
 
For an extended version of the press release and more information, click here

Track list:

A1. CHARLIE BROWN THEME
A2. LINUS AND LUCY
A3. IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN
A4. OH, GOOD GRIEF!
A5. YOU’RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN
A6. SCHROEDER
A7. BUS BLUES / BUS BLUES (REPRISE)
A8. IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (REPRISE)
A9. FRIEDA (WITH THE NATURALLY CURLY HAIR)
A10. OH, GOOD GRIEF! (REPRISE)
A11. COME AND GET IT / HASH / HASH WITH HORN / AM BREAK / TAH DAH 
A12. BON VOYAGE
A13. PEPPERMINT PATTY
A14. LOVE WILL COME (NOVA BOSSA)
A15. HE’S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN

B1. PEBBLE BEACH
B2. YOU’RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (REPRISE)
B3. HE’S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN (REPRISE)
B4. MASKED MARVEL
B5. AIR MUSIC
B6. MASKED MARVEL (REPRISE) / MASKED MARVEL (2ND REPRISE) 
B7. YOU’RE IN LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN (2ND REPRISE)
B8. LINUS AND LUCY (REPRISE)
B9. OH, GOOD GRIEF! (2ND REPRISE)
B10. CHARLIE BROWN THEME (REPRISE)
B11. IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN (2ND REPRISE) 

Bonus content:
B12. LINUS AND LUCY (ALTERNATE)
B13. WORKING ON “IT WAS A SHORT SUMMER, CHARLIE BROWN” 
B14. BUS BLUES (ALTERNATE)
B15. PEBBLE BEACH (ALTERNATE)
B16. MASKED MARVEL (ALTERNATE)
B17. LINUS AND LUCY (REPRISE ALTERNATE)
 
***


Most excellent news - and remember, good sales of this album will make more soundtrack releases likely in the future.

Demand for Record Store Day exclusives can be high, and usually you must go to the store in person to get them - so plan accordingly for April 20!

February 5, 2024

New Peanuts special Welcome Home, Franklin debuts February 16, 2024 on Apple TV+

On Friday, February 16, 2024, the subscription streaming service Apple TV+ will premiere the new Peanuts special Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin. The description of the special from Apple's press release is:
The origin story for one of Peanuts’ most beloved characters, the special follows Franklin as he moves to a new town and navigates new friendships. Franklin’s family is always on the move with his dad’s military job, and everywhere he goes Franklin finds support in a notebook filled with his grandfather’s advice on friendship. But when Franklin tries his usual strategies with the Peanuts gang, he has trouble fitting in. That’s until he learns about the neighborhood Soap Box Derby race – according to his grandfather, everyone loves a winner! He’s sure that winning the race will also mean winning over some new friends. All he needs is a partner, which he finds in Charlie Brown. Franklin and Charlie Brown work together to build a car and in the process become good buddies. But as the race nears, the pressure mounts – can their car and their newfound friendship make it to the finish line?
You can watch the trailer for the show at YouTube.


Welcome Home, Franklin was co-written by Robb Armstrong, author of the JumpStart comic strip, together with Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelus Uliano (the team behind 2015's The Peanuts Movie).

Robb Armstrong has a unique connection to the character of Franklin - Charles Schulz gave Franklin the last name of "Armstrong" in honor of the JumpStart cartoonist.

(Peanuts aficionados will note that Franklin's last name was never specified in the comic strip, only having been mentioned for the first time in the 1994 television special You're in the Superbowl, Charlie Brown. So while the last name is technically not canonical, it was decided upon by Schulz, and has since been accepted and used as official.)

For more information about Apple TV+, including how to watch and subscribe, visit tv.apple.com and this Apple support page.