It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown on ABC

By Ally Matteodo

Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang provided the Best TV Show of the Week with the Halloween classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, which aired at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. 

The familiar elements are like dear old friends being revisited: Linus struggling home under the weight of a humungous pumpkin, only to cry after Lucy has taken up a knife and begun carving, “I didn’t know you were going to kill it!”;  Linus’ steadfast belief in “The Great Pumpkin” although everyone else discourages him, and his long wait in the pumpkin patch with Sally;  the rest of the gang going trick-or-treating, the others receiving candy while Charlie Brown inevitably finds, “I got a rock”;  Snoopy’s psychedelic battle with the Red Baron, and his successful return across “enemy lines,” where is mistaken by Linus for the “Great Pumpkin”; and Sally’s rage at learning she missed all of Halloween. 

This family-oriented Halloween special is perfect for this time of year and a treat for all ages.  It contains many elements reminiscent of fall and childhood, including Charlie Brown raking leaves (and then Linus jumping in the pile with a lollipop), football, bobbing for apples, and the pumpkin patch.  Linus’ unyielding belief in the Great Pumpkin is sweet and endearing; even after everyone else in the gang berates him for staying in the pumpkin patch and calls him a “blockhead,” he refuses to budge.  The Peanuts gang live out their fancies without being hindered by grown-up practical advice.  The characters’ personalities and qualities are so well delineated that it is no wonder they have become iconic and much-loved the world over.  Charlie Brown’s indefatigable spirit resounds with underdogs everywhere, because even as bad luck and situations continuously pursue him, he always remains hopeful, polite, and determined. May they continue to provide fun for children and families for many years to come.