A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)

Director:

Bill Melendez

Writers:

Charles M. Schulz (creator)
Charles M. Schulz (written by)

Release Date:

4 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Family

Tagline:

The Peanuts' Gang in their First Movie!

Plot:

Charlie Brown makes his way to the national spelling bee finals.

Plot Keywords:

Spelling Bee | School | Dog | Star Spangled Banner | Hockey

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Peter Robbins	...	Charlie Brown (voice)
Pamelyn Ferdin	...	Lucy Van Pelt (voice)
Glenn Gilger	...	Linus Van Pelt (voice)
Andy Pforsich	...	Schroeder (voice)
Sally Dryer	...	Patty (voice)
Ann Altieri	...	Violet (voice) (as Anne Altieri)
Erin Sullivan	...	Sally (voice)
Lynda Mendelson	...	Frieda (voice) (as Linda Mendelson)
Christopher DeFaria	...	Pig Pen (voice)
David Carey	...	2nd Boy (voice)
Guy Pforsich	...	3rd Boy (voice)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy (voice)

Directed by
Bill Melendez

Writing credits
Charles M. Schulz		(creator)
Charles M. Schulz		(written by)

Produced by
Bill Melendez	....	producer
Lee Mendelson	....	producer
Charles M. Schulz	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Vince Guaraldi		(original musical score)

Cinematography by
Wally Bulloch

Film Editing by
Robert T. Gillis
Chuck McCann		(as Charles McCann)
Steven Cuitlahuac Melendez		(as Steve Melendez)

Art Department
Ellie Bogardus	....	graphic designer (as Ellie Bonnard)
Evert Brown	....	graphic designer
Jan Green	....	graphic designer
Bernard Gruver	....	graphic designer
Ruth Kissane	....	graphic designer
Ed Levitt	....	graphic designer
Charles McElmurry	....	graphic designer
Alan Shean	....	graphic designer (as Al Shean)
Dean Spille	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Don Minkler	....	sound mixer
Bill Mumford	....	sound mixer
Sid Nicholas	....	sound recordist: voices

Animation Department
Debbie Abbott	....	ink and paint artist
Maggie Bowen	....	animator
Bob Carlson	....	animator
Ken Champin	....	animator
Herman Cohen	....	animator (as Herm Cohen)
Connie Crawley	....	ink and paint artist
Gwenn Dotzler	....	ink and paint artist
Florence Hammontre	....	ink and paint artist
Lew Irwin	....	animator
Sam Jaimes	....	animator
Gerry Kane	....	animator
Faith Kovaleski	....	animator
Bror Lansing	....	animator
Bill Littlejohn	....	animator
Don Lusk	....	animator
Joice Lee Marshall	....	ink and paint artist
Bob Matz	....	animator
Celine Miles	....	ink and paint artist
Barrie Nelson	....	animator (as Barry Nelson)
Ken O'Brien	....	animator
Karen Oglesby	....	ink and paint artist
Spencer Peel	....	animator
Chandra Poweris	....	ink and paint artist
Beverly Robbins	....	ink and paint artist
Jay Sarbry	....	animator
Dawn Smith	....	ink and paint artist
Frank Smith	....	animator
Hank Smith	....	animator
Russ von Neida	....	animator (as Russ Van Neida)
Eleanor Warren	....	ink and paint artist
Manon Washburn	....	ink and paint artist
Rudy Zamora	....	animator
Frank Braxton	....	animator (uncredited)
Phil Roman	....	animator (uncredited)
Alan Shean	....	animator (uncredited)
Richard Thompson	....	animator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Alice Keillor	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Art Becker	....	music recordist (as Artie Becker)
John Scott Trotter	....	conductor
John Scott Trotter	....	music arranger

Other crew
Skippy Baxter	....	skating routines

Production Companies

• Cinema Center Films (presents)
• Lee Mendelson Film Productions
• Bill Melendez Productions
• United Feature Syndicate (UFS)

Distributors

• National General Pictures (1969) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1976) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CBS Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (distributed CBS Video's release)
• Paramount Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Dickson/Vasu  camera
• Radio Recorders  voice recording
• United Recorders  music recording
• Producers' Sound Services  sound mix (as Producers Sound Service)

Also Known As:

A Boy Called Charlie Brown (UK)

Runtime:

86 min | Argentina:88 min | Netherlands:85 min | 79 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Portugal:M/4 | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:G

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Trivia:

The memorable "Aaaugh!" scream from Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown originated from this film. (Oddly enough, it was also heard from Linus in one scene.) Robbins' scream would become a stock sound effect in almost all subsequent Peanuts specials & movies up to the late 1990s, and is used as a scream, not only for Charlie Brown, but any other available character (excluding Snoopy and Woodstock, who had their own variants).

Goofs:

Continuity: Linus and Snoopy are entering the theater where the Spelling Bee is held from the interior of the building. When Linus tells the usher he's a friend of one of the contestants, they are shown going inside from the exterior.

Quotes:

[last line of the movie]
Lucy Van Pelt: Welcome home, Charlie Brown.

Movie Connections:

Features It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Boy Named Charlie Brown

A Fantasia for the Sixties.

Saw this film in a theater when it was first released and it has stuck with me all these years. Nothing like the Disney films of that period, it truly inspired most cutting edge animation that exists today (from "The Simpsons" to "South Park"). The TV specials had already animated the tiny Peanut kids who philosophized like ivy league psychologists, but the big screen dabbled in artistic compositions of color and abstract art. Simply a treat. A Fantasia for the Sixties! The sequels never got so gutsy.