Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975) (TV)

Director:

Phil Roman

Writer:

Charles M. Schulz (writer)

Release Date:

28 January 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short

Plot:

The gang celebrate Valentine's Day while Charlie Brown hopes for at least one valentine for a change.

Plot Keywords:

Dog Cartoon | Unintelligible | Dog | Based On Comic | Holiday

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Linda Ercoli	...	Violet / Frieda (voice)
Greg Felton	...	Schroeder (voice)
Melanie Kohn	...	Lucy van Pelt (voice)
Bill Melendez	...	Snoopy / Woodstock (voice)
Lynn Mortensen	...	Sally Brown (voice)
Stephen Shea	...	Linus van Pelt (voice)
Duncan Watson	...	Charlie Brown (voice)

Directed by
Phil Roman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles M. Schulz		writer

Produced by
Bill Melendez	....	producer
Lee Mendelson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Vince Guaraldi

Film Editing by
Roger Donley
Chuck McCann

Production Design by
Evert Brown
Bernard Gruver
Dean Spille

Production Management
Carole Barnes	....	production manager

Sound Department
Don Minkler	....	dubbing
Howard S. Wollman	....	dubbing (as Howard Wollman)

Animation Department
Marie Ardell	....	painter
Bob Bachman	....	animator
Patricia Capozzi	....	painter
Bob Carlson	....	animator
Sam Jaimes	....	animator
Patricia Joy	....	animator
Joanne Lansing	....	painting supervisor
Adele Lenart	....	painter
Bill Littlejohn	....	animator
Sheri Lonsdale	....	painter
Cheri Lucas	....	painter
Don Lusk	....	animator
Bob Matz	....	animator
Al Pabian	....	animator
Chandra Poweris	....	painter
Joe Roman	....	animator
Brigitte Strother	....	painter

Music Department
John Scott Trotter	....	music supervisor

Production Companies

• Lee Mendelson/Bill Melendez Production
• United Feature Syndicate (UFS) (in cooperation with)
• Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates (in cooperation with)

Distributors

• CBS Television (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Coast Recorders  recording
• Radio Recorders  recording
• Producers' Sound Services  dubbing (as Producers' Sound Service)
• Dickson/Vasu  camera

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Company:

Lee Mendelson/Bill Melendez Production

Trivia:

After this episode originally aired, children all over America sent valentines to Charlie Brown out of sympathy. (See also It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) (TV))

Quotes:

Lucy van Pelt: [to Schroeder] Sometimes I don't think you realize that you could lose me. Are you sure you want to suffer the tortures of the memories of a lost love?
[pause]
Lucy van Pelt: Do you know the tortures of the memories of a lost love?
[Schroeder stops playing the piano just as Lucy goes berserk, demolishing the piano over her next line]
Lucy van Pelt: It's awful! It will haunt you night and day! You'll wake up at night screaming! You can't eat! You can't sleep! You'll want to smash things! You'll hate yourself and the world and everybody in it! Awwwwww!
[...]

Not Surprisingly, A Very Jaded View of Valentines

From the very beginning of the "Peanuts" specials, it's been clear that the makers were very opposed to the commercialism of many holidays. Remember the protest in "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" -- "It's Easter and they already have their Christmas decorations up!". So the very cynical view of this holiday, which has been completely co-opted by the greeting card and candy industries, in this special, can't really come as any surprise.

Yet at the same time, the animators do take the time, via Sally's recitation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem, to offer a sincere tribute to the spirit of the holiday and the sentiments that it's supposed to be about. Admittedly, they also undercut that by having Linus specifically mention her, and the poem, in his ultimate denunciation of the holiday.