Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is the 13th prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.[1] It originally aired on the CBS network on January 28, 1975 and aired annually on CBS from 1975 to 2000.[2] It has aired annually on ABC since 2001 and has been paired with A Charlie Brown Valentine since 2009. In this special, Linus attempts to give a valentine to his teacher as Charlie Brown hopes to receive a valentine.

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
GenreAnimated television special
Created byCharles M. Schulz
Written byCharles M. Schulz
Directed byPhil Roman
Voices ofDuncan Watson
Melanie Kohn
Stephen Shea
Lynn Mortensen
Linda Jenner
Greg Felton
Bill Melendez
Linda Ercoli
Theme music composerVince Guaraldi
Frédéric Chopin
Opening theme"Heartburn Waltz"
Ending theme"Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9, No. 2"
Country of originU.S.
Original languageEnglish (U.S.)
Production
Executive producerLee Mendelson
ProducerBill Melendez
EditorsChuck McCann
Roger Donley
Running time25:15
Release
Original networkCBS (1975–2000)
ABC (2001–present)
Picture format4:3
Audio formatMonaural
Original releaseJanuary 28, 1975 (1975-01-28)
Chronology
Preceded byIt's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974)
Followed byYou're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975)

Plot

Linus is fond of his teacher, Miss Othmar. To show his love, he buys her a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates. When Linus leaves, Sally believes that he bought the candy for her and decides to make him a valentine in return. Later, Lucy goes to a puppet show held by Snoopy. With Charlie Brown narrating the show, Snoopy tells a story about true love. At home, when Sally tries to make a valentine with very little success, Charlie Brown tries to show her how to cut out a heart, only to get upstaged by Snoopy, who makes a music box themed valentine.

Valentine's Day comes and the gang brings valentine cards for everybody. Charlie Brown brings a briefcase hoping to receive many valentines. During the party, everybody gets their cards and candy hearts. After the cards are passed out, it turns out Charlie Brown has received nothing except for one candy heart which says "FORGET IT, KID!". Linus is also upset as he was unable to give the box of chocolates to Miss Othmar (as she left with her boyfriend). Charlie Brown and Linus vent their heartbreak in different ways: Linus throws his chocolates off a bridge. Charlie Brown slams his briefcase on his mailbox and kicks his mailbox, hurting his foot.

The next day, Charlie Brown checks the mailbox for a (hopeful) belated valentine from the Little Red Haired Girl, Violet gives Charlie Brown a used valentine (having crossed her own name from it) as an apology. As Charlie Brown and Linus meet at the brick wall later, Charlie Brown expresses hope that Violet's pity valentine will start a trend and he will get more valentines the next year.

Voice cast

Music score

The music score for Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown was composed by Vince Guaraldi (except where noted) and conducted and arranged by John Scott Trotter.[3] The score was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on December 30, 1974, and January 3, 1975, at Wally Heider Studios, featuring Seward McCain (bass) and Vince Lateano (drums).[4]

The program's theme song, "Heartburn Waltz" (Track 15) is performed in ten different variations.[3]

  1. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 1, piano-driven)
  2. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 2)
  3. "Valentine Interlude" (version 1)
  4. "Linus and Lucy" (bridge; pounding erasers)
  5. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 3, minor key)
  6. "Piano Sonata No. 20, Op. 49 No. 2 in G Major: I. Allegro ma non troppo" (Ludwig van Beethoven)
  7. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 4, Latin shuffle)
  8. "Linus and Lucy" (bridge; heart-shaped box of candy)
  9. "Paw Pet Overture" (Lucy and the Concession stand)
  10. "Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9, No. 2" (aka "Freddie's Mood)" (version 1, Paw Pet Theater music) (Frédéric Chopin, arr. by Vince Guaraldi)
  11. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 5)
  12. "Never Again"
  13. "Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116" (Johann Sebastian Bach)
  14. "Woodstock's Mambo"
  15. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 6)
  16. "Jennie L."
  17. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 7)
  18. "Valentine Interlude No. 2"
  19. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 8; different cue than that of cue 15 above despite identical title)
  20. "There's Been a Change"
  21. "Woodstock's Revenge"
  22. "Heartburn Waltz" (aka "Charlie Brown's Wake-Up") (version 9)
  23. "Heartburn Waltz" (version 10, closing tag)
  24. "Nocturne in E♭ major, Op. 9, No. 2" (aka "Freddie's Mood") (version 2, Paw Pet Theater music end credits) (Frédéric Chopin, arr. by Vince Guaraldi)

No official soundtrack for Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown was released. However, a mono version of "Heartburn Waltz" (version 6) was first released in 1998 on Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits, marking the first time any music cues from the special received a general release.[3][5][6]

In the mid-2000s, recording session master tapes for seven 1970s-era Peanuts television specials scored by Guaraldi were discovered by his son, David Guaraldi. This resulted in four additional cues — "Never Again", "Heartburn Waltz" (version 8), "There's Been a Change" and "Heartburn Waltz" (aka "Charlie Brown's Wake-Up") (version 9) — being made available on the compilation album, Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2 (2008).[6][7]

Home media

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown was released on the CED format in 1982 along with It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown, and Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown. The special was released on VHS in 1986 and 1988, from Media Home Entertainment and its Hi-Tops Video subsidiary, respectively, through the "Snoopy's Home Video Library" collection. That release cut out the part in the opening scene where Snoopy keeps shooting arrows. It was released again in its entirety by Paramount Home Media Distribution on January 11, 1995, and was re-released in clamshell packaging on October 1, 1996. Paramount released the special on January 7, 2003 on DVD with You're in Love, Charlie Brown and It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown. It was rereleased on January 15, 2008 by Warner Bros. Home Video in a "remastered deluxe edition" with a new bonus featurette, "Unlucky in Love: An Unrequited Love Story". Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown has also been released on laserdisc, and is available on iTunes.

References
  1. Solomon, Charles (2012). The Art and Making of Peanuts Animation: Celebrating Fifty Years of Television Specials. Chronicle Books. pp. 122–125. ISBN 978-1452110912.
  2. Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  3. Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Song Library: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  4. Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi Timeline". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  5. Koda, Cub. Charlie Brown’s Holiday Hits at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  6. Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi on LP and CD". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown TV Specials, Volume 2 at AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
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