It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown

Directed by:	Phil Roman
Written by:	Charles M. Schulz
Release date:	March 16, 1976
Running time:	25 minutes
Preceded by:	You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown
Followed by:	It's Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown
Availability:	It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (bonus episode) DVD, It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown Deluxe Edition (bonus episode) DVD, Peanuts 1970's Collection, Vol. 2 DVD, Snoopy Collection: Volume 3 DVD (Region 4: Australia/New Zealand)

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown is the fifteenth animated TV special based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. It first aired on CBS on March 16, 1976. It is the first animated cartoon in which Rerun van Pelt appears.

This special was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Special.

Plot

To celebrate Arbor Day, everybody works together to plant a garden, after Sally was humiliated in class by not understanding the purpose. She intially believes it to be "the day when all the ships come sailing into the arbor" causing her to be laughed at. Unfortunately, the garden is located in Charlie Brown's baseball field, and he has a game with Peppermint Patty's team approaching. However, Charlie Brown works to make the best of the situation by attaching baseball gloves to the trees as well as caps (to make them look like scarecrows). Schroeder says he will kiss Lucy if she hits a home run, which he figures she will not. However, Charlie Brown is happy to see that Lucy indeed hits a home run and Schroeder reluctantly prepares to kiss her, only to be declined. The plants and trees prove an advantage for Charlie Brown's team, as Peppermint Patty's proves unable to score due to the large number of fly outs from the balls being hit into the trees and bushes, one flyball is even caught by Rerun, while he is riding on his mother's bicycle. As Charlie Brown starts to believe that his team will finally win, the game is cut short by a flood-inducing rain, as the others run home Charlie Brown yells in agony that his team was going to win. The next day, Sally presents her report on the true meaning of Arbor Day to her class and is congratulated. Meanwhile, Peppermint Patty speaks kindly to a discouraged Charlie Brown, she speaks positively about the garden in the ball field and wishes him "Happy Arbor Day", cheering him up.

Notes

• At one point, when Lucy and Frieda are talking to each other in the outfield, their dialogue is backmasked. When played backwards, you hear Frieda (as Sally) saying, "Boy if I get off this bus..." which was recorded for Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, which was most likely recorded around the same time, and Lucy saying, "Meet me at home plate..." and "You promised?"
• Stock footages were reused from Snoopy, Come Home, There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown.
• One of the rare times Sally calls her older brother by name ("At least it's good for the crops, Charlie Brown") rather than "Big Brother" like she usually does.

Soundtrack

1. "Rerun's Lament"*
2. "Eighty-Nine Bottles of Beer" (vocal, by cast)
3. "Rerun's Lament"*
4. "Ships Sail into Arbor"*
5. "Laughter in the Library"*
6. "Flatten Platten" (vaguely similar to "Baseball Theme")*
7. "Young Man's Fancy"*
8. "Jay Sterling Morton Jazz" (vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*
9. "We're the Visiting Team" (also vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*
10. "Seeds for Thought" (vaguely similar to "Joe Cool")*
11. "Don't Forget the Shovel" (also vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*
12. "Sprinkle Your Bird"*
13. "Flatten Platten" (vaguely similar to "Baseball Theme")*
14. "Snoopy at Bat"*
15. "Lucy's Home Run" (again, vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*
16. "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (vocal, by Rerun)
17. "Lucy's Home Run" (vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*
18. "Rain, Gentle Rain" (vaguely similar to "Rain, Rain, Go Away")*
19. "Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown"*
20. "Lucy's Home Run" (vaguely similar to "Christmas Time Is Here")*

Goodbye Guaraldi

Vince Guaraldi had composed the soundtrack to the TV special, which was his final opus. After work, he went to a Howard Johnson's where he had been staying in San Francisco, but was later found dead at the desk in his room. An autopsy revealed that Guaraldi had died of myocardial infarction. Although some critics gave It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown low marks due to celebrating an obscure holiday, many have regarded it as the swan song of Charlie Brown music, as later Peanuts specials often lacked the jazzy tones Guaraldi was known for.

Voice cast

• Dylan Beach – Charlie Brown
• Gail Davis – Sally Brown
• Liam Martin – Linus van Pelt
• Sarah Beach – Lucy van Pelt
• Vinny Dow – Rerun van Pelt/"Pig-Pen"
• Greg Felton – Schroeder
• Stuart Brotman – Peppermint Patty
• Michelle Muller – Frieda
• Bill Melendez – Snoopy/Woodstock
• Peter Robbins – Vocal effects (uncredited)

Marcie, Franklin, 5, Patty, and Violet appear, but are silent.

External links

• It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown on the Internet Movie Database.
• It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown on the Big Cartoon Database.
• It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown on AllMovie.