You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
Created by	Charles M. Schulz
Based on	Peanuts
Written by	Charles M. Schulz
Directed by	Bill Melendez
Starring	Chad Webber Hilary Momberger Stephen Shea Robin Kohn Todd Barbee Linda Ercoli Brian Kazajian Lynda Mendelson Bill Melendez
Theme music composer	Vince Guaraldi
Opening theme	"You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" (vocal version)
Ending theme	"You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" (Dixieland version)
Composers	Vince Guaraldi John Scott Trotter
Country of origin	U.S.
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Bill Melendez Lee Mendelson
Editors	Robert T. Gillis Charles McCann Rudy Zamora, Jr.
Running time	25:15
Production company	United Features Syndicate
Release
Original network	CBS
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	October 29, 1972 (1972-10-29)
Chronology
Preceded by	Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971)
Followed by	There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973)

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is the eighth prime-time animated TV special produced based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, and the 10th one to air.^[1] It originally aired on CBS on October 29, 1972, nine days before the 1972 United States presidential election between Senator George McGovern and incumbent Richard Nixon.^[2]

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming (Entertainment/Fictional) at the 25th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1973.^[3]

Plot[]

One day, Sally Brown returns home from school and tells Charlie Brown that she cannot open her locker. Charlie Brown promises to help her open her locker every day from now on, and Sally takes him in for show and tell.

At school, Charlie Brown sees an election poster for Student Body President. Linus thinks that Charlie Brown would make a great president, but he is convinced that nobody would vote for him. Lucy appoints herself as his campaign manager and takes a student poll, which only confirms Charlie Brown's belief. When Lucy announces they need to find another candidate, Sally suggests Linus, and Lucy takes another poll, which is almost unanimously favorable toward Linus, so he enters the election.

Linus' campaign, assisted by Lucy and Charlie Brown, is vigorous and enthusiastic, and he takes a huge early lead in the polls against his opponent, Russell Anderson. At an assembly, Linus and Russell each make a campaign speech, with Linus receiving a rapturous response from the audience. However, at a subsequent assembly, he commits a major blunder when he goes off-script. He begins talking about the Great Pumpkin (after saying he wants to talk to the audience this morning about the Great Pumpkin) --a harkback to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown and Lucy scream in frustration. This gets him laughed off the stage, much to the anger of Lucy.

When election day finally arrives, it is a back and forth affair with the lead changing hands several times. The votes are tied when the final vote is submitted by Russell himself, who decided that Linus would be a better president; the final ballot count, 84 to 83, declares Linus the winner. Following his victory, Sally prods Linus to go to the principal and lay down the law, only to have the law laid down to him by the principal. After he sheepishly reveals this to Sally, she accuses Linus of selling out like all other politicians. She angrily kicks her locker and walks away, not realizing that she has finally opened it.

Voice cast[]

• Chad Webber as Charlie Brown
• Stephen Shea as Linus van Pelt
• Robin Kohn as Lucy van Pelt
• Jean Vander Pyl as Lucy van Pelt (whispering)
• Hilary Momberger as Sally Brown
• Todd Barbee as Russell Anderson
• Linda Ercoli as Violet
• Brian Kazanjian as Schroeder
• Bill Melendez as Snoopy/Woodstock

This special marks the debut television appearance of Woodstock, whose feature film debut was in Snoopy, Come Home, also released in 1972.

Patty, Frieda, Pig-Pen, 555 95472, and Shermy appear, but they have no lines.

Production notes[]

The plot from You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown was taken from a story that ran in the comic strip in October 1964, in which Linus runs for school president with Charlie Brown as his running mate. In the original storyline, Linus blows the election (and Charlie Brown's bid for Vice President) after bringing up The Great Pumpkin in his final speech and being laughed off stage–again after leading in the polls at the time. Unlike the television special, Linus' opponent is never seen or mentioned. This special first aired under the title You're Elected Charlie Brown. It was subsequently changed after Charles Schulz realized that Charlie Brown was neither elected nor does he run. This explains why there is a caret between the words "You're" and "Elected" on the chalkboard (there was no time to redo the entire cel).^{[citation needed]}

Music score[]

The music for You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown was composed by Vince Guaraldi and conducted and arranged by John Scott Trotter. The score was performed by the Vince Guaraldi Quintet on August 22, 1972, at Wally Heider Studios, featuring Tom Harrell (trumpet), Pat O'Hara (flute), Seward McCain (bass) and Glenn Cronkhite (drums).^[4]

You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown is notable for marking the debut of Snoopy's "Joe Cool" theme song, sung by Guaraldi.^[5]

No official soundtrack for You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown was released, although select music cues have been made available on several compilation albums:^[5][6]

• Both the vocal and extended instrumental versions of "Joe Cool" as well as "Incumbent Waltz (Theme from You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown)" (variation No. 4) appeared on Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials (2007)^[7]
• "Oh, Good Grief" and the chimes-driven version of the Peanuts signature tune, "Linus and Lucy" appeared on Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2 (2008).^[8]

ABC edits[]

In October 2006, You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown began airing the following of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on ABC. In order to fit both specials in a one-hour time slot, the following edits were made to You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown:

• The opening scene where Sally comes home from school and announces she will not be going back, then takes her brother for show-and-tell, (except for Snoopy preparing breakfast for himself and lunch for Charlie Brown and Sally) was removed entirely.
• The part when Lucy told Charlie Brown that he will never be elected the second time was cut.
• Woodstock walking up and down to get paint was shortened.
• Linus and Lucy's talk show was shortened.
• The part where Linus tells the audience during his speech about "across the board wages for custodians, teachers, and all administrative personnel" was removed.
• The theme song for this special, "You're Elected, Charlie Brown", was replaced by "Linus and Lucy" in the title sequence.
• In the ending segment, Sally kicked the locker and forced it open. In the ABC version, the locker stayed closed and the ABC credits rolled.
• Vince Guaraldi stock music cues were added to scenes (including Charlie Brown being "elected" and a Beethoven speech) without music.

Home media[]

The special was first released on home video on RCA's SelectaVision CED format in 1982 along with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown, and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It was released on VHS and Betamax by Media Home Entertainment in 1985, along with A Charlie Brown Christmas. They released it on VHS again in 1988, this time under their kids subdivision Hi-Tops Video. On August 17, 1994, it accompanied It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown on a Snoopy Double Feature release from Paramount Home Entertainment. It has been released on DVD twice, first as a "bonus feature" on the September 12, 2000 It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown DVD^[9] then on its own as part of Warner Home Video's "Remastered Deluxe Edition" line of Peanuts specials on October 7, 2008.^[10]

Warner Bros. remake[]

In 2008, iTunes released a quasi-remake of You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown from Warner Bros. as the first of the Peanuts Motion Comics series. The two-part webisode, entitled "Linus for President/The Election," followed the original comic strip segments rather than the TV special. It was released under the permission of Charles Schulz's wife Jeannie. Rather than the traditional Peanuts special animation, Warner Bros. used the original comic segments and used the latest technology to move the characters' body parts.

References[]

External links[]

• You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown at IMDb