Thanksgiving holiday special. Since I saw this when I was a kid I must say I was scared of the last portion of this presentation, the part where Charlie Brown camps out of a house. Damn that scared me! All I can say is that this is a classic for anyone who saw this as a kid. What's wrong with those people that gave this a 1 rating?!?! Some people just have problems.

and even worse, complaining about the nontraditional cuisine. She was also flirtatious toward Charlie Brown. There were also outstanding sight gags involving Snoopy and Woodstock and the scene where they get the food ready for the feast that's set to "Linus and Lucy." It proves that cartoon scenes can work well without dialogue.I also liked the scene near the end when the kids are in the car and they sing "Over the River and Through the Woods" en route to the Brown's Grandma's condo for a real Thanksgiving dinner. Before or after you go over the river and through the woods for your holiday feast, watch this cartoon. You'll even learn about the holiday in Linus' Thanksgiving prayer.

grandmother then calls and invites everyone over...Another great Peanuts holiday special that's as much a classic as the Great Pumpkin and Christmas one. I especially liked the "Little Birdie" song sung by the late great Peanuts score musician Vince Guaraldi. Snoopy's battle with a lawn chair during this number is the most hilarious scene in the special. As with the Christmas special, Linus recites a wonderful story of Thanksgiving's beginnings with great heart and sincerity. Unfortunately, ABC cut the scene of Snoopy and Woodstock walking to Charlie Brown's house in Pilgrim outfits and the tag of Snoopy and Woodstock pulling the wishbone with the bird falling backwards with the broken wishbone. So my rating of 10 here is based on the original unedited broadcast.

the way. If not to mention the first four installments of the classic "Charlie Brown" theatrical features as well,which sometimes CBS would show on special holidays which included the first-ever 1969 feature,"A Boy Named Charlie Brown",then in 1972,with "Snoopy Come Home",and from there with "Race For Your Life,Charlie Brown",in 1977,and finally the last theatrical installment "Bon Voyage,Charlie Brown,And Don't Come Back",which was released in 1980. CBS would show these features on special occasions and around the holiday seasons as well,especially during Thanksgiving,Christmas,and Easter time. Not to mention,CBS also gave Charlie Brown and his faithful dog Snoopy their own Saturday Morning cartoon show as well which lasted for five years running and they would put out new specials based on this series. This would last on the Tiffany network for more than four decades. During the end of the 1990's,the change would come at a hard blow to the rest of Peanuts gang,which for certain end Charlie Brown's long association with CBS entirely. All that would change drastically in 1998,when CBS stopped airing these classic "Peanuts" specials along with the rest of the entire Charlie Brown stuff. From there the specials switched networks too,this time from their years at CBS over to ABC,where the specials would aired annually on a yearly basis,not to mention ABC took over the entire production of the Charles M. Schultz's "Peanuts" specials which some new material was added with the already classic masterpieces. This phase took place after the untimely death of one of the greatest animators of all time when Charles M. Schultz,the creative force behind Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang,passed away. However,ABC still aires these classics to this day,on a annual basis. But getting back to "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving",there is one thing that I got to say about this special presentation....it is a bonafide classic that still holds up some 30 years later. I remember seeing this special for the first time back in the early 1970's,when I was small,but today I get a kick out of enjoying every minute of it when it comes on. It involves the story of Charlie Brown,who invites to Thanksgiving dinner the rest of the gang which includes Peppermint Patty,her best friend Marcy,Franklin the only African-American character on the show ,Linus and his sister Lucy,and others to Charlie's house for Thanksgiving dinner even though the Brown family has other plans. However,Charlie's faithful and resourceful dog Snoopy lends a helping hand and pitches in to help along with his sidekick Woodstock for support. But the funniest and probably the hilarious part is when the Thanksgiving dinner is not about turkey and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce,but turns out to be buttered toast,popcorn and cold cereal---junk food!This is when Peppermint Patty goes off on Charlie Brown and his guests about the service of the dinner which was supposed to be about Thanksgiving and not junk food! However,Peppermint Patty felt really bad about saying the awful things the made Charlie feel real low,and gets Marcy to apologize to him for her. This is when his faithful dog,Snoopy really saves the day. However he calls his grandma and really invites his friends over to his grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The moral of the story has a very important message for everyone. In this one the moral is that we are thankful for what we have and not to be concerned about what other people don't have. In other words,be thankful for what you got and sharing it with others during the Thanksgiving holiday. Also to boot in this classic special is the football kicking episode where Charlie Brown goes to kick the football while Lucy plays him every time for a sucker,which was always entertaining to boot. Watch it sometime!

everyone, especially all you fans of the comic strip who have not seen it. When you see it, prepare to smile, have a good time, and bon appetit.

hasn't even finished her Halloween candy yet. Wait, how did she get Halloween candy? Didn't she miss trick or treating to sit in a pumpkin patch with Linus? I guess we can count this as taking place in the following year. Anyway, it seems Charlie's family has their Thanksgiving Day plans all set, but disaster looms on the horizon. Doesn't it always? It began with a phone call out of the blue from Peppermint Patty. Now I know a lot of people assume she's a lesbian, but if that were the case, why does she have a crush on Charlie Brown? So anyway, she invites herself over for Thanksgiving at Chuck's, knowing he wouldn't mind. As if that weren't enough, Patty calls back a minute later to say her pal Marcie would be coming too. A trifecta occurs when Patty calls a third time and says Franklin, the only black kid in the entire Peanuts canon, would be coming too. Better do something quick before she invites the whole neighborhood!What a predicament Chuck's got himself into: three guests coming for dinner and he won't even be home. Fortunately he doesn't have to be at Grandma's until 4:30, so Linus suggests he have two dinners. Snoopy offers to help set up and cook, so he awakens his birdie pal Woodstock for assistance. They drag the ping pong table out of the garage and set up fold-out chairs, Snoopy constantly getting hurt in the process. Even getting into a fight with a chair that didn't like being kicked. Now that the table was all set, it's time to bring out the eats. How do you prepare a Thanksgiving dinner on short notice? Use what you've got. Improvise. So with toaster ovens a-blazing, they make a whole stack of toast, make three bowls of popcorn, jelly beans, pretzel sticks. Hey, whatever works. So Patty, Marcie and Franklin arrive promptly and they all sit out back, ready for their makeshift dinner. In lieu of a prayer, Linus tells the story of the first Thanksgiving, and then Snoopy serves up the eats. Since Peppermint Patty is more accustomed to the traditional Thanksgiving dinner turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie , she naturally disproves of this flimsy meal and berates Charlie Brown for it. Marcie has to then remind the ungrateful brat that she invited herself and caused this whole mess in the first place. Patty realizes the error of her ways and sends Marcie in after Chuck to make the apology for her. Charlie Brown accepts her apology because he's a saint, and realizes it's now 4:00. Will he make it to Grandma's in time? He calls her to explain their predicament and Granny says, "bring'em along." So they all get in the family Truckster and head off, singing a round of "Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go." Except Chuck's grandmother lives in a condominium. With the humans gone, Snoopy and Woodstock partake in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner they apparently hoarded from the others. Happy Turkey Day!I'll say this: this is one Thanksgiving special that is NOT a turkey. Though maybe not as beloved as the Peanuts Christmas and Halloween specials, this one is still pretty darn good. It really captures the spirit of this holiday: having to have a big dinner prepared for guests who invite themselves. And while Lucy may not have been a stickler for tradition, Peppermint Patty sure was, belittling Charlie Brown's dinner of toast, popcorn and jellybeans. That reminds me of the Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving special, as Pooh and friends have a dinner of honey, acorns, biscuits and ice cream, and Rabbit lectures them on what a "proper" Thanksgiving meal should be, so they spend the rest of the special tracking down such things. So anyway, this Thanksgiving, I definitely recommend this special. While this holiday may seem like a needless detour between Halloween and Christmas, there's really much more to it.

nearly 30 years old this limited inclusion of multi-ethinic persons is understandable.

that if he is going to his Grandmother's house at 4:30, Charlie Brown could have two dinners. His first dinner could be for his friends, the second could be at his Grandma's. Charlie says he can't cook.Snoopy and Woodstock set up tables in the backyard. After some mishaps they mange to get a ping-pong table set up.Franklin explains to Marcie and Peppermint Patty that dinner at Charlie Brown's will be a little earlier. Peppermint Patty says that they are ready.Snoopy spreads out a tablecloth on the ping-pong table. Then Linus, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy make dinner. It's basically buttered toast, pretzels, candy, and popcorn.Snoopy puts plates and napkins on the ping-pong table. Snoopy and Woodstock go back into Charlie Brown's house dressed as Pilgrims. Charlie Brown explains that they can't serve dinner dressed like that.Marcie, Franklin, and Peppermint Patty come to Charlie Brown's house. He takes them to the backyard and seat them. Before they eat Peppermint Patty says that they should say Grace. They sort of do. Snoopy then puts all the food on plates. While they are eating Peppermint Patty is outraged. She explains that a Thanksgiving dinner is made up of turkey, gravy, and cranberries. She says that it is not made up of popcorn and toast. Charlie Brown goes back into the house. Marcie says that Charlie Brown didn't even invite Peppermint Patty over. Patty tells Marcie to patch things up for her and tell him that she likes the dinner. Marcie does just that. Charlie Brown says that he feels guilty that he ruined everyone's Thanksgiving. Marcie says that Thanksgiving is not just about eating, it's about giving thanks. Patty comes and asks if he accepts her apology. He does. Then he finds out that he is late to go to his Grandma's. He calls her and says that he will be a little late. Grandma says that his friends could come with him. They get into the back of Charlie Brown's car. They sing Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmother's House We Go. Charlie say that the only problem with that song is that his Grandma lives in a condominium.Overall, this is a great special.8/10

we could all learn from - thankfulness and friendship. It's not a riveting or exciting story with adventures and suspense, but it is an innocent and charming cartoon short that includes, in addition to the dinner, some laughable moments from Snoopy and Woodstock. The animation was also pretty good.It is a nice little movie for the entire family where, again, we could learn what it means to be thankful - especially during Thanksgiving!Grade B