It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown
Encyclopedia
It's a Mystery, Charlie Brown is the 11th prime-time animated
TV specials based upon the popular comic strip
Peanuts
, by Charles M. Schulz
. It was originally aired on the CBS
network on February 1, 1974. This was the first Charlie Brown
television special that Bill Melendez
did not direct or produce, but he still served as the voices of Snoopy
and Woodstock.
This special was released on DVD for the first time, in remaster
ed form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1970's Collection, Volume One."
's fancy new nest disappears one afternoon, he turns to Snoopy
for help. Adopting the guise of Sherlock Holmes
(complete with cloak, deerstalker cap and bubble pipe), Snoopy and Woodstock go on the hunt for the missing nest.
Most of the places they check include:
Upon stopping back at Woodstock's tree Snoopy takes more notice of a set of footprints he had seen before. They lead away from Woodstock's tree, so the two follow them straight to the elementary school. After making their way inside through an open window, they ultimately find Woodstock's nest under glass in a display case. The two grab the nest and run back to Woodstock's tree, whereupon Snoopy re-installs the domicile for his overjoyed and grateful friend.
The next day, Sally
complains to Charlie Brown that her science exhibit has been stolen. When she reveals her exhibit was a so-called "prehistoric bird's nest", Charlie Brown puts two and two together and realizes it was Sally who took Woodstock's nest.
Even with Charlie Brown's explanation that the nest was made by Woodstock, Sally is convinced that since she found the nest, it belongs to her. When she encounters Snoopy and Woodstock, she demands that they return her nest. The three are about to fight for it when Charlie Brown suggests they handle the problem in a different way, so they all go to see Lucy in her psychiatric booth, which she temporarily converts to a courtroom (after donning a judge's robe and wig, and enlisting Linus as stenographer, she tacks two cents on to her normal five-cent fee to cover the cost of the court
).
The two sides present their cases to Judge Lucy:
Lucy rules in favor of Woodstock, saying he built the nest, so he should keep it.
Sally is still frustrated at not having an exhibit for her science class, but Charlie Brown and Snoopy come up with an idea. Snoopy is willing to volunteer to be her exhibit in a re-creation of Pavlov
's salivating dog experiment. Although Sally is against it at first, she decides to go along with it, and ultimately gets an "A" on her science project, and all is once again well with the world. In the end credits, as Woodstock lies on his new nest, it finally gives in and shatters, resulting in Woodstock to fall out of his tree.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV specials based upon the popular comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, by Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
. It was originally aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network on February 1, 1974. This was the first Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
television special that Bill Melendez
Bill Melendez
José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez was a Mexican-American character animator, film director, voice artist and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers, UPA and the Peanuts series...
did not direct or produce, but he still served as the voices of Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
and Woodstock.
This special was released on DVD for the first time, in remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed form as part of the DVD box set, "Peanuts 1970's Collection, Volume One."
Summary
When WoodstockWoodstock (Peanuts)
Woodstock is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is Snoopy's closest friend and, after Snoopy, the most recognized non-human in the strip.-History:...
's fancy new nest disappears one afternoon, he turns to Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
for help. Adopting the guise of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
(complete with cloak, deerstalker cap and bubble pipe), Snoopy and Woodstock go on the hunt for the missing nest.
Most of the places they check include:
- Charlie BrownCharlie BrownCharles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
's house, where they wake him up and give him the third degreeThird degree-Third degree:* Third degree , colloquially an intensive rough interrogation* The degree of Master Mason in Freemasonry, often written as 3°* In USA law, the least serious of the three classifications of felonies such as murder or burglary...
. He naturally denies anything about taking the nest. - LucyLucy van PeltLucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
and LinusLinus van PeltLinus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
' house, using an excessive amount of dust to check for fingerprints. Snoopy eventually finds a broom straw, and believes this is enough evidence to make Lucy a suspect. He tries to handcuff her, but she ends up throwing him out of the house. - Next up is Marcie's house where Snoopy pulls out his notepad and questions her on the whereabouts of the nest. She is unable to understand Snoopy in his foreign languageForeign languageA foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
so she slams the door in his face. - At Pig-PenPig-Pen"Pig-Pen" is a character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. He is a young boy who is, except on very rare occasions, very dirty.-History:"Pig-Pen" is a nickname, invariably written in quotation marks in the strip...
's house, Snoopy immediately dismisses him as a suspect once he answers the door in his usual dusty trademark fashion entrance. As Snoopy takes off Pig-Pen responds by telling Snoopy to come back anytime because he does not get many visitors. - Finally, the home of Peppermint PattyPeppermint PattyPatricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends...
, who thinks Snoopy is playing Cops and RobbersCops and Robbers-Film:*Cops and Robbers , a 1951 Italian film*Cops and Robbers , a 1973 film starring Cliff Gorman and Joseph Bologna-Music:...
, so she dons a burglar maskMaskA mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
and chases him through her house. Frightened, Snoopy and Woodstock escape and keep running until they got tired.
Upon stopping back at Woodstock's tree Snoopy takes more notice of a set of footprints he had seen before. They lead away from Woodstock's tree, so the two follow them straight to the elementary school. After making their way inside through an open window, they ultimately find Woodstock's nest under glass in a display case. The two grab the nest and run back to Woodstock's tree, whereupon Snoopy re-installs the domicile for his overjoyed and grateful friend.
The next day, Sally
Sally Brown
Sally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She was first mentioned in early 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance in August 1959.-Appearance:...
complains to Charlie Brown that her science exhibit has been stolen. When she reveals her exhibit was a so-called "prehistoric bird's nest", Charlie Brown puts two and two together and realizes it was Sally who took Woodstock's nest.
Even with Charlie Brown's explanation that the nest was made by Woodstock, Sally is convinced that since she found the nest, it belongs to her. When she encounters Snoopy and Woodstock, she demands that they return her nest. The three are about to fight for it when Charlie Brown suggests they handle the problem in a different way, so they all go to see Lucy in her psychiatric booth, which she temporarily converts to a courtroom (after donning a judge's robe and wig, and enlisting Linus as stenographer, she tacks two cents on to her normal five-cent fee to cover the cost of the court
Court costs
Court costs are the costs of handling a case, which, depending on legal rules, may or may not include the costs of the various parties in a lawsuit in addition to the costs of the court itself. Court costs can reach very high amounts, often far beyond the actual monetary worth of a case...
).
The two sides present their cases to Judge Lucy:
- Snoopy presents Lucy with a document full of nonsensically-contrived legal jargon.
- Sally's case is "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers".
Lucy rules in favor of Woodstock, saying he built the nest, so he should keep it.
Sally is still frustrated at not having an exhibit for her science class, but Charlie Brown and Snoopy come up with an idea. Snoopy is willing to volunteer to be her exhibit in a re-creation of Pavlov
Ivan Pavlov
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov was a famous Russian physiologist. Although he made significant contributions to psychology, he was not in fact a psychologist himself but was a mathematician and actually had strong distaste for the field....
's salivating dog experiment. Although Sally is against it at first, she decides to go along with it, and ultimately gets an "A" on her science project, and all is once again well with the world. In the end credits, as Woodstock lies on his new nest, it finally gives in and shatters, resulting in Woodstock to fall out of his tree.