I'm Reviewing All Your Specials, Charlie Brown: Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971)

Unrequited love is a recurring theme throughout Peanuts.  Back in 1967, one type of that love, in which Charlie Brown can't even bring himself to talk to the Little Red-Haired Girl, was featured in You're in Love, Charlie Brown.  Four years later, Play It Again, Charlie Brown featured another type of unrequited love, specifically Lucy's loud, obnoxious love for Schroeder.

This special is largely a series of vignettes, with Lucy leaning against Schroeder's piano attempting to distract him from playing his beloved Beethoven, interspersed with scenes set outside, some of which involve Lucy being crabby to others.  Many of these clips seem drawn from the comics.

A plot really doesn't kick in until about 15 minutes into the special, when Peppermint Patty shows up to help Lucy get Schroeder a spot providing entertainment at the next PTA meeting.  The chance to play in public actually thrills Schroeder, who offers a sincere "thank you" to Lucy, who treats that just like a declaration of love.  Of course, it isn't until then that Peppermint Patty reveals that the PTA wants "modern" music, not Beethoven (of course, in 1971, it seems highly likely that PTA members might prefer Beethoven--at the time, the PTA had a reputation for being very conservative).  This sends Schroeder into a crisis of conscious, as he debates if his big break is worth "selling out".  This seems like some self-criticism from Charles Schultz, who was happy to let his creations sell just about anything.

While this wasn't the first special that Charlie Brown wasn't the main character in, this is the first that he's had such a minor part in.  He doesn't even make his first appearance until nearly 9 minutes into the special, and then, he barely is able to get a word in edgewise and Lucy monologues.  He does have a slightly larger part during the second half, in which he's part of the combo (along with Snoopy and Pig-Pen) who hope to play with Schroeder at the PTA meeting (and he reveals that, at least for this special, he's a pretty good guitar player).  But the fact that his voice actor is billed last in the acting credits is not an inaccurate placement.  This is also one of the very few specials where we hear adult voices speaking intelligibly, via spray cans (part of a weird gag that's a callback to an equally weird gag from earlier in the special).  And with the amount of Beethoven played during the course of the episode, it's only appropriate that he gets billed above Vince Guaraldi in the music credits.

Play It Again, Charlie Brown is a bit of an experiential special, one that would become more common over the years.  If you're looking for maximum Charlie Brown, it's not the one you should seek out.  But it is funny, and can serve as an introduction to Beethoven for younger audiences.  Schroeder would be pleased.

Next week: Linus runs for class president in You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown