Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown?

Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? is the 24th prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on February 21, 1983.

Plot

This special begins, when Linus calls the Brown house, and Sally picks up. She gets very excited that her Sweet Babboo is on the other line. He denies that he is that, and tries to ask if Charlie Brown is home, but while he is doing so, she asks if he called to ask her to a movie. He gets furious, and yells at her, saying, he will not be taking her to a movie, and wants to talk to her brother. She misinterprets that, and tells him she will be waiting outside for him to pick her up. She then gives the phone to Charlie Brown.

Linus tells Charlie Brown he has something important to tell him and that he will be over right away. When he arrives, he tells him they will have to move, due to his father's job transfer. He is shocked to hear this.

Lucy then goes to Schroeder to tell him the same thing Linus told Charlie Brown, and she gives him a double-sided picture of her so that he will always remember her. He however, does not take her seriously, and says that he would want to forget her if she leaves.

Charlie Brown then sadly watches the movers take the Van Pelts' things, and load it into their trucks. He then goes to Lucy's psychiatry booth, and tells her he will be miserable without Linus. She then yells at him, and reminds him that she is also leaving. She then shows him the booth's new owner (Snoopy), who has changed its cost from 5 cents to 50 cents. Linus then tells Charlie Brown that he is playing his last baseball game with him later on.

Lucy then walks over to the Brown house, and finds Sally waiting out in front, saying she is waiting for Linus to take her to the movie. Lucy tells her that they are moving, so he will never pick her up, but she refuses to believe that.

Linus then invites Charlie Brown to his and Lucy's going away party. He asks Sally if she wants to come, but she insists that Linus is going to pick her up and take her to a movie. The Van Pelts' going away party is catered by Joe Cool, where he serves everyone dog food.

The next day, Linus and Lucy say their tearful goodbyes to Charlie Brown. As they are pulling out, Linus throws Snoopy his security blanket, as a way to remember him. After the Van Pelts leave, Charlie Brown sadly walks home. When Charlie Brown gets home, Sally is sitting on the porch, still waiting for Linus to take her to a movie. Charlie Brown tells her that he and his family moved away. She angrily walks inside. Then, Schroeder comes by to ask where Lucy is, and Charlie Brown tells him that she and her family moved away. He says that he thought she was kidding, then grows upset and says, "I never got to say goodbye."

The next day, Charlie Brown tells Peppermint Patty, that he is upset over Linus' moving away. She tells Marcie that they have to help him get over his sadness. Marcie asks her if she likes him, and she naturally denies it. She walks home trying to convince herself that she could not like a loser like him.

That night while Patty is trying to sleep, she thinks Charlie Brown is probably feeling bad for himself, and decides to call him to make him feel better. When she calls him, Charlie Brown is so tired that he does not seem to be listening to what Peppermint Patty is saying. Patty invites him on a date to the movies, but makes it seem as if Charlie Brown is asking her instead. She says she would go with him to a movie, then hangs up, and goes to sleep feeling good about herself. Charlie Brown then suddenly wakes up and wonders what he was doing by the phone, thinking he just dreamt he was talking to Peppermint Patty.

The next day, Peppermint Patty is waiting for Charlie Brown to pick her up for their date. Marcie goes to him at the wall, and asks why he looks so tired. He tells her that for some strange reason, he woke up at midnight by the phone, after dreaming he spoke to Peppermint Patty. She realizes what is happening, and tells Peppermint Patty that he is not coming. She does not believe her and continues to wait.

Later that day, Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown because she is angry that he did not show up for their date. She continues to bother him, but says she will not take revenge on him, and when they hang up, he says, "I never know what's going on." Sally expects a phone call from Linus, and Charlie Brown reminds her that Linus moved, and that even if he was still here, he wouldn't be calling her. Charlie Brown then shows her a postcard from him which only reads about her: "Have you seen any good movies lately?", making her livid.

Charlie Brown notices moving trucks in front of the Van Pelt house again. He looks to see what is going on, and he is excited to find Linus. He tells him his father did not like his new job and they are moving back. Just then, Lucy (while on her way to tell Schroeder that his "sweetie" is back) gets out of the car and says, "What kind of a neighborhood is this? It didn't change a bit while we were gone," to which Linus says, "Oh yeah. She's back too," before Snoopy throws Linus his security blanket back.

Voice actors

• Brad Kesten - Charlie Brown
• Jeremy Schoenberg - Linus van Pelt
• Angela Lee - Lucy van Pelt
• Stacy Heather Tolkin - Sally Brown
• Bill Melendez - Snoopy and Woodstock
• Kevin Brando - Schroeder and Franklin
• Victoria Vargas - Peppermint Patty
• Michael Dockery - Marcie

Patty, Roy, Pig-Pen, Violet, and Shermy have silent roles.

Music crew

• Music by: Judy Munsen
• Music Arrangement: Steve Riffkin
• Additional Music by: Eugene Poddany

Notes

• This is the fourth time Snoopy says "Hey!" The other instances are in A Boy Named Charlie Brown, He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown, and It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.
• It is unknown why Rerun was not in the car when the Van Pelts left or in any part of the special despite him being a character in the specials and comic strip already.
• The scene where Schroeder plays a tune and Lucy's face appears on the notes was borrowed from Play It Again, Charlie Brown.
• The primary storyline for Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? is borrowed from newspaper strips dated 5/9/66-5/21/66; these are reprinted in the book "The Unsinkable Charlie Brown." Also in the original story from the strip, Linus gives his blanket to Charlie Brown, who starts holding it and sucking his thumb just like Linus did. In this special it's Snoopy who receives the blanket.
• The faces of Mr. and Mrs. Van Pelt are briefly visible when the car pulls out of the driveway, making this the only time that a major character's parents (other than Snoopy's) were ever depicted. The movers were briefly shown as well.
• This is the second time Linus gave up his blanket (the first time being in A Boy Named Charlie Brown). This time, he doesn't seem to go through major withdrawal or feel sorry for giving it up.
• This special features the voice cast who would also work on the first season of The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show.

DVD release

This was released for the first time on DVD alongside Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales as a CVS Pharmacy Exclusive on November 3, 2009 and then solicited to the wider market in 2010. It was re-released as part of the box set Snoopy's Holiday Collection on October 1, 2013.

References

External links

• Is This Goodbye, Charlie Brown? at the Internet Movie Database