What a nice surprise! This might have actually eclipsed the Thanksgiving special on my Peanuts Holiday Favorite's list. "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" focuses on Chuck's desperate desire to get a Valentine from a little redheaded girl in class...or just a Valentine period. There are some sidebar pieces such as Lucy "being entertained" by a "theater performance" (complete with dumping mud and garbage on her "for effect") destroying Schroeder's piano in a fit of rage because he is too busy focusing on his pounding the keys instead of her flirtatious prodding. Linus is set on giving his single adult teacher a heart-shaped box of chocolates while Sally expects that he will be giving them to her (despite all the signs that Linus isn't any more interested in her as Schroeder is in Lucy), and Snoopy offers his mad paper scissor cutting skills in a "training session" to Lucy, who wants to learn how to form a heart shaped Valentine out of a sheet of paper...Snoopy out cuts from paper folded a complete Valentine music box, quite a thing of extraordinary craftsmanship! There is even Snoopy and Woodstock making Valentines for each other, delivering them as they only can: a bit on the nose. My favorite scene has Linus so enraged at Valentine's Day after his teacher leaves school with her boyfriend he tosses his chocolates off a bridge...right into the mouths of Snoopy and Woodstock. Mainly, though, the special focuses on poor Charlie Brown kvetching and agonizing over not getting a Valentine, a concern that many a student perhaps has had on Valentine's Day at school in the past (or present) and can relate to. The "Lucy goes to the movie" sidebar featuring a busy Snoopy tending to the drinks, popcorn, ticket booth, and show with Chuck serving as narrator is a nice little addition to the special. This doesn't feature some of the characters you know and love (no Peppermint Patty, Marcy, or Pigpen, for examples), but I think "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" will be a nice sleeper for Peanuts fans new to it. This was my very first viewing of it and I was happily surprised (although, I don't know why I should be, Peanuts never usually lets me down) with its entirety, even with a spirited Schroeder (he also hands out the Valentines and tells Chuck, always asking if he has one, to be patient and wait) taking the girls in class to task for not giving Charlie Brown a Valentine and how only guilt and to ease their conscience did they decide to do so the next day. While mostly at his piano practicing or playing Beethoven, Schroeder was given a lot more to do in this special. I do wonder why Patty wasn't included in the special...you could just imagine how she could have tormented Chuck. There are two more specials on my Special Edition Set so I look forward to seeing if they serve as nice extensions to "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". When Chuck is checking the Valentines box for a card, feverishly feeling and investigating intensely, finding nothing, tossing the box outside the window, I think many can understand his frustrations.
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Scarecrow-8815 February 2020
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CuriosityKilledShawn12 February 2005No one seems to have a good time or find love in this Peanuts TV special. Charlie gets no Valentine cards, Linus misses out on his opportunity to give chocolates to his favorite teacher and Shroeder vows to never marry Lucy, much to her anger.
It's kinda downbeat for a Valentine's TV special. So much so that kids from all over America sent Charlie Brown a Valentine's card out of sympathy. Which is quite sweet when you think about it. As long as they were all girls.
Still, it's another funny and timeless TV special that you should definitely make the effort of watching if it comes on this Feb 14th. Though it might depress you if you yourself do not receive any Valentine's card. -
Woodyanders9 February 2011Few people caught the joy, angst, triumphs, sadness, and disappointments of childhood with the same winning blend of gentle wit, bittersweet warmth, and delicate whimsy as Charles M. Schulz and his beloved Peanuts characters. This Valentine's day special is an excellent example of this: Charlie Brown anxiously waits for a Valentine's day card in the mail from the little red-haired girl and doesn't get any cards from anyone, Linus develops a crush on a teacher, Lucy pines for Schroeder to no avail, and only Snoopy seems to be having any fun playing cupid and making a music box out of red paper. Of course, there are plenty of hearty laughs to be had amid all the touching pathos: Lucy getting covered with mud, water, and garbage while watching a puppet show performed by Snoopy rates as a definite hilarious highlight and the gag with Linus throwing away candies which are secretly eaten by Snoopy and Woodstuck who are hiding behind a bush is simply priceless. Moreover, there's something extremely moving and admirable about Charlie Brown keeping a constant vigil at the mailbox for a Valentine's card that never arrives (naturally, we get a nice pay-off with an amusing closing joke with Snoopy kissing Charlie when he opens the mailbox the day after Valentine's day). And the scene with Schroeder going to bat for Charlie is truly wonderful. Vince Guaraldi's groovy-jammin' jazz score keeps things bubbling along. A real treat.
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xyzkozak1 March 2015This cute, animated short (25 minutes) from 1975, has that always-optimistic, little, onion-headed boy, Charlie Brown, impatiently waiting by the mailbox for someone/anyone to send him a valentine (since Valentine's Day is just around the corner).
Join the "Peanuts" gang as they merrily (or miserably) hold their Valentine's Day party at Birchwood Elementary School where everyone exchanges valentines with their favourites classmates.
One of this cartoon's highlights is when Snoopy plays cupid, shooting suction-cup arrows from his bow. And then he puts on a hilarious Valentine's Day puppet show that features all sorts of realistic special effects.
"Peanuts" and all of its memorable characters was created by Charles M. Shulz, who is considered to be one of the most influential cartoonists of all time. Shulz died in 2000, at the age of 77, from cancer. -
dsp2195314 February 2009"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" may not be as sentimental as the other Peanuts specials; however, it is a nice tradition to watch on Valentine's Day. The underlying message of this Peanuts episode is aimed at how Valentine's Day should not be about all the commercialism it has turned into. Instead Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang reveal that one should have compassion for others on this day. Snoopy stealing the show making his "Valentine's Day music box" out of a sheet of red paper, priceless! Linus is much like any male person in the world, as a boy who didn't fall in love with a female teacher? Also, Charlie Brown's eventual Valentine, while done out of sympathy, is still a thoughtful gesture. Even more so in 1975 thousands of children mailed Charlie Brown a Valentine's card after seeing this special. Charles Schultz and his Peanuts strips and specials are an American institution itself. Thank you for everything Sparky!
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cricharddavies23 November 2006From the very beginning of the "Peanuts" specials, it's been clear that the makers were very opposed to the commercialism of many holidays. Remember the protest in "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" -- "It's Easter and they already have their Christmas decorations up!". So the very cynical view of this holiday, which has been completely co-opted by the greeting card and candy industries, in this special, can't really come as any surprise.
Yet at the same time, the animators do take the time, via Sally's recitation of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem, to offer a sincere tribute to the spirit of the holiday and the sentiments that it's supposed to be about. Admittedly, they also undercut that by having Linus specifically mention her, and the poem, in his ultimate denunciation of the holiday. -
Mark-AA8415 February 2022I always watch this Peanuts special every Valentine's Day. Seems that Charlie Brown is waiting for someone to give him a valentine, and Linus wants to give a gift to his teacher. Watch the results unfold in this favorite Peanuts cartoon that you will certainly love.
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hfan7718 February 2009I saw "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" for the first time in years and I thought it was a very depressing Valentine's Day special. Poor Charlie Brown, he never gets any valentines and he sits by the mailbox hoping to finally receive one but unfortunately it remains empty. Linus buys a heart-shaped box of candy for his teacher, Miss Othmar, but she leaves with her boyfriend and never gets the box although Sally, who has a huge crush on Linus thinks the candy is hers. Then there's Lucy, who tries to get Schroeder to notice her, a repetitive theme throughout the comic strip but ends up destroying his piano in frustration.
Even worse, in school where Charlie Brown's class has a valentine box and all the valentines are distributed with our hero not receiving a single one. How sad and thoughtless until the next day, Violet and some of the girls, finally give him a valentine.
if you enjoy Valentine's Day with someone special, watch a romantic movie instead. This cartoon will give you a broken heart. -
SnoopyStyle13 February 2015It's Valentine's Day. Charlie Brown keeps checking his mail box for valentines. Linus buys a big valentine for his teacher but Sally assumes it's for her. Lucy is going crazy for any sign from Schroeder. Linus is heart broken when the teacher leaves with her boyfriend. Charlie Brown has no valentine and Sally is mad that she's not getting the box of chocolate from Linus. Snoopy and Woodstock have their usual antics. I find some of voice work a bit harsh. I do like the various wacky stuff that Snoopy does. The puppet show comes out of nowhere but that's a fun side trip. Charlie Brown's desperation is fun. I love that he's so desperate that he grabs the pity valentine. It's missing some kind of central message but it's fun.
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KinoBuff202118 January 2023'Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown' is easily one of the most heartwarming and touching Valentine's specials/films out there. It may be a "children's special", but It's guaranteed to make you feel something no matter your age especially around Valentine's Day.
This special covers basic themes of love, infatuation, heartbreak, unrequited loved, and limerence. It even brings in the classic Peanuts philosophical and even existential topics as the each Peanut deals with love and Valentine's Day differently.
I think children will think this a fun little special, but adults may be a little more teary-eyed especially when they have some experience with love and loss.
Give it a watch, its pretty great! -
BabelAlexandria7 February 2021Not quite up to the standards of the big Three specials (Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), but still entertaining. The first one, in any case. Although I was surprised by the idea of having the students just give one Valentine to whomever they wanted. I don't think we ever did any special Valentine's day events when I was in elementary school, but I really like the tradition now of giving a card to everyone in the class (and the teacher). The second episode, however, which follows Charlie Brown's attempts to approach the mysterious "Red Haired" girl, who is strangely never depicted (like the adults in the series), felt uncomfortably like the portrait of a future incel - even though he gets a note from the girl at the end saying she likes him!
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Scarecrow-8815 February 2020What a nice surprise! This might have actually eclipsed the Thanksgiving special on my Peanuts Holiday Favorite's list. "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" focuses on Chuck's desperate desire to get a Valentine from a little redheaded girl in class...or just a Valentine period. There are some sidebar pieces such as Lucy "being entertained" by a "theater performance" (complete with dumping mud and garbage on her "for effect") destroying Schroeder's piano in a fit of rage because he is too busy focusing on his pounding the keys instead of her flirtatious prodding. Linus is set on giving his single adult teacher a heart-shaped box of chocolates while Sally expects that he will be giving them to her (despite all the signs that Linus isn't any more interested in her as Schroeder is in Lucy), and Snoopy offers his mad paper scissor cutting skills in a "training session" to Lucy, who wants to learn how to form a heart shaped Valentine out of a sheet of paper...Snoopy out cuts from paper folded a complete Valentine music box, quite a thing of extraordinary craftsmanship! There is even Snoopy and Woodstock making Valentines for each other, delivering them as they only can: a bit on the nose. My favorite scene has Linus so enraged at Valentine's Day after his teacher leaves school with her boyfriend he tosses his chocolates off a bridge...right into the mouths of Snoopy and Woodstock. Mainly, though, the special focuses on poor Charlie Brown kvetching and agonizing over not getting a Valentine, a concern that many a student perhaps has had on Valentine's Day at school in the past (or present) and can relate to. The "Lucy goes to the movie" sidebar featuring a busy Snoopy tending to the drinks, popcorn, ticket booth, and show with Chuck serving as narrator is a nice little addition to the special. This doesn't feature some of the characters you know and love (no Peppermint Patty, Marcy, or Pigpen, for examples), but I think "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" will be a nice sleeper for Peanuts fans new to it. This was my very first viewing of it and I was happily surprised (although, I don't know why I should be, Peanuts never usually lets me down) with its entirety, even with a spirited Schroeder (he also hands out the Valentines and tells Chuck, always asking if he has one, to be patient and wait) taking the girls in class to task for not giving Charlie Brown a Valentine and how only guilt and to ease their conscience did they decide to do so the next day. While mostly at his piano practicing or playing Beethoven, Schroeder was given a lot more to do in this special. I do wonder why Patty wasn't included in the special...you could just imagine how she could have tormented Chuck. There are two more specials on my Special Edition Set so I look forward to seeing if they serve as nice extensions to "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". I think when Charlie Brown is feverishly checking the Valentines box for his card, finding nothing, eyeballing and investigating intensely for it, eventually tossing the box outside the window, many of us can understand his frustrations.
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'Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown' is the Valentine's Day special for Charlie Brown and the Peanut Gang. It's also a sad episode. Every school student knows that February 14th means giving Valentines to your classmates. (When I went to school, you had to give to everyone and not just the most popular kids in school!) Charlie Brown is unpopular, so he does not receive any cards. It's a depressing little story, really.
I didn't think this was an enjoyable story. I thought it went a little bit slow and dragged on. It didn't have the humor and the appeal that the Halloween special and Christmas special had.
Poor Charlie Brown. -
GravityLoudHouseLover113 February 2016Happy Valentine's Day guys today I'm going to review The peanuts Valentines Special "Be My Valentine Charlie Brown". This Special is about Charlie wanting a Valentine from someone but no ones give him one. I feel bad for Charlie Brown that no one gives him a Valentine until the end. As a kid a watched this Special a lot around Valentine's Day. It's not as good The Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween Specials but it's okay. I do Like the Part where Linus was throwing the chocolates and Snoopy and Woodstock where eating them. Anyway "Be My Valentine Charlie Brown" is a decent Valentine's Day Special and I give it a 8 out 10 stars. Anyway Guys Have a Happy Valentine's Days. See you
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tavm14 February 2011As a kid, I remember feeling sad and depressed when Charlie Brown didn't receive any Valentine cards especially when he looked at that big box and threw it out that window. And Linus throwing out those chocolates after just missing giving them to the teacher he has a massive crush on. For years, that's usually all I remembered from that special. As sad as it was seeing that happen to them, it's downright hilarious when Lucy smashes Schroeder's piano saying out loud to him what would happen to someone who feels constantly rejected by someone she loves! Leave it to Charles M. Schulz to take the romance out of Valentine's Day. At least he lets Snoopy have a little fun on the occasion...
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Really think that Charlie Brown needed valentines and like the "Great Pumpkin" there as the kids sent all over the world candy to him, they decided to send in that over in their Valentine Cards.
And how that Charlie and Linus both are in the same vote there. Schroder for once stood up for Charlie and how he should do that more often or should have done that there.
Really glad the kids all around the country and world knew better than the ones in the cartoon there. -
MikeSNation14 February 2017I really enjoyed this Charlie Brown animated holiday special and wish that they would broadcast it more often. I have an old VHS tape of it that we transferred to a DVD some time ago and we try to watch it most Valentine's Days.
It's actually kind of sad for a Valentine's Day special, which is actually part of its appeal to me. Every other special has the love interests get together in the end and everyone's happy. Not so in this show.
MILD SPOILERS AHEAD: ... Charlie Brown never does get a Valentine's card, Linus tells Lucy he'll never marry her and Schroeder fails to give his box of chocolates to the teacher he has a crush on. It's heartbreak all around.
But that's what Charles Schulz brought to life without getting too serious or sad - things don't always work out for us but things are always OK in the end - even for a lovable sad sack 'loser' like Charlie Brown :) -
BrettErikJohnson15 September 2003I'm not sure what everyone finds so great about this particular Peanuts cartoon. Perhaps it can be attributed to nothing more than nostalgia.
Charlie Brown desperately wants to receive a Valentine for Valentine's Day. He waits by the mailbox and checks it every few moments. One never arrives by mail but he optimistically brings a briefcase to school, expecting an avalanche of Valentines from his classmates. Of course, he doesn't get one.
There are also other things going on with other members of the Peanuts gang. Snoopy puts on a dull puppet show for Lucy. Lucy also finds the time to viciously smash up Schroeder's piano. Another storyline concerns Linus developing a rather unhealthy infatuation with his teacher.
I was greatly disappointed with a couple of things in "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown". One was the fact that virtually every character except Schroeder was either rude or indifferent toward their so-called friends. When Schroeder is nice enough to stand up for Charlie Brown and show him some respect, Chuck shoves him aside so he can be patronized by a group of snotty girls. Great message for the kids watching. Skip this one and watch one of the other more worthy and heartfelt Peanuts animated specials. 2/10 -
ultramatt2000-114 February 2019Poor Charlie Brown. He didn't get anything for Valentine's Day. Poor Linus. He is in the same mess too! This special is fun for the family and highly enjoyable. It is kind of normal for children who are in love with older people or adults. This is a good way to teach children to accept the fact that adults go with adults and kids go with kids. The good thing about this cartoon is that we see Snoopy's lovable tomfoolery with Lucy, Charlie Brown and Woodstock which gives out a good laugh (especially with his "pawpet show"). Bottom line: Worth the watch. Rated TV-G because it is fun for the whole family, plus parents can tell their kids the importance of love for their right age and how to accept it. Happy Valentines Day.
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Better_Sith_Than_Sorry15 August 2022Sally likes Linus. Lucy likes Schroeder. Linus is crushing on the teacher, Miss Othmar. And Charlie wants attention from anyone he can get, but especially from a certain little red-haired girl. None of them winds up particularly happy at the end of this show, but that is Peanuts for you. Charles Schulz had a way of showing how things don't always turn out the way you might want, but that's OK, and life will go on. The Peanuts specials were littered with that sort of sentiment.
Perhaps the oddest element to this one is Charlie's unshakable belief that he'll get so many valentines from his classmates that he'll need a briefcase to carry them home! How in the world did he reach this conclusion? Charlie has always been the lovable loser who gets rocks on Halloween, gets laughed at for picking a poor tree, misspells 'beagle' at the spelling bee....he has no right to expect that he'll be getting many valentines at all, much less a briefcase-full. But that's Charlie I guess. Ever the optimist.
Some notes for Peanuts aficionados: strangely, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Franklin are shown here as being in the same classroom as Charlie, Linus and the rest. This is in complete contradiction to what had been shown before. In every previous episode where it was mentioned, those three lived 'across town' and attended a different school than the other Peanuts characters. No explanation was given for why they suddenly appeared here. It's also odd that, if PP and Marcie were in the class - why didn't they give Chuck a valentine? PP is always flirting with him, and Marcie even kissed him at the end of "There's No Time for Love Charlie Brown." If no one else, at least they should have given him one. Or his sister, Sally! Weird.
Strange also was Sally being in the same classroom with all of the older kids. Previous shows had already established she was in a lower grade. And the teacher, Miss Othmar, left the classroom unattended when she took off with her boyfriend! That can't be proper protocol. So this one is a bit inconsistent, albeit still very entertaining. I would say it lives up enough to the high standards some of the previous shows had set.
8/10. Not their best, but still very good. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes. -
williamlangan-2287012 February 2023Happy Valentine's Day! I remember when this 1st came out in 1975. My mother told me about it and was I ever excited! This review is dedicated to my buddies Kenny Austin and Dave "Zeke" Greene, who turned 7 the day this officially aired on January 31, 1975! It features music by Vince Guaraldi and John Scott Trotter. It was produced by Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson, directed by Phil Ramone and written by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Voices include Duncan Watson as Charlie Brown, Stephen Shea as Linus Melanie Kohn as Lucy, Greg Felton as Schroeder, Lynn Mortensen as Sally, Linda Encroli as Violet and Frieda and Bill Melendez as Snoopy and Woodstock.
Plot synopsis: Lucy sees Charlie Brown waiting by his mailbox for valentines. "Good luck," she tells him and then adds "You'll need it!" Snoopy tries playing Cupid with Charlie Brown with his suction cup arrows. None if them stick so Snoopy just puts the arrow atop his master's head. Meanwhile at school, Linus is asked to pound the erasers by Miss Othmar whom he has a crush on. He pounds the erasers and starts coughing. "I could die from such honor!" At Schroeder's house, Lucy gives a little history lesson on the origins of the 1st Valentine. When Schroeder ignores her, she asks if he realizes he could lose her and destroys his piano! Later, she goes to see a meladrama presented by Snoopy who acts it out with puppets on his paws! Linus goes out to buy Miss Othmar a big box of candy. Violet asks about a bottle of heart-shaped shaving lotion as her teacher is a man. Sally sees the big box of candy and thinks it's for her. She goes home to make her own valentine but has trouble with the shape. Big brother Charlie Brown helps her and makes a simple one. Snoopy makes an extravagant one complete with a musical box! That's something Charlie Brown can't do!
The next day is Valentine's Day and Charlie Brown comes to school with a briefcase to put all the Valentines he hopes to get. Sally gives Linus a homemade valentine which as he gets it, he sighs "Gee, thanks," unimpressed. Schroeder is put in charge of passing out the Valentines. Five passes out candy with messages. Frieda's candy reads Sweet Baby and Sally's candy includes Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poen How Do I Love Thee? Charlie Brown's candy just reads Forget It, Kid! Meanwhile, all the Valentines have been distributed and there's not one for Charlie Brown. Linus waits for his chance to give his candy to Miss Othmar. Sally still thinks the candy is for her. Unfortunately, his beloved teacher leaves and Sally wonders why he's running after her "with my box of candy!" He runs to the car but it's too late. Miss Othmar has just left with her boyfriend! Furious, Linus tosses the candy our of the box one by one. Unbeknownst, Snoopy and Woodstock catch the candy into their mouths. Charlie Brown goes home, throws his empty briefcase on top of the mailbox and opens it. It too is empty. So he kicks it!
The next day, Charlie Brown holds out hope that maybe the Little Red Haired Girl left him a valentine. Unfortunately, all that's in the mailbox is Snoopy who gives him a kiss! Than Violet comes offering Charlie Brown one of her valentines. Schroeder comes to Charlie Brown's defense and scolds Violet for her insincere gesture after it's too late. But Charlie Brown is too happy to care and accepts it anyways. He hopes next year will be an even better Valentine's Day. Linus interrupts and wishes him a happy Valentine's Day!
Definitions: Retroactive- to take effect at a later date. Violet tried to reverse her lack of thoughtfulness to Charlie Brown. It's unlikely Lucy would've, considering she said "Who'd waste a Valentine on stupid ol' Charlie Brown?!"
Unsolved mysteries: Did the Peanuts gang have more than one teacher? They're all together in the same classroom. And how did Violet forget her male teacher had a beard? Finally, how did Snoopy sneak in? No worries, he acts out Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem perfectly!
Trivia: After this special was aired, several viewers sent Charlie Brown lots of Valentines!
What I liked: I liked Snoopy's "paw-pet" show and how he handles the refreshments. I also liked how Snoopy and Woodstock presented Valentine's to one another- each one right on the nose! Most of all, I liked how easy this special is easy to relate to. If you've ever had a Valentine's Day with nobody special to share it with, you'll be sure to relate to it! And you gotta admit- Schroeder proved to be a loyal friend to Charlie Brown by sticking up for him! Ten bottles of heart-shaped shaving lotion out of 10! -
Horst_In_Translation13 July 2015This is another half-hour Peanuts special and this time it is about Valentine's Day. it actually started nicely with Charlie and Lucy an the mailbox waiting for a valentine's letter, but this is also pretty much where it peaked already. None of the action that followed in the next 25 minutes was really interesting, funny or dramatically relevant. yet, as always, this got nominated for an Emmy Award. No idea why though. Television, especially animated, must have been at a lowpoint 40 years ago. The director is Phil Roman again. He made mane Peanuts short films and the script comes of course from Charles M. Schulz again. Admittedly I may be a bit biased as I have never been too big on the Peanuts, but there are actually episodes that I rated several stars higher, so this Valentine's Day special is not among the best Charlie Brown and the gang have to offer. Not recommended.