Good grief! How could we possibly have a survey of baseball cartoons without encountering Good Ol’ Charlie Brown? This week, we devote our entire allotted space to coverage of the various game days of the Peanuts gang – the only team ever to take the field with a dog at shortstop, a second baseman carrying a blanket, a crabby loudmouth girl in the outfield, and a blockhead on the mound. While some of their shorter film vignettes may be too numerous to comprehensively cover, and a certain degree of repetition of material was prevalent to the series, I’ll try to hit the highlights of the gang’s illustrious playbook, and Charlie Brown’s repeated discoveries that little league managing can often cause more stomach-aches than being in the big leagues.

There’s a lot of baseball in Charlie Brown’s life – more than will comfortably fit in one article. I will thus divide the material into two installments. This first chapter deals with the early specials and features, on through the run of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Later series and specials will be discussed next week.

While the baseball sub-genre was already well established by Charles Schulz’s comic strip long before the film’s debut, for animation fans, the action all started with Charlie Brown’s All Stars! (Lee Memdelson/Bill Melendez, 6/8/66). The film opens with Charlie on the mound, and his pitch receiving a solid sock from an unknown batsman. Placing no reliance upon his girl outfielders (who tend to be pretty unreliable anyway), Charlie tries to catch the ball himself, engaging in what looks like a miniature version of Bugs Bunny’s efforts to keep up with an out-of-the-park clout in “Baseball Bugs”. Charlie hops fences, then hops several additional times to get through a girls’ jump-rope game, darts into the house, up the stairs, and leans out an upper story window. No, the ball is still too high. Through several rooms, back down the stairs, out the back door, and into the yard, where the ball finally comes down, right in Charlie’s mitt – and immediately bounces out of his grasp, onto the ground. “YOU BLOCKEHEAD, CHARLIE BROWN!”, shouts Charlie’s entire team in unison.

Opening day approaches, and Linus’s statistics on the team’s 999 straight losses aren’t cheering Charlie Brown up. Lucy suggests doing the team a big favor tomorrow – “Don’t show up.” But, after a sleepless night, Charlie does show, eliciting a unison response from the team – “Disaster time!” Snoopy demonstrates how to break up double plays, by attacking Linus at second base with fangs bared. Lucy protests that this season, the team can’t keep up ridiculous infield chatter like “You can do it, Charlie Brown – because you can’t do it.” What does he want them all to become – Hippocrates? Charlie’s first pitch is right over the plate – and clean over the backstop, almost hitting Lucy’s mother. Once Charlie finds the strike zone, he can’t find a strike. “If this team’s gonna beat us, they’re really gonna have to try.” WHAM! goes the bat. “I hate it when they try”, muses Charlie. Final score – 123 to nothing. The ball field is quickly deserted, save for Charlie and Linus, who informs Charlie, “They all went off to cry.”

The next day, baseball caps are being turned in by the column. Everyone is resigning from the team. Lucy perhaps puts it best. “I refuse to play left field for a sinking ship.” Charlie finds himself alone and moping outside the window of Hennessy’s Hardware. Linus emerges from inside, and tells Charlie a surprising piece of news. Mr. Hennessy wants to sponsor Charlie Brown’s team, for entry into a real league, where they will receive real uniforms. Charlie sees this as his salvation – a way to lure the team back into existence again, and provide them incentive. It takes some doing to reach and get through to all of the kids, who have abandoned all thoughts of baseball in favor of other summer activities. But Charlie finally gets them to listen, and Lucy, speaking for all, agrees that they will play for him, provided he delivers on the uniforms.

A few days later, a phone call is received at Charlie Brown’s home from Mr. Hennessy. The uniforms are ready, but with one catch. Hennessy has discovered that the team has a dog and several girls. League rules prohibit them from membership, unless Charlie Brown will remove said players from the team. Loyal Charlie can’t justify ousting his faithful dog and not-so-faithful girl friends, and stands up for their rights to be on his team – informing Hennessy that the league and uniforms aren’t worth breaking their trust. Charlie turns the whole sponsorship down, and sadly hangs up the receiver. Linus happens by for a visit, and Charlie breaks the bad news to him. Linus states that when his sister hears this, Lucy “will blow sky high.” Charlie decides not to tell them until after today’s game, hoping that if they get one victory, it will hold the team together in spite of no uniforms.

The game progresses surprisingly well, with the team retaining incentive in their belief the uniform deal is still on. Snoopy and Linus produce a mouth-to-hand first inning double play. Charlie’s batters finally start to connect. By the bottom of the ninth, the team is down by only two runs. Linus gets a hit, but trips up on his blanket, dying at first base. Lucy is told to grit her teeth and bear down – but strikes out, because she can’t see the pitcher past her own extended dentures. Snoopy becomes a minor hero, delivering a single, then stealing second, third, and home. Only one run needed to tie – but with Charlie’s spot next at bat, and no pinch hitter. Lucy tells Charlie to grit his own teeth – but all Charlie’s can do is chatter nervously. Somehow, after two strikes, Charlie actually smacks a single. Then, desperate for a win, he tries to convince himself that he has the stuff to be a hero, and steals second, and unbelievably third. The thought crosses the minds of his teammates whether Charlie would ever have the nerve to try to steal home, but Lucy believes not even Charlie could be that much of a blockhead. Guess again. “It’s hero time!” utters Charlie, and runs at full speed toward the plate. “SLIDE, CHARLIE BROWN”, shouts the team. Charlie does – and is called out by 30 feet.

Lying on his back in the dirt, Charlie, without explaining the details, confesses that there won’t be any uniforms, or league, as he turned Mr. Hennessy down. The girls badmouth Charlie once more, and again walk out on him, forever. That is, until Linus follows them, and informs them and Snoopy of the real reason why Charlie refused the offer to be in the league. The girls and Snoopy are remorseful, and wonder what they can do to make up for the way they treated Charlie Brown. Lucy gets the idea that perhaps Charlie could be cheered up if they made a uniform for him. Linus thinks it’s a commendable idea, except they don’t have any material. “Oh, yes we do”, responds Lucy slyly, eyeing Linus’s security blanket. The blanket is quickly snatched away, and soon the girls are playing seamstress, with Snoopy taking tailor measurements, to create on someone’s Mom’s sewing machine a droopy blue flannel uniform for Charlie, with lettering reading “Out Manager”. Charlie is touched, and regains his old fire at having his team back – while Linus stands nearby with nervous fidgets. Charlie pep-talks the team as to what a difference they will make in their play tomorrow. Unfortunately, the next day finds the skies filled with nothing but rain. “Only a real blockhead would be out in a rain like this”, remarks Lucy as she looks out the window. Linus senses what this means, and ventures outside in a raincoat, to find Charlie Brown alone on the pitcher’s mound, wondering where everyone else is. As Snoopy floats by, riding on a surfboard, Linus eyes Charlie Brown in a strange way, then finally blurts out, “They made your uniform out of my blanket!” All Charlie can do is offer Linus a corner of the uniform to hold, and Linus stands there with him, sucking his thumb, as the rain continues endlessly into the fade out.

You’re in Love, Charlie Brown (7/12/67) features a very brief baseball field reference that doesn’t quite work logically for a gag setup, though it does deliver a surprise laugh. Charlie Brown is mooning over the Little Red-Haired Girl, and his inability to get up the nerve to introduce himself to her. Peppermint Patty calls up “Chuck” to see if she can solve for him this year’s baseball problems. Charlie says he has other problems on his mind right now, regarding this certain girl in school. “She won’t give you a tumble, eh? I know the type, Chuck. I’ll handle this”, says Patty, hanging up the call without asking further details. For reasons unknown, Patty jumps to the conclusion that she knows the girl Charlie is referring to – and of all things, presumes she is Lucy Van Pelt! Referring to her by the unfamiliar formal name “Lucielle”, Patty attempts to play matchmaker, telling Lucy about this shy kid who’s afraid to come out with a statement of his affections for her. “We’ll have to nudge him – get what I mean?”, says Patty. Peppermint arranges a “little meeting” between the two fo 6:30 at home plate. Probably presuming her suitor to be Schroeder, Lucy shows up, as does Charlie, dolled up with a collar, for the evening rendezvous. His eyes closed in fear, Charlie forces himself to march toward home plate in the dark, and bumps into Lucy. The unison reaction of the two produces the laugh. “YOU???? BLECCCHH!!!!!”

• “You’re In Love, Charlie Brown” is on the Internet Archive.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (Cinema Center Films, 12/4/69) – The first, and best, Peanuts feature, released theatrically. It features as sidelights most all of the classic settings and vignettes of the comic strip, including an early and extended sequence at the ball field. First game of the season, and despite the unbroken string of losses the team has endured, Charlie Brown smiles, wrapped up in the memories of the game. He smiles wider as he encounters the familiar sights of his field. “The old putcher’s mound – covered in tradition – and dandelions. DANDELIONS?” The girls of the tea have already shown up, and tell Charlie the weeds are beautiful, threatening him not to dare cut them down. “Besides, you look kinda cute standing there surrounded by dandelions.” Charlie grumpily remarks, “I don’t WANT to look cute.” Catcher Schroeder goes over signals with Charlie. “One finger will mean the high straight ball – two fingers will mean he low straight ball.” Charlie inquires what about his curve ball, slider, knuckle ball, side-arm, and submarine pitch? Without sign of emotion, Schroeder calmly repeats “One finger will mean the high straight ball – two fingers will mean he low straight ball.” Charlie goes through his usual ritual of throwing to the plate, and repeatedly getting spun around by every hit back to him at the mound, each of which blasts all clothes off him except his trousers. Schroeder tells him that unless he can learn to dress himself a little faster, they’ll never get through the first inning. Lucy next interferes with Charlie’s rhythm, suggesting that Charlie brush the next atter back with a bean ball. “It wouldn’t be right”, responds Charlie. Calling to the other teammates, Lucy crabs her best crabbiness.

“Listen who’s gone moral on us all of a sudden. Ol’ wishy-washy here is too moral to throw a bean ball. The mound is suddenly full of the entire team, all discoursing about random examples of morality issues, ranging from the way the early settlers treated the Indians, to that incident at Harper’s Ferry, to our whole system of freeways, to the present conservation situation. “We never win any ball games, but we sure have some interesting discussions”, asides Charlie to the audience. The sequence ends with a multi-colored montage of shots filling the screen, including dropped balls in the outfield, and three batters going to the plate in the bottom of the ninth for nine consecutive strikes, the last out being chalked up against Charlie Brown. The wide screen is filled with the open mouths of Charlie’s teammates shouting “AAAAUGH!!!”. and we fade out.

Big league players get sent to the showers – Charlie Brown instead has to take a bath. In the tub, je bemoans his fate of just not being able to do anything right – and watches as his toy bathtub boat, upon being placed into the water, immediately sinks into the drink. A sequence which follows with Linus includes a line by Charlie Brown which is inconsistent with “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!”, where Charlie states. “And this was going to be our big year – the year when it looked like we might even score our first run.” (What happened to Snoopy’s?)

At the end of the story, which involves Charlie Brown searching for something he can actually win at – causing him to win almost by accident several rounds of school spelling bees, and unwittingly qualify for the National Elimination Spelling Bee in New York – Charlie returns home in disgrace, to a waiting crowd of no one, and disappears into his room, pulling down the shades and sealing himself off from the world. Linus arrives the next morning, attempting to cheer Charlie Brown up. “We had a ball game after school…” Linus informs him. With Charlie Brown not in attendance, it is not exactly surprising when Linus continues, “…It’s the first game we won all season.”

• “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” is on Internet Archive

It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (3/16/76) – Charlie’s sister Sally becomes a laughing stock at school, when she doesn’t do her homework assignment, and answers the teacher’s inquiry as to “What is Arbor Day?” by responding that it’s a day all the ships come into the “‘arbor”. She is ordered to study up on the subject, and provide a full report to the class. In the course of her research, she drums up the horticultural spirit of most of Charlie Bown’s gang, leaving out her big brother himself, who is preoccupied in trying to figure out the starting lineups and strategies for the opening day game against Peppermint Patty’s team. Patty herself is incensed with the same preoccupation, observing to “Chuck” how this year’s schedule pits the two teams against each other 12 times, each game of which Patty describes in varying verbal synonyms, all meaning that Patty is going to murder Chuck’s team. (This bit became an overused staple of the series, and was reused verbatim at least two more times, once in The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show, and once in “Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown”.)

As Charlie stays indoors scribbling out his plays and plans, Lucy takes charge of a small group of members of the gang, to promote the spirit of arbor day and spread a little green into the world around them. With wheelbarrow, digging and hoeing tools, and plenty of seeds and plants, she scours the neighborhood for the perfect place to plant some refreshing flora. Why of course! The old lot where Charlie Brown plays baseball. Linus thinks someone should tell Charlie first, but Lucy hushes her stupid brother up, and rounds up even more kids, to do a total makeover of the field. When she is through, you would hardly recognize the place. Creeping vines entwine within the chicken wire of the backstop. Rows of tulips and wheat stalks mark the center of the baselines. Lush fields of crops in the infield. Corn stalks in the outfield, braced up by baseball bats, with a glove-wearing scarecrow in center field. And a large tree planted dead-enter in the pitcher’s mound. Lucy pretends to Charlie in the meanwhile that they are merely making sure the field is in great shape for the start of the season, then greets Charlie on opening day with the news that they are re-naming the lot as Charlie Brown Field. Charlie is amazed at receiving such an honor – until he finally lays eyes upon what they have done. Charlie keels over in a faint.

Peppermint Patty and her team arrive, raring to go – until they see the impossible layout spread before them. Patty calls Charlie crazy, but Lucy and Charlie try to coax her to take the mound and give it a try. Patty’s wind-up is at first greatly impeded, with her arm catching on one of the tree’s limbs in mid-throw, then her foot. She finally finds a clear spot to stand, but can’t seem to find the ball when hit among the foliage, nor on her team’s turn at bat can locate the bases to tag. Charlie Brown’s team, on the other hand, seems to do okay, despite an initial tangle-up of Snoopy’s feet with the intrusive clinging vine. Even the scarecrow provides an assist, with a long fly ball landing neatly in the scarecrow’s extended glove hand. Lucy is challenged by Charlie to get a run, and suggests her own reward if she does – a kiss at home plate from Schroeder. Schroeder agrees, seeing little risk, as Lucy has bever hit the ball out of the infield. “INCENTIVE!!”. shouts Lucy, as she proceeds to the plate, and to everyone’s amazement, knocks one out of the park. Charlie reminds Schroeder to keep his word, as Schroeder’s eyes spin dizzily. Honor-bound by his promise, Schroeder staggers to his position behind the plate, covers his eyes, puckers his lips, and braces for the worst. Lucy trots home, but seeing the shuddering suitor standing there, responds, “If that’s the only way I’ll ever get you to kiss me, forget it.” She takes her seat on the bench, but with a cocky smile on her face, and remarks to herself, “Another victory for women’s lib.” Ahead by one run, and a chance to finally chalk up a victory, the old stand-by from “Charlie Brown’s All Stars!” is revisited – a rain-out. Everyone but Charlie goes home, and the game is postponed, Charlie calling them all (including those that pass by swimming or on a raft) “quitters”. Oh well, it’s good for the crops.

• “It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown” is on Internet Archive

The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show marked the Peanuts gang’s short venture into the Saturday morning lineup. Most of it consisted of short vignettes, sometimes more like bumpers, many as short as animating a single Sunday strip from the comics. But generally, one or two segments would be of extended length of about four to seven minutes, some of which would actually try for a plot. It was hit and miss in its presentation, but had a few interesting highlights, the best of which I’ve included here.

Baseball (aka, ‘You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown’) (11/5/83) – Lucy brings along her little brother Rerun to the baseball lot, dressed in a baseball cap several sizes too big for him. She offers his services to join up as a new member of the team, bringing up his valuable points – “He doesn’t smoke.” Charlie wonders at their chances this year, now having a left fielder who’s still on the bottle. Charlie is afraid a fly ball might kill the little guy, nut Lucy’s not worried. “Not if he runs from it.” As for Rerun, he gets it into his head that the objective of the game must be to play for the Stanley Cup.

The game gets going, and progresses into the last of the ninth. Rerun has consistently gotten on base, the opposing pitcher facing the old problem of being unable to find the strike zone on a player so little. With the bases loaded. Rerun draws another walk, walking home the winning run. The team has won its first baseball game ever, all thanks to the little guy! Charlie Brown thinks he’s going to cry – but relishes the thought of receiving what he’s been giving away all these years at the closing of each game – a sportsmanlike congratulation from the opposing manager for beating them. Charlie insists on lagging behind at home plate, waiting for such congratulations – that never come, far into the night.

But for every silver lining, there is a cloud. Just as Charlie finally settles down to sleep in his room, he receives a phone call from the league President (an adult proprietor of a bicycle shop). What league? I thought the only league around wouldn’t allow dogs and girls? Oh well, I guess times have changed. Charlie, with the moral support of Linus accompanying him, reports upon order of the President for a meeting at his shop. It seems there’s been a complaint circulating among the adults, and the President asks Charlie Brown to forfeit the team’s victory. Why? Someone bet on the game. A gambling scandal! You could knock Charlie Brown and Linus over with a feather – but Charlie Brown is left with no tactical choice, and in disgrace agrees to the forfeit. He returns to the team to investigate for the culprit, and quickly discovers that the gambling party was – Rerun! “It was only a nickel. What else can you do with a nickel these days?” Rerun is dismissed from the team permanently, and everyone moans at the thought of losing the only victory they ever had. Charlie is irked by an even more irritating thought. If Rerun bet on them to win, who was the one who bet on his team to lose? Sitting beside him on the bench is Snoopy – who turns his head away from Charlie Brown, diverting his eyes from Charlie’s glance, and begins to engage in a spell of nervous whistling.

• “Baseball (aka, “You Can’t Win, Charlie Brown)” is the first longer short on Internet Archive

The Lost Ballpark (11/12/83) – Linus makes great efforts to intercept Charlie Brown before he reaches the vacant lot on which they play for the latest opening game of a season, but ultimately finds Charlie arriving at the lot at the same time as Linus does. There, Charlie views a startling sight. A posted sign, reading “Keep out”. Linus breaks the bad news to Charlie. The owner of the lot has been informed by his insurer that if he lets the kids play there and someone gets hurt, he may be personally liable. Charlie Brown shouts to the skies, “What is happening to the world?” Any alternate places to play? The school won’t let kids on the yard after school lets out. The city park wants $20 from each kid to register in a regulated league. “What happened to fun?” asks Charlie Brown. “Our insurance doesn’t cover it”, responds Linus.

Linus wonders what the other kids will say when they find out there’s no place to play. “Some of them won’t know the difference”, admits Charlie Brown. Sally thinks Charlie needs a good attorney. Snoopy shows up behind her, wearing his attorney’s professional bowler hat. “I said a GOOD attorney”, quips Sally, leaving Snoopy to just sigh. Instead, Charlie Brown resigns himself to keeping occupied by pitching a golf ball against the back steps of his house. Sally observes that it can’t be the same as playing their real game – but the rebounding ball still knocks Charlie into a spin like the comebacker hits of old, leaving Charlie to answer her question. “Pretty much.” This keeps up until Snoopy picks the ball from Charlie’s pocket, and slams it with a driving wood for a flight halfway to the nearest golf course. Marcie also can’t understand why Charlie does nothing to fight back against the loss of the field. However, Snoopy appears to be working on it behind the scenes. With the help of his brother Spike from Needles, California, Spike acts as a clever real estate agent, negotiating a purchase of the lot for a consortium of coyotes – who grant permission for the kids to use the field again. If anyone complains, they can take it up with the coyotes. “I love it”, cheers Charlie.

• Check out “The Lost Ballpark” on Internet Archive

Rainy Day (12/3/83) – A collection of random baseball gags, beginning with Charlie inviting the whole team in when a rainstorm prevents an outdoor practice session. Charlie hopes to use the opportunity to have the team bone up on learning the latest signals for the season, and goes through an elaborate demonstration of motions and gestures which are supposed to denote running and batting cues – only to find the gang have been huddled around a TV set, totally engrossed in the program, all the time. Action changes to a sunnier day outside, where Charlie instructs Lucy to go out into the field to practice catching flies Charlie will bat to her. Lucy stands stock still behind Charlie at the plate, not taking a step toward the field. Charlie repeatedly warns her to follow his instructions, and that he’ll make her chase one after he’s hit it that will roll a mile if she’s not out there to catch it. Lucy never wavers, so Charlie finally swings – popping the ball up behind himself, where it lands neatly in Lucy’s mitt where she stands.

Lucy comes up with a new innovation – an old-fashioned tin can and string telephone hookup between Charlie and herself in right field, to allow them to communicate on plays throughout the game. Charlie thinks she might be on to something, as big leaguers always use telephones. However, a pitch hit back to the mound puts Charlie into the usual spin, and the phone string wraps around his middle. Lucy is dragged by the string from right field clear to the mound, and both she and Charlie lie in a heap upon the mound, tangled up in string. Charlie attempts to use his phone, calling, “Hello? Hello?” Without moving a muscle, Luct responds, “The number you have reached is no longer in service.” Finally, rain breaks out again. Lucy is still due at bat, and tries for a moment to see if she can maintain her swing using an open imbrella as a bat, bit leaves in a huff, getting soaked. Linus prepares to leave too, and for once dccides to speak to Charlie frankly about his obsession with never calling a game. Linus calls Charlie Brown crazy, and a fanatic, and totally out of his mind not to have the sense to get in out of the rain. Then suddenly, Linus pauses in mid-tirade, looking around and calling Charlie Brown’s name. Charlie for once has left the field after all, following Linus’s advice. Linus remarks that it’s a shame Charlie Brown left, as it actually looks now like it might clear up.

• “Rainy Day” is last episode of half hour at Internet Archive

The Manager (12/24/83) includes more random gags, but a small stretch of material that contains a bit of a plot – though not much of one. Charlie Brown give Snoopy a mild bawling out for looking like he isn’t half-trying playing his position as shortstop. Snoopy sticks out his tongue at Charlie Brown, and walks off the job. Charlie Brown is temporarily left without a shortstop, and realizes he shouldn’t have been so hard on Snoopy, as infielders are very temperamental. Begging Snoopy to rejoin the team, Charlie Brown offers him an increase in food allowance, and a chance to play any position he likes – even manager. At the sound of the word “manager”, Snoopy grins widely, and jumps at the chance, taking Charlie Brown’s job. What has Charlie gotten himself into now? Snoopy’s brief stint as manager, however, is not very illustrious, consisting primarily of slipping up upon players whose skill is lacking, and bawling them out with guttural yowls. His yowling doesn’t produce any positive results – only making the players seem to jump out of their skin. A typical game loss, and all Snoopy can do is throw his hat upon the ground, stomp upon it, and do more yowling. Charlie Brown approaches him as he sulks upon hs doghouse roof, and remarks that being a manager isn’t an easy job, and, if Snoopy desires, Charlie would be willing to take back his old duties. Snoopy turns, and plants a smooch upon Charlie Brown’s nose. Charlie smiles. “A kiss on the nose, and he’s off the hook.”

• “The Manager” is last short on Internet Archive

NEXT WEEK: More Peanuts. More Snoopy. Part two of Brown’s Baseball Bloopers.