User Reviews

I really enjoyed this, actually. It's a bonus episode on the Great Pumpkin DVD, so watching it was a serendipitous experience for me.

As for the 25 minutes without Joe Cool, I thought they were enjoyable also. I especially like all the adult jokes thrown in, all the little political jabs (non-partisan) that are made throughout. Lucy and Linus taking callers on a live radio talk-show, campaign speeches from Shroeder, and the great race for votes between Linus and Russell...all poking gentle fun at our election process without getting nasty. I loved it. Plus, it is a perfect fall time episode, which alludes to the Great Pumpkin...

And, it there is a relatively happy ending. Unusual for a Peanuts cartoon.

With the office of class President available in the coming elections Linus and Russell compete with each other in an effort to take over the school. Lucy threatens most of the students into voting for Linus while everyone else pitches in and helps. Even Snoopy and Woodstock help out with the picket signs. Snoopy also comes to school as 'Joe Cool' and fails to impress anyone.

Linus wins the campaign by one vote but turns himself into a laughing stock when he mentions the Great Pumpkin in his inauguration speech. It's fun and entertaining, even if some of the scenes bear no relevance to the story. Why exactly is Snoopy turning up to class? And the title is a bit odd. Charlie Brown doesn't even compete, so he's obviously not going to be elected.

The most memorable sequence in this Peanuts special is the "Joe Cool" one with Snoopy in sunglasses and Joe Cool T-shirt at the water fountain failing to impress the girls who pass him by. All this is done to Vince Guaraldi's vocals for "Joe Cool". Cool indeed. Linus thinks Charlie Brown should be school president. Lucy polls the student body and finds Charlie has no chance. Linus becomes the nominee after sister Lucy "persuades" various classmates to support him. Linus almost blows it when he mentions the Great Pumpkin. It's eventually a close race between him and Russell...Nice satire of the political process made in an election year (1972). Shown after It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on ABC on October 27, 2006 in edited form since the previous show was shown intact resulting in an extra five minutes. Still worthwhile viewing and it is available on DVD intact with Pumpkin.

Linus runs for school president with Lucy and Charlie Brown serving as his campaign managers. This time Charles M. Schulz's characteristic sweet and witty humor is well used to take plenty of sly satirical digs at politics and the intrinsic absurdity of the whole electoral process: Lucy intimidates people to vote for her little brother, Linus gives a gloriously histrionic first speech in which he makes all kinds of ridiculous promises, Schroeder compares Linus to Beethoven, Linus appears on a talk radio show and gets bombarded by clueless callers who can't get their questions right, and Linus almost blows the whole campaign when he talks at length about the Great Pumpkin in his second major speech. Of course, Snoopy is in his usual delightful mischievous form: The irrepressible beagle ransacks a refrigerator and makes an elaborate breakfast for himself, assists Sally by making campaign signs (he puts a paw print on the sign he makes), and, in the show's single most hilarious segment, goes to school as grinning hipster Joe Cool only to wind up being ignored by all the kids (Joe Cool even has a great groovy theme song). Vince Guaraldi's bouncy and sprightly score further adds to the considerable frothy fun. A pleasant romp.

This 1972 short film has a bit of a misleading title. They always included Charlie Brown, but really here the candidate for class presidency is Linus. Maybe this is also why I enjoyed this half hour special more than other Charlie Brown short films. Hands down, brown's self-pity and whining gets annoying at times. But most of the rest is as always about this movie. It is directed by Melendez, written by Schulz and as almost always Emmy-nominated. At this point in 1972, they made one new peanuts film every year, frequently even two. And the year is also interesting for another reason. This half-hour television movie came out not too long before the Presidential election. And while the race between Nixon and McGovern could not have been any more one-sided, the race between Linus and Russell could not be any more close. In the end, one vote is decisive. There are some more parallels. Pay attention to how a random pumpkin reference by Linus almost costs him the victory in the end. It's a tough world and one unlucky statement can destroy all ambitions. Also in one scene we see how Lucy intimidates voters into choosing her brother. The rest of it is pretty harmless though. The call-in show with Linus answering questions was maybe the funniest thing even if Snoopy had to yawn. I didn't have to while watching this short (unlike some other Peanuts shorts), so this gets a solid 3 out of 5 stars, also a majority. Recommended.

Sally can't open her locker and she brings in her big brother Charlie Brown for Show-and-Tell. Linus pushes Charlie Brown for student body president but Lucy tells them that he has no chance. With Lucy's bullying demeanor, her poll indicates that Linus has 99% support. Charlie Brown is assigned to assist campaign manager Lucy with the help of Snoopy and Woodstock. While the rival candidate Russell Anderson promises to do his best, Linus promises the moon. The campaign is going great until Linus talks about the Great Pumpkin. It's a close race and Russell breaks the tie by voting for Linus. In the end, Linus finds he has little power to the dismay of Sally who just wants to open her locker which is too tall for her.

This is a fun Charlie Brown show but not as famous as 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' or 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'. It doesn't really get replayed on every election day. It also lacks an inspirational or feel-good central idea. The ending is a little cynical. This one centers more on the Van Pelts and the Browns. It's fun to see Joe Cool and Woodstock. This is a bit of fun.

I got this show as one of the bonus episodes on the 3 Peanuts holiday pack. I think this show is the only poor show in the collection. Here's why.

1. At the beginning when Sally was walking home, she didn't said anything. I'd like the beginning if Sally said "I hate school! It's driving me crazy!"

2.The song at the title screen, it sang: "You're elected Charlie Brown!", but they should of sang: "You're NOT elected Charlie Brown!"

3.When Sally showed Chalie Brown for show and tell I didn't get what Sally said.

4.I watch this with captions because I like to know what are the people saying, and I don't want captions to say in-proper spelling. When Lucy was asking to vote for Linus to Rucelle and he says why he said no, he said the sort word for "because" and the captions said it to. I HATE it when that happens.

5.When Linus was on the talk show, who was talking on the phone?

6.I didn't know what was the reason why Linus didn't get elected. I should of knowed.

Well, this show is poor. Ignoor this one and stick with the other shows in the 3 Peanuts holiday pack.