It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976)

This is one of the Peanuts specials I vividly remember seeing as part of The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show on Disney Channel back in the early-to-mid 90's and so much of it has stuck in my head since, such as Snoopy's hilarious antics and the third act, where a game is played in Charlie Brown's baseball field after it's been turned into a garden by some of the other kids (I also remember this one because, while watching it, I was being a stupid kid and almost gave my thumb a rug-burn by rubbing it harshly against the floor over and over again). And like a lot of the specials I saw on that show, I didn't realize they weren't originally episodes until I started getting back into them when I was an adult. It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown was on the second volume of the Peanuts 1970's collection, which I bought at a Barnes & Noble some time in the early 2010's, and when I re-watched it for the first time in such a long time, I found myself really enjoying it once again. In fact, among the holiday-centric Peanuts specials, I feel this one is unfairly overlooked, due no doubt to what an obscure holiday Arbor Day is in and of itself. It may not be as profound or iconic as something like A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Great Pumpkin, or even The Easter Beagle, but I will say that I do personally enjoy it more than other specials like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, or all those melancholic and sometimes mean-spirited Valentine's Day ones.

In class, Sally hopes the teacher doesn't call on her, as she didn't get a chance to study her assignment, which was on holidays. Naturally, though, she is called on, and tasked with explaining the meaning of Arbor Day, which she totally botches. As a result, she has to write a full report on the holiday, one which Linus makes the mistake of saying he'll help her with. Though he finds a book that contains useful information, all Sally can think about is how much she adores him and tries to get him to reciprocate. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty go over their baseball schedule for the upcoming season, the latter confident that her team will completely dominate his. Sally, now really taken with the idea of Arbor Day, decides to plant a garden, with the help of Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock. When she learns of it, Lucy not only joins in but takes the whole thing over, and she and Sally decide to plant the garden in, of all places, Charlie Brown's baseball field. Soon, she has some of the other kids, like Schroeder, Violet, Patty, and Frieda, helping with the planting, and she also repeatedly assures Charlie Brown that they're doing a really good job in maintaining the field. Unaware of what they're actually doing, he decides to work on his team's strategy, and come the first game of the season, he's told they're planning to officially christen the field after him. Though overjoyed at this, Charlie Brown's elation proves to be short-lived when he sees what they've done to the field, and predicts nothing but disaster when Peppermint Patty's team shows up.

As with so many of the Peanuts specials produced from the early 70's into the early 80's, Arbor Day was directed by Phil Roman, his fifth project as solo director and his sixth overall. In this particular case, I think he was blessed with both some really good animation (although some of it is recycled from past specials and the movie, Snoopy Come Home) and a particularly entertaining story by Charles Schulz, one that hits the right balance between being genuinely funny and showing unlucky Charlie Brown is, without going too overboard either way. Immediately afterward, Roman and Bill Melendez would co-direct the third Peanuts feature film, Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown, but, unfortunately, one key figure of the cartoons who'd been involved from the very beginning wouldn't join them, as Arbor Day would end up being his last project.

For much of the story, Charlie Brown (voiced by Dylan Beach) is uninvolved with what's going on, instead worrying about baseball season, which is coming up soon, and the long schedule of games between his team and Peppermint Patty's. After getting a call from her where she tells him that he'd best make sure his field is in good shape for the first game, he's relieved when Lucy assures him that she and the others are working hard to "spruce" the field up. Thus, he spends the time leading up to the first game working on his strategy, and when the day comes, he prepares to meet up with Peppermint Patty's team on the field. All throughout, he looks forward to finally winning a game, or at least playing one where his team doesn't get murdered, but both he and Peppermint Patty suggest he stop fantasizing. His team meets up with him at his doorstep and declare that they've decided to christen the new and "improved" field with his very name. Bowled over by this, Charlie Brown has his head in the clouds as they head to the field, wondering if they should put a sign over it... and then, he lets out his signature, "Augh!" scream and faints when he sees they've turned the place into a garden, with a tree in the middle of his pitcher's mound! He's sure that it's impossible to play ball in such a field, and when Peppermint Patty arrives with her team and sees the state of things, she thinks Charlie Brown has lost his mind. But, much to his and everyone else's shock, the field actually works to the home team's advantage, allowing them the opportunity to actually win. But, just when victory is within their grasp, a rainstorm comes through, forcing them to postpone the game, much to Charlie Brown's anguish. (Even though they had a regular voice actor for Charlie Brown at this time with Duncan Watson, here, for some reason, he's voiced by Dylan Beach, the son of an obscure voice actor named Scott Beach, who was used a lot by George Lucas.)

The person who starts off the special's plot is Sally (voiced by Gail M. Davis), who completely flubs a question by her teacher, describing Arbor Day as, "The day when all the ships come sailing into the 'arbor.'" After getting laughed at by the other kids, Sally is then forced to give a complete report on Arbor Day, although her consternation is relieved when Linus volunteers to help her. Later, at the library, Linus finds a book with info on the holiday, but Sally is only interested in flirting with him. When he reads that Arbor Day is mainly centered around trees, she suggests that the two of them go sit under a tree and socialize, then chases him out of the library, going on about how it could lead to a date. Despite this rocky start, Sally really gets into the spirit of the holiday, spouting off the writings of conservationist and Arbor Day founder, J. Sterling Morton, and getting Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock to help her plant either an orchard or a flower garden. She's the one who initially decides to plant it in Charlie Brown's baseball field, an idea that Lucy takes complete control of and goes all out with. Once the garden has been finished, Sally is so happy with what they've accomplished that, when the rainstorm floods the field, forcing them to call off the game, she rows by her distraught brother on a raft, saying, "At least it's good for the crops." In the end, she does really well on her report, making up for the embarrassment she suffered earlier.

For whatever reason, Linus (voiced by Liam Martin), offers to help Sally with her report on Arbor Day, then regrets doing it when she pays little attention to what he's reading and attempts to flirt with him, leading to him letting out a disgusted yell and running out of the library, with her on his heels. He also regrets getting involved when Sally and Lucy decide to plant their garden in Charlie Brown's baseball field, knowing this is not something he's going to be happy about. He tries to convince Lucy to tell Charlie Brown what's going on, and even tries to tell him himself, but is ignored both times. Lucy also forces him to plant a tree on the pitcher's mound, despite his trying to warn her that Charlie Brown is really not going to appreciate that. When it comes time for the first game of the season, Linus is really nervous about leading Charlie Brown to the field, despite telling him they've decided to name it after him. Upon their arrival, Linus is the only one who isn't smiling about it, and when Charlie Brown faints at the sight of it, he fans his face, trying to wake him. During the game, before things start going their way, Linus' time at bat proves to be a disaster, as his blanket gets wrapped around him when he swings and he's declared out. But then, near the end of the game, when things are looking up for them, he has to go and open his big mouth, saying that the only thing that could stop them from winning is if they got rained out, which is exactly what happens.

After she comes across Sally, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock on their way to plant a garden, Lucy (voiced by Sarah Beach) decides it's a good idea and goes along with them, taking it over completely and going full-out with planting it in Charlie Brown's baseball field. Naturally, she bosses everybody else around while they do the work, and later gets more of the kids to help. All the while, she reassures Charlie Brown that everything is well taken care of and that he should concentrate on his strategies for the upcoming games. When Charlie Brown finally sees the field and is as horrified as he is, saying it's impossible for them to play in a garden, Lucy comments, "Oh, come on, Charlie Brown. We couldn't play before, anyway, so you haven't lost anything." Ironically, she's the one who gets the team its first home-run of the game, as Schroeder promises to meet her at the home plate and give her a big kiss if she does. But, as excited as she is at the prospect, when she sees how hesitant Schroeder is, she decides it's not worth it if that's the only way she can get him to kiss her. (And yes, Sarah Beach is Dylan Beach's sister, briefly replacing Lucy's regular voice actor at the time, Melanie Kohn, just as her brother did with Duncan Watson.)

Rerun (voiced by Vinnie Dow) makes his first appearance in animation here, with the opening scene focusing on him having to endure riding on the backseat of his mother's bicycle, talking about how he's lost weight out of sheer fear from her peddling and where they're going (one of their stops happens to be an Arbor Day Committee meeting), commenting, "Considering I don't do anything, I lead a very active life." Rerun is seen again later on, when he and his mother happen to be pedaling by the field during the ballgame and he catches a long ball that was hit by Marcie, all while singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

As usual, Peppermint Patty (voiced by Stuart Brotman) does little for Charlie Brown's self-esteem with her putdowns and overbearing personality. The two of them are seen sitting under a tree, when they see Sally chasing Linus down the sidewalk. She asks Charlie Brown to explain love to her but doesn't care for how his explanation involves "a cute, little girl" rather than a girl who "isn't cute, has freckles and a big nose." After biting his head off over that, she runs through the schedule for the upcoming baseball season, describing each game as her team demolishing his in some fashion. She also later calls him up and tells him to be sure to have his baseball field in great shape when the first game comes around (she adds, "Even if your team won't be,"). When the day does come, she calls him again, talking about how she loves the first game of the season and that feeling of first victory, which Charlie Brown says he's looking forward to experiencing; her response is, "Hey, Chuck, you aren't serious, are you? You don't think you have a chance, do you?" She doesn't let him answer that question, adding that she can't go easy on him, saying, "I'll have to fan ya, Chuck." Like Charlie Brown himself, she's aghast when she sees the state of his baseball field, especially when she sees the tree on the pitcher's mound, and asks him if he's nuts. The garden proves to be a real handicap for her team in particular, though, allowing Charlie Brown's team a chance at winning, until the rainstorm comes through. When that happens, Peppermint Patty immediately suggests they call the game off, and while Charlie Brown is upset and discouraged as a result, the last scene has her cheering him up by saying the garden looked really nice and it's not a bad thing to have named after him.

As for the other members of the Peanuts gang, Frieda (voiced by Michelle Muller), Schroeder (voiced by Greg Felton), Violet, and Patty help out with the garden. Frieda and Snoopy put up a backdrop at first base with a creeping vine, which proves to be Snoopy's nemesis, both before and during the game, while Schroeder later tries to encourage Charlie Brown when he freaks out about the tree on the pitcher's mound and also compliments him on the fine job he's doing during 

their winning streak. Later, of course, Schroeder gives Lucy the incentive she needs to hit a home-run by saying he'll give her a big kiss if she does. He's confident he won't have to go through with it, commenting on how she's never once hit the ball out of the in-field, only for her to succeed. Despite being horrified at the idea, Schroeder is more than willing to go through with his promise, meeting at her home-plate with his hands covering his eyes and his lips puckered, but Lucy decides it's not worth it. Among Peppermint Patty's team are Marcie and Franklin, neither of whom speak or doing anything noteworthy except play their respective roles on the team.

Snoopy and Woodstock (voiced by Bill Melendez) really get up to some hilarious mischief here, especially Snoopy. First, the two of them accompany Linus and Sally to the library, where Snoopy finds some books on dog obedience training that strike him as hilarious. He laughs so loud while flipping through them at a table that he gets shushed and decides to make copies of the pages, continuing to laugh as he does so. He's laughing so hard and not paying attention that he accidentally puts Woodstock in the copier, leading the bird to admonish him and Snoopy to laugh harder. They're both promptly thrown out as a result. Later, they help out with the garden, with Snoopy, at one point, sprinkling seeds on the ground while wearing his Joe Cool shades and having Woodstock rake them in. Getting hungry while looking at the seeds, though, Woodstock decides to help himself when Snoopy walks away, only to get drenched when he walks by, watering them. At one point, Snoopy is nailing a creeping vine to some backing, only to whack his thumb with the hammer and then for the vine itself to attack him when he hits it in frustration. Woodstock also makes the mistake of sitting on the head of a water sprinkler when it's activated, leading to him walking away while periodically spinning around and spitting water out of his mouth. And during the ballgame, that creeping vine continues to hassle Snoopy, causing him to miss hitting a home-run, although he does manage to do better in the game once the tables turn.

From a visual standpoint, Arbor Day seems to cycle through the tail end of winter and the beginning of spring, as the opening with Charlie Brown, Linus, and Rerun comes off as a little chilly, with the gray, overcast sky in the background and Rerun being quite bundled up, with a little toboggan atop his head (of course, he's also dressed like that when he and his mother ride past the baseball field during the game). But, as the cartoon goes on and the first game gets closer and closer, the sky becomes clearer and bluer, and the

environments become much greener and more vibrant. As the story mostly takes place outdoors, said scenes are also a bit more detailed than the indoor ones, although the latter do have a fair amount to them as well (save for the first scene with Sally in the classroom, which is just her and some other desks in front of a blank, tan-gray background), especially the library early on, with the shelves and shelves of books in the background. (Speaking of which, while it's not that big of a deal, I'm kind of struck by the presence of

a high-tech copy machine, as the most modern piece of technology you typically see in these Peanuts cartoons is a television set. Similarly, it doesn't exactly pinpoint the time period the story is taking place in, but it does give you a more general idea of it.) The most notable setting is Charlie Brown's baseball field, which starts out as a typical sandlot but, by the time Sally, Lucy, and the other kids get through with it, it's an enormous garden, one that's beautiful to look at but is hardly a

practical location for a baseball game. Among other things, there's a tree right in the middle of the pitcher's mound, a scarecrow in the middle of center-field, a vine-covered backdrop for home-base, and thick flowers, foliage, and vines on the ground that make it hard to find the bases, as well as any lost balls. And by the end of the special, the place is almost totally flooded by the rainstorm, with the pitcher's mound being one of the few dry spots.

The animation quality is up to the usual high standards, with some standouts being Peppermint Patty becoming enraged when she sees the ridiculous condition of the field, Snoopy freaking out and yelling when he whacks his thumb with the hammer, his battles with the creeping vine, Lucy happily skipping across the bases after she's hit a home-run, Schroeder's horror at the idea of having to kiss her, and the rain clouds building up in the sky. Though, you have to keep in mind that some of this material is recycled from other specials, like

You're A Good Sport, Charlie Brown and There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown, and the movie, Snoopy Come Home. Also, while the cartoon never gets all that stylized, when Sally gives her initial very misinformed report of what Arbor Day is about, the background turns red and is filled with a bunch of shaking "HAs," accompanied by the sound of the kids laughing, an effect that's been used in other specials when someone, usually Charlie Brown, is embarrassed.

The film's opening scene has Linus repairing one of his mother's bicycle wheels and then putting little Rerun on the backseat and strapping him in, while Charlie Brown watches from in front of the garage. Linus tells him about how his mother has lost three pounds from biking, while Rerun notes that he's lost five pounds himself due to fear of his mother's biking skills, or lack thereof. As Mrs. Van Pelt rides off, Charlie Brown and Linus note how well she handles the bike, the latter saying it's

improved and Rerun adding, "Yesterday, we only hit four parked cars." Charlie Brown then comments that he finds it surprising that Rerun doesn't get bored from riding and Linus says he probably finds different ways to pass the time; cue Rerun singing, "89 bottles of beer on the wall, 89 bottles of beer..." He notes, "Today, it's the Welfare League and a church breakfast. Then, there's the League of Women Voters, followed by a visit to a library. From here on, we go to the hairdresser's,

and then to the supermarket. Then, a rousing meeting of the PTA. And, last but not least, the Arbor Day Committee meeting." Following the opening credits, Sally, after humiliating herself in the classroom, heads to the library with Linus in order to read up on Arbor Day for her report. Snoopy and Woodstock go with them, the former finding some books on dog obedience training that he finds to be very funny. After being shushed for laughing too loud, he makes copies, still laughing and wiping tears from his eyes as he does. After

unknowingly putting Woodstock in the copier, Snoopy looks through his pages, and if you pause and look at them, you'll be shocked by some rather dark humor. One says, "HOW TO MAKE A DOG 'OBEY' IN TWENTY-FOUR LESSONS!", and while most of it is just intelligible scribbles, there are words in all caps that stand out, such as, "YELL A LOT," "PAIN," "HIS DUTY," "YOUR WILL," and, "PUNISH," accompanied by a photo of a dog getting a finger wagged at him. The second one, "HOW TO MAKE A DOG 'HEEL!'

IN SIXTEEN EASY LESSONS," involves words like, "SHOUT," "BE FIRM," "MASTER," and, "SLAVE" (and it's underlined like that in the text)! And the third, "HOW TO MAKE YOUR DOG 'BEHAVE' IN THIRTY-SEVEN LESSONS," has, "THREATEN," "WARN," "PAIN," and, "COAX." Finally, Snoopy sees the xerox of a smooshed Woodstock and opens the flap off the copy. Woodstock chastises him for what he did, while Snoopy laughs, when they're both thrown out of the building.

When she sees Sally chasing after Linus as she sits under a tree with Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty asks him to explain love to her. Though he says he can't, she urges him to try, and they have this conversation: "Well, say I happen to see this cute little girl walk by and I..." "Why does she have to be cute, Chuck?! Huh?! Can't someone fall in love with a girl who isn't cute, and has freckles and a big nose?! Explain that, Chuck!" "Well, maybe you're right. Let's just say that I happen to see this

girl walk by who has a great, big nose and..." "I DIDN'T SAY A GREAT BIG NOSE, CHUCK!" That outburst sends Charlie Brown flying through the air and onto his back. He then comments, "You not only can't explain love, actually, you can't even talk about it." With that, Peppermint Patty decides to go through the schedule of their baseball games for the season, and after she all but demoralizes him, saying her team is going to, "Slaughter you twice in April, smash you three times in May, ruin you twice in June, murder you three times in July,

annihilate you four times in August, and destroy you altogether in September," (and now that I've wrote that out, I realize that, while Peppermint Patty says they're going to play against each other twelve times if you add it all up, it's fifteen times!), she has him shake her hand for good luck. And, when they do, she gives him her usual, "You touched my hand, Chuck, you sly dog," remark, adding, "I think you know more about love than you let on."

Sally, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock run into Lucy while they're carrying a bunch of garden tools, with Sally explaining to her what they're up to. She's now so caught up in the spirit of Arbor Day that, when Lucy doesn't know who J. Sterling Morton was, she shouts, "Mr. Morton was an early voice for conservation," while Linus lets out an embarrassed, "Good grief!" She then shouts, "Every child should plant an orchard! A flower garden! Let us onto the field, and cultivate a few

forest trees!" The group moves on and Lucy, liking the idea, decides to join them. Shortly, they come upon Charlie Brown's baseball field, which both Sally and Lucy believe is the perfect place to plant, despite Linus' objections. Lucy orders Sally and Snoopy to start the planting, while she and Linus go get some more stuff they need. On their way back to the field, they run into Charlie Brown, who was planning to see to it that the field was taken care off after talking with Peppermint Patty on the

phone. Lucy assures him they're maintaining the field very nicely and keeps Linus from telling him exactly what they're doing. Back on the field, after the gag where Snoopy accidentally drenches Woodstock while he eats the seeds he's supposed to be planting, Lucy has Linus help her in planting a tree. She picks a spot, which Linus isn't so sure about, but she tells him to just shut up and dig, which he does. After he's dug for just a little bit, Lucy decides it's good enough, as the camera pulls back to reveal they're planting the tree right on the

pitcher's mound. She sticks it in and pushes the dirt over the hole, saying the tree will give Charlie Brown some shade on really hot days. Lucy also decides they need more plants and more help, suggesting that they get the entire team to pitch in. Again, while doing so, she, Linus, and the others run into Charlie Brown, with Lucy assuring him that they're still doing a good job and that he needn't worry about anything but coming up with baseball strategies.

In the next scene, other kids like Schroeder, Violet, and Patty help with the garden, all while Lucy barks orders. This is when they've erected a backdrop at home base and Frieda has Snoopy nail a creeping vine to it, only for him to mash his thumb with his hammer. Enraged, he smacks the vine with his hammer and laughs, only for it to suddenly grab him. He fights with it but ends up suspended upside down by it, much to Frieda's consternation. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown is

coming up with his strategies, initially planning on walking Peppermint Patty each time she comes up to bat... but then figures she might get mad if he does. Instead, he fills the bases up with his best players, then thinks about himself hitting a home-run, only to groan, "There I go, daydreaming again." Back at the field, Lucy puts down a sprinkler head attached to a hose and goes to turn the water on. That's when Woodstock makes the mistake of sitting on it when the water turns on, spinning him around and leading to him walking

away, occasionally spinning and blowing water out of his mouth. The day of the first game comes and Charlie Brown, after talking with Peppermint Patty on the phone about it, hears his doorbell ring and finds his team outside at his doorstep, waiting for him. That's when they tell him of their plan to name the field after him, which he's really touched and excited by. But then, of course, they get to the field, he lets out a horrified yell when he sees what they've done, and promptly faints.

Linus fans him with a towel, trying to wake him up, and when he does awaken, he jumps to his feet, dumbfounded at what's happened to his field. He declares they can't play baseball there, especially with a tree right in the middle of the pitcher's mound. Schroeder tries to encourage him, saying, "Beethoven never gave up," but Charlie Brown comments, "Beethoven never had a tree on his piano." He's further confounded by the sight of a scarecrow in center-field, with baseball gloves for

hands, a yellow shirt, and a cap where its head should be, and as if that weren't enough, Frieda tells him they used the bats as stakes for the tomato plants. Terrified of what Peppermint Patty will say when she sees this, Charlie Brown then has to face her when she arrives with her team. When she sees the state of the field, she comments, "You startin' a victory garden, Chuck? You've got everything here but sheep and cattle, Charlie Brown!" (At that last comment, Snoopy actually moos.) Charlie Brown tries to explain it was because of Arbor Day, but

Peppermint Patty asks him if he's crazy, especially when she walks onto the pitcher's mound and bonks into the tree. Calling him the dumbest manager who ever lived, she yells, "How can I pitch from this crazy mound with a tree on it?!", throwing her glove on the mound in frustration. But, with no other choice, she decides to just make it work, declaring that her team will still come out on top.

Charlie Brown's team is up to bat first, with Snoopy leading them off. Things get off to bad a start, though, as Snoopy accidentally whacks his foot with his bat and hops around in place, holding it as it throbs red. Despite that, he regains his composure and prepares to bat, when he notices the creeping vine on the ground near him. He just shakes his head and tries to concentrate on Peppermint Patty's pitch. She, however, has her own problems, as the tree on the pitcher's mound keeps getting in the way when she tries to throw.

First, her arm gets snagged around it, and then, when she tries for another throw, her foot is snagged on it, prompting her to let out an angry yell. She then gets downwind of the tree and prepares for the throw, while Snoopy realizes the creeping vine is, indeed, creeping towards him. Ignoring it, he manages to hit the ball when Peppermint Patty pitches and takes off running, only for the vine to grab his feet, causing him to fall and be declared out. Patty next pitches to Linus, who gets wrapped up in his blanket like a

mummy when he swings, leading to another out. Charlie Brown is now desperate for them to hit a home-run, which is when Schroeder promises to meet Lucy at home plate and give her a big kiss if she manages to pull it off. Incentivized, she walks up to the plate, with Charlie Brown suggesting that they'll all give her a kiss if she makes the run. Hearing that, she looks at Snoopy, who grins at her from ear to ear, and she lets out a "blech!" She then, predictably, hits the home-run, but decides it's

not worth it if that's the only way she can get Schroeder to kiss her. Instead, she sits back on the bench and declares, "Another victory for Women's Lib." After that, Charlie Brown is now pitching, having to go up against Peppermint Patty's best batters. First up is Franklin, who hits the ball, only for it to land in one of the scarecrow's mitts. Marcie hits the next pitch, which is caught by Rerun when he and his mother pass by the field. Peppermint Patty herself is up to bat next, and

when Charlie Brown pitches, Patty hits the ball and, as often happens, it whizzes back by him with enough force to knock him out of his clothes. He hopes that one of his catchers can get it, but said catchers, Lucy and Frieda, are too busy admiring a sunflower in the garden to notice the ball hit the ground between them. Not that it matters; because of the thick foliage and vines on the ground, Patty is unable to find the bases and is declared out.

The game goes on for another six innings and Charlie Brown's team continues to do good, with someone catching a ball from the top of the tree and Snoopy managing to catch another while hiding in the scarecrow's shirt. It looks as if they're going to win, when Linus comments that their being rained out would be the only way they could lose now. Charlie Brown assures him there's not a cloud in the sky, when a bunch of storm clouds form overhead and thunder crashes. Before they can continue with the game, it starts raining, but,

regardless, Charlie Brown insists they're not stopping anything, telling Lucy to get back out in center-field when she comes up to ask if he's going to call the game. Unfortunately for him, the others don't share his zeal, as they run for it, leaving him stranded on the pitcher's mound, which is now a little island in the middle of the lake that was once his baseball field. He desperately yells for everyone to come back, insisting the rain will let up, and calls them all quitters. Realizing no one's

around to care, he sighs sadly, as Snoopy swims by and Sally floats by on a raft, noting how the rain is good for the plants (she calls her own brother "Charlie Brown" in this instance, which comes off as weird). All he can do is futilely yell that his team was winning. The special then ends with Sally doing well on her report on Arbor Day, ending it by quoting the last lines of J. Sterling Morton's 1894 Arbor Day address in Washington, while Peppermint Patty cheers Charlie Brown up from his despondence over the game being rained out, holding his hand and telling him, "Happy Arbor Day, Charlie Brown."

It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown has the sad legacy of being the last project Vince Guaraldi worked on, as he died of a sudden heart attack just hours after he finished recording the score; he was only 47. His music for the special provides exactly what would you come to expect from him: smooth, mellow, gentle jazz pieces, including a waltz-like theme that incorporates elements of Christmas Time Is Here, and another piece that's a variation on Guaraldi's "Joe Cool" leitmotif for when Snoopy is wearing the glasses. It gets a little more energetic during the third act and the baseball game, especially when Snoopy is up to bat and Lucy hits her home-run, but never loses that feeling of tranquility you'd come to expect from Guaraldi's work. All in all, while it's sad he died so young, this score isn't a bad one for Guaraldi to have gone out on.

It may never achieve the iconic status of A Charlie Brown Christmas or It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, but for my money, It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown is one of the more underrated holiday-centered Peanuts specials. I think it's a lot of fun, with some really entertaining and amusing moments, particularly Snoopy's antics and the baseball game played in the middle of a garden, and is also well-designed and animated, offers one last taste of the lovely jazz music from Vince Guaraldi, and successfully gives some exposure to a very overlooked holiday. Again, it may never be considered a classic, but that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable to watch. So, this Arbor Day, give it a whirl, preferably with your whole family.