Fifty years ago in 1966, the television special "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" aired as "A CBS Special Presentation In Color" on October 27,1966. It was the third Peanuts special(and the second holiday themed special,following the phenomenal success of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in 1965 that became a colossal hit)to be produced and animated by Bill Melendez and was written by Charles M. Schulz,based on his Peanuts comic strip and serving as executive producers Lee Mendelson along with Bill Melendez with the original theme music composed by Vince Guaraldi. "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" was also the first Peanuts special to use the titular pattern of a short phrase,followed by the main character "Charlie Brown", a pattern which would remain the norm for almost all subsequent Peanuts specials for many years. The initial broadcast of "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" took place in prime-time on Thursday October 27,1966 on CBS-TV In Color ,preempting "My Three Sons" on it's regular schedule. The original sponsors,as seen during the opening sequences(almost never seen afterward in its entirely since the original telecast)were The Coca-Cola Bottling Company and Dolly Madison Snack Foods which would go on to be a longtime co-sponsor of the Peanuts specials that originally aired on CBS. From the original telecast it was a colossal hit and the animated special was nominated in 1967 for three Prime Time Emmys including Outstanding Children's Program, Outstanding Animation Director(Bill Melendez),and Outstanding Outstanding Animation Writer(Charles M. Schulz). It was also nominated in 1967 for the Golden Globe for Best Animated Special. "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" really encapsulates childhood, the camaraderie and the spirit of Halloween in this classic tale of Charlie Brown and his friends going out for trick or treats and seeing Charlie Brown and his bag of rocks while everybody else gets candy and goodies; Linus and Sally waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive while Charlie Brown and the gang get invited to Violet's Halloween party. The classic Snoopy and the Red Baron(in one of the greatest animated scenes ever)sets the tone for what's to follow. The scene where Sally really gives Linus the scolding of his life is the best of this holiday special where Sally misses Halloween and Treats while calling Linus "You Blockhead!" while sitting all night in a pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive but instead rises Snoopy from the patch. The musical score from Vince Guaraldi is in regards a classic among classics and the score is just as brilliant today as it was when audiences first heard this back in 1966. I heard there is a soundtrack album to this television special too."It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" aired annually on CBS from 1966 until 2000 with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001(as with all of the Peanuts specials)where it airs annually during the Halloween season. Until the 2013 broadcast, the other Peanuts special "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown" aired immediately after "It's The Great Pumpkin" as if the emphasize the proximity of Halloween to Election Day. Also,the Great Pumpkin is mentioned in "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown" which aired twice on ABC in 2014. When ABC aired the first-ever animated special based on the "Toy Story" movies titled "Toy Story of Terror" that animated special "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" immediately followed afterward. Even after its initial broadcast more than 50 years ago this Peanuts special still entertains while enjoying the holiday spirit. So, here's a golden 50th anniversary to the Great Pumpkin and Charlie Brown.

A few stray observations about "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown": 1. Who actually hands out rocks on Beggar's Night? Or maybe these people know Charlie Brown's coming and harvest rocks just for him. That'd lend a sadistic edge to this story.2. Every year, maybe, just maybe, ol' Chuck *won't* fall for Lucy's football scam. I can't speak for anyone else, but I find myself thinking this every time.Either way, this special is essential to a good family Halloween, what with its wholesome message about believing in something. It's rewarding, no matter how many Octobers have passed. Combine this with Vince Guaraldi's first-rate score and an infusion of warm Fall colors, and this thing's a keeper.7/10

One of the first specials I watched in Color at my Cousin Rose's house in New Jersey. Charlie Brown just wants to fit in with the Peanuts gang as he prepares his Ghost Costume complete with plenty of holes. Lucy wants to win at the apple dunking contest but Snoopy splits the winnings with her. Linus sways impressionable Sally Brown to the Pumpkin Patch to wait up for the GREAT PUMPKIN to appear in all his glory giving presents and goody to all. This marks the last episode of the peanuts character Violet who is a dead ringer for Lucy except Violet has her hair in a bun. Charlie Brown's night of Trick or treating is a bust as he collects a bag full of rocks instead of candy. Linus doesn't fair any better as the night wains on with no Great Pumpkin in sight as a livid Sally gives him the business. Just as close to real life as it gets. That's why these cartoons are so connected to the average child's taste where as situations happen beyond your own control. Sometimes the best laid plans don't always work out but we take these set backs as life lessons to learn from as did creator Charles M. Shulz did growing up in Minnesota with a mixture of all those Peanuts characters bottled up inside him. I tend to find a bond with these holiday programs cause there's a little Charlie Brown and Linus in all of us as well. With failure there's hope and maybe next Halloween The Great Pumpkin will show up?

Third animated special based on the cartoon strips of Charles M. Schulz is also the best, a fondly remembered and still quite popular tale about how Linus decides to forgo trick or treating with his friends to stay in the pumpkin patch to get presents from the Great Pumpkin, a legendary figure who is quite similar to Santa Claus. Meanwhile, poor Charlie Brown gets only rocks in his bag, and mistakenly invited to Violet's Halloween party, where Lucy uses his head as a pumpkin model! Sally's love for Linus is also tested, and Snoopy becomes a WWI flying Ace. Wonderful tale has a distinct Halloween feel to it, and is also both funny and even spooky. A perennial holiday favorite.