A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a 1973 film about Charlie Brown's attempt to hold a Thanksgiving dinner after Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over.

Directed by Bill Melendez. Written by Charles M. Schulz.

Dialogue

Lucy van Pelt: [holding a football] Charlie Brown, oh, Charlie Brown!

Charlie Brown: I can’t believe it. She must think I’m the most stupid person alive.

Lucy: Come on, Charlie Brown. I’ll hold the ball and you kick it.

Charlie Brown: Hold it? HA! You’ll pull it away and I’ll land flat on my back and kill myself.

Lucy: But Charlie Brown, it's Thanksgiving.

Charlie Brown: What's that got to do with anything?

Lucy: Well, one of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day football game. And the biggest, most important tradition of all is the kicking off of the football.

Charlie Brown: Is that right?

Lucy: Absolutely. Come on, Charlie Brown. It's a great honor for you.

Charlie Brown: Well, if it's that important, a person should never turn down a great honor. Maybe I should do it. Besides, she wouldn't try to trick me on a traditional holiday. This time I'm gonna kick that football clear to the moon!

[Charlie Brown runs to kick the football. But Lucy pulls it away. He flies through the air, screaming, then falls flat on his back.]

Lucy: Isn't it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away?

---

[The scene cuts to Charlie Brown sitting next to Peppermint Patty. While Charlie Brown happily munches, Peppermint Patty angrily looks at the "meal" and scowls.]

Peppermint Patty: What’s this?! A piece of toast, a pretzel stick, popcorn?! What blockhead cooked all this?! [Snoopy hides his head in his chef's hat.] What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this?! Where's the turkey, Chuck?! Don't you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners?! Where's the mashed potatoes!? Where's the cranberry sauce!? Where's the pumpkin pie?!

[Charlie Brown walks off and into the house to be alone. Marcie turns to Peppermint Patty.]

Marcie: You were kind of rough on Charlie Brown, weren't you, sir?

Peppermint Patty: Rough!? Look at this?! Is this what you call a "Thanksgiving Day" dinner?! Did we come across town for this?! We are supposed to be served a real Thanksgiving dinner!

Marcie: Now wait a minute, sir. Did he invite you here to dinner or did you just invite yourself, and us, too?

Peppermint Patty: Gee, I never thought of it like that. You think I hurt ole Chuck's feelings? I bet I hurt his feelings, huh? Golly, why can't I act right outside of a baseball game? [pause] Marcie, maybe you could go to ole Chuck and patch things up for me. Maybe you can tell him how I really feel. Tell him I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Marcie, you can do it. You go and see him and tell him I really like it and I think the dinner's okay with me.

Marcie: Well, I don't know. But I should try. Maybe, I think you should go to Chuck and tell him yourself.

Peppermint Patty: No Marcie. I am going to just ruin everything. You know that I'm too brusque and rough. You go and speak for me.

Marcie: Well, okay.

[Marcie walks into the house as well, while Linus talks to Peppermint Patty about the incidents]

Linus: This is not unlike another infamous Thanksgiving episode. Do you remember the story of John Alden? And Priscilla Mullins? And Captain Myles Standish?

[Peppermint Patty scowls at Linus as well]

Peppermint Patty: This isn't like that one at all!

---

Marcie: Don't feel bad, Chuck. Peppermint Patty didn't mean all those things she said. Actually, she really likes you.

Charlie Brown: I don't feel bad for myself; I just feel bad because I ruined everyone's Thanksgiving.

Marcie: But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by "Thanksgiving", Charlie Brown.

Cast

• Todd Barbee — Charlie Brown/Chuck/Charles
• Robin Kohn — Lucy van Pelt
• Stephen Shea — Linus van Pelt
• Hilary Momberger — Sally Brown
• Christopher DeFaria — Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt
• Jimmy Ahrens – Marcie
• Robin Reed – Franklin
• Bill Melendez – Snoopy and Woodstock

External links

• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving quotes at the Internet Movie Database