There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown

"There No Time For Love" is one of the lesser-known Peanuts specials of the 1970s, immediately preceding the popular Thanksgiving episode. This one has a bit of a strange beginning, too. The first 10 minutes or so are a bunch of quick clips that could easily have been developed from the familiar four-panel comic strips, but now in animated form. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they actually were. It's also a little strangely titled, as the story that follows doesn't have much to do with love, and no one even mentions it other than Peppermint Patty.

The plot has several area schools going on a field trip to a local art museum. Before they enter, some of the gang get distracted and they don't see which doorway is for the museum. Left to choose, they enter 'Ace Super Market' instead (apparently they can't read, because both the museum and the supermarket have clearly visible signage). They don't realize their mistake until it's time to go home, and now Charlie is in a bind because he needs an 'A' on his field trip essay in order to pass his class. What happens? You'll have to watch and find out!

Items of note: This show has the animated debut of the Marcie character. It's also Franklin's first speaking part (he previously appeared in "Snoopy Come Home" but did not speak). Even though Franklin sits near Peppermint Patty in school, he is not shown on the field trip to the museum. This is the first animated Peanuts (movie or TV) to exclude Schroeder. He had appeared in everything beginning with "Christmas" in 1965. Woodstock is also missing from this one after making his debut in "Snoopy Come Home" and then returning in "You're Not Elected CB" (both 1972). Charlie Brown's school is identified as 'Birchwood School' for the 2nd time after first being named in 'Elected.' This also contains the first mention of 'the little red-haired girl' in an animated production since 1967's "You're In Love, CB."

'There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown' was a good special. Its maybe a little better than average Peanuts specials, but not anywhere near the "classics".

This special consisted of essentially two parts. Part 1 employed a series of sketches coming from the cartoon strip. Some work better as strips, others find some new personality. It probably depends on your interpretation of them. Part 2 was focused on a field trip to the art museum with Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty teaming up and going to the supermarket by mistake.

This special was good, but nothing to brag about. Although Marcie getting some spotlight in her on-screen debut was cool to see as well as a Joe Cool scene. In my opinion the first half drags down the whole a special a little bit. Peppermint Patty and Marcie really make the special worth watching though. Their dialogue and relationship is both cute and wholesome! So give it a watch if your fans of them!

"There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown" has little to do with love. You'd expect a cameo from the Little Red-Haired Girl, and consequently you'd be disappointed. The special is more about school woes and friendship awkwardnesses, topics which hit at the heart of the 'Peanuts' theme, and they're treated as well as ever here.

Unfortunately, it's not structured very thoughtfully. The first ten or fifteen minutes are simply a hodgepodge of animated comic strips about various characters: nothing bad, but not really related to the main plot once it gets to picking up. When nearly halfway in we finally do get to the igniting conflict - Charlie Brown must ace his report on the upcoming museum field trip report or fail the whole class - there has been absolutely no lead-up beyond "school is a drag for everyone."

Fortunately, the rest of the special makes up for that. Peppermint Patty was usually annoying and useless in the strips but here we see a genuine note of caring for her best friend Marcie, just enough so that when she reverts to her rude and brash self and gets her comeuppance we can sympathize with her. Marcie is good in her own right, the right mix of wise and naïve as she was in her initial appearances (later on she was less naïve) to make for a hilarious juxtaposition.

Poor Charlie Brown... what can we say? The sap desperately needs to ace his report and ends up in the wrong spot on the field trip! How will he survive? The foul-up sounds far-fetched, but it's executed so smoothly it's almost surreal. Snoopy, as always, makes the most of the situation to "Joe Cool" a hilarious interlude to his drab canine routine of a life and a good lighthearted intermission in a more serious story.

Worth watching? Absolutely. Technically, it can't compete with the greatest of the short specials due to the sloppy structure of much of the script, but at least we're far from the bland mimeography of "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown."

Another classic by Charles Schultz. I love this as I loved all other Peanuts animated shows. Charlie Brown is stressing over his grades in school. The gang takes a trip to the museum and have to write a paper on thier experience. The problem is that Charlie Brown, Sally, Snoopy, Marci & Peppermint Patty end up in a supermarket next to the museum. Marci is the only one to figure it out, though. Hearing Peppermint Patty describe the display of canned tomatoes as "pop art" was great! I though t it was brilliant when the rest of the group thought the prices of groceries was the museums attempt to try and raise money to stay open. Mistaking the butcher shop for dinosaur remains...too funny! I think you'll enjoy this.

Ninth animated special based on the Charles M. Schulz specials is about how Charlie Brown and his friends are having a tough time learning in school, so are taken on a field trip to write a report about an art gallery, but Charlie and some friends become confused and mistake a neighboring grocery store as the art gallery, and are confused about the cheap prices and strange art...Meanwhile, new girl Marcie is most persistent in making sure Peppermint Patty doesn't forget to be her field trip buddy, but gets to know Charlie Brown instead! Marcie's debut is the best thing about this one, being a likable and appealing original, otherwise merely adequate tale, but does have a nice ending.