| Genre: | Animated Television Special |
| Creator: | Charles M. Schulz |
| Director: | Bill Melendez |
| Theme Music Composer: | Vince Guaraldi |
| Opentheme: | "Charlie Brown and His All-Stars" |
| Endtheme: | "All-Stars Theme" |
| Composer: | Vince Guaraldi |
| Country: | United States |
| Executive Producer: | Lee Mendelson |
| Producer: | Bill Melendez |
| Company: | Lee Mendelson Film Productions Bill Melendez Productions |
| Camera: | Nick Vasu |
| Runtime: | 25:05 |
| Channel: | CBS |
Charlie Brown's All Stars! is the second prime-time animated television special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.[1] It was the second such TV special (following A Charlie Brown Christmas) to be produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez (who also directed), and originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1966, with annual re-airings on CBS through 1971.[2]
The special begins with a chase of Charlie Brown trying to catch a long-shot ball which he fails to get and his team shouting at him: "YOU BLOCKHEAD, CHARLIE BROWN!"
After Charlie Brown's baseball team loses their first game of the season, his players quit. Linus meets Charlie Brown with good news: Mr. Hennessey, the operator of the local hardware store, is offering to sponsor Charlie Brown's baseball team, place them in an organized league, and even buy them new uniforms.
The excitement gets the better of Charlie Brown, and he eagerly tells the team the good news. Lucy then states that if Charlie Brown can get the team uniforms, they will give him another chance and return to the team. But however, later at home, Charlie Brown receives a phone call from Mr. Hennessey and is told that the league doesn’t allow girls or dogs to play baseball. Charlie Brown tries to reason with him, but Mr. Hennessey replies that they are the league's rules, not his. If Charlie Brown and his team join the league, Mr. Hennessey says, the girls and Snoopy cannot participate. Unwilling to sacrifice his friends, Charlie Brown has no choice but to decline Mr. Hennessey's offer.
Moments later, Charlie Brown relays the bad news to Linus, who tells him that Lucy and the team will most likely be angry with his decision. However, Charlie Brown has an idea: He will not tell them until after the next game, figuring their lifted spirits will drive them to a great win. Linus says that this may not be a good idea, but Charlie Brown feels it will work. The game starts off slowly, but as it picks up, the team begins to play spectacularly. Although Snoopy successfully steals second, third, and home, Charlie Brown attempts to tie the game by doing the same, only to be thrown out at the plate, ending the game with yet another loss.
Lucy and several others tell Charlie Brown that if they had their uniforms, they would have won the game. Charlie Brown then tells the team (without revealing the reasons why) that he told Mr. Hennessey that the deal was off. This causes the team to yell in anger and storm off. As the girls complain about their misfortune, Linus angrily reveals to them the reason why Charlie Brown declined the offer. Schroeder furiously berates the girls for their selfishness and outrageous behavior, pointing out that the uniforms meant to Charlie Brown as much as they did to them, probably even more, causing them to finally admit defeat and feel ashamed. Lucy comes up with an idea to make up for the insults by making a special baseball uniform for Charlie Brown. Linus insists they have no material available. However, Lucy responds (grinning evilly) that they do and she, the other girls, and Snoopy use Linus's blanket (the only material available) to create the baseball uniform, forcing Linus to give up his habits.
The team presents the newly made uniform shirt to Charlie Brown. He is determined that his team will win the next day's baseball game, but it rains, so the game is canceled. Charlie Brown is standing in the rain on the pitcher's mound, where Linus finds him and tells him that nobody will be coming to the field. When Linus stares at Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown questions why he is looking at him like that. Linus wails bitterly and tells him that his uniform was made out of his blanket. Charlie Brown finally realizes what the girls did and offers him the tail of his uniform (which he accepts and sucks his thumb as he normally does) and they stand on the mound together in the pouring rain during the closing credits.
This is the first Peanuts special to not feature Tracy Stratford as Lucy van Pelt; she was replaced with Sally Dryer, who voiced Violet in the previous special. This is also the first special where Karen Mendelson voices Violet.
The soundtrack for Charlie Brown's All Stars! was composed and conducted by Vince Guaraldi and performed by the Vince Guaraldi Sextet.[3]
No official soundtrack for Charlie Brown's All Stars! was released, although select music cues have been made available on several compilation albums:[3] [4]
A book about the television special was published shortly after it initially aired. In the book, Charlie Brown tells his teammates "we don't need them," then turns and walks away as they verbally abuse him until Linus defends him, in this instance without giving a reason. In the book, Schroeder is not shown berating the girls and Snoopy along with Linus, although he does in the television show: "Those uniforms meant just as much to Charlie Brown as they did to you. Probably more!" At the end, Linus just comes up to Charlie wearing the new uniform on the pitchers mound and Charlie wordlessly lets him use his shirt tail to hold up against his cheek.
The special was first released on RCA's SelectaVision CED format in 1983 as part of the "A Charlie Brown Festival Vol. IV" compilation. It was also released on VHS and Betamax by Media Home Entertainment in 1984, along with It's Magic, Charlie Brown. It would be released again by its kids subdivision Hi-Tops Video in 1988. Paramount Home Media Distribution released it on VHS on January 9, 1996, along with It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown's All Stars! was released in DVD format on March 2, 2004, grouped with the similarly themed It's Spring Training, Charlie Brown (1992) and Lucy Must Be Traded, Charlie Brown (2003). On July 7, 2009, it was released in remastered form as part of the DVD box set, Peanuts 1960's Collection. It was again released as part of the 4K edition of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in 2017.
A cancelled video game titled Charlie Brown's All Stars for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable was likely going to be an adaption of the special. It was developed simultaneously with Snoopy vs. the Red Baron by FarSight Studios and was going to be published by Namco Bandai Games. It was going to release in the spring of 2007; however, it was cancelled due to an excessive amount of projects by the studio and lack of staff.[7]
The special was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program in 1967, along with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It lost to Hanna-Barbera's Jack and the Beanstalk, starring Gene Kelly.