# Good Grief! New Schulz biography, "Peanuts" DVDs coming **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167 "2007-10-10T02:19:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/1 "2007-10-10T02:19:27Z")
Some interesting news on two fronts if you’re a fan of _Peanuts_ and its creator, Charles Schulz (as I am). Next week is the publication of the biography _Schulz and Peanuts_ by David Michaelis, which is only the second biography written about the cartoonist (the first was Rheta Grimsley Johnson’s _Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz_, which was written when Schulz was still alive and with his cooperation). This sounds like it could be interesting. I’m guessing that the book will create new debates about Schulz, his life, and his work- which could be both a good thing and a bad thing- based on the fact that the _New York Times_ recently [reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/books/08schu.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin) that Schulz’s family is disturbed at the portrayal of the man as constantly depressed and harsh towards others- very much unlike the way he appeared to come off in television programs and in interviews. The family is also dismayed at the fact that Michaelis chose to focus on more of the bad parts of Schulz’s life, such as his often shaky relationship with his first wife, Joyce Halverson, whom Michaelis claims was the inspiration for Lucy. Based on some of the things I’ve read about Schulz and his life, it isn’t surprising that he had depression in his life, as do we all- look at Charlie Brown. But whether or not he was really the opposite of the way he came off is something we’ll never know. Either way, it sounds like a very interesting book. On a far more upbeat note, Warner Home Video recently [announced](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i298d60247271e2fe163b283274dde1be) that they have obtained the home video rights to the _Peanuts_ TV specials. As part of an agreement with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Bill Melendez Productions, Warner will begin in 2008 to rerelease new DVDs of the classic holiday specials previously put out by Paramount- including the first and most famous Emmy- and Peabody-award winning 1965 classic _A Charlie Brown Christmas_- with new bonus features and restorations. But far more interesting in my opinion is the fact that they will also be releasing compilations of some of the lesser-known specials- released on VHS years ago by Paramount but never before available on DVD- packaged together in the style of their best-selling _Looney Tunes Golden Collection_ series. If Warner can treat Charlie Brown and his friends as well as they do Bugs and Popeye, I’m sure a new generation of _Peanuts_ fans will come to love both the perennials and the obscures as much as we all have. Also look for a new PBS documentary on Schulz later this month. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/2 "2007-10-10T03:20:19Z")
I remember one Charlie Brown episode where they went to France and another were they went to summer camp. Other than Christmas and Halloween I don’t remember any others. Were there more? Marc ---
**Author:** ![Obligate\_Carnivore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Obligate\_Carnivore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obligate_Carnivore)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/3 "2007-10-10T03:26:02Z")
[QUOTE=MGibson] I remember one Charlie Brown episode where they went to France and another were they went to summer camp. Other than Christmas and Halloween I don’t remember any others. Were there more? Marc [/QUOTE] I remember one where Snoopy runs away (?) and keeps finding signs at places that say “No Dogs Allowed” but that’s as much detail as I can remember… ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/4 "2007-10-10T03:33:10Z")
It looks like there have been over 50 \*Peanuts \* TV specials… > **[Peanuts filmography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Peanuts_media)** > > This is a list of adaptations in film, television, musical theater, and video games, based on characters from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. > A series of releases from Warner Home Video, collecting the prime-time TV specials in chronological order of their original production and airing. Each volume of the collection contains six specials on two DVDs, with each volume covering half a decade (the first special was 1965). All 1960s/1970s specials are included in these collections... ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/5 "2007-10-10T03:35:56Z")
[QUOTE=Obligate Carnivore] I remember one where Snoopy runs away (?) and keeps finding signs at places that say “No Dogs Allowed” but that’s as much detail as I can remember… [/QUOTE] That was the movie [Snoopy Come Home.](http://imdb.com/title/tt0069289/) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/6 "2007-10-10T03:36:02Z")
According to [this list](http://web.mit.edu/smcguire/www/peanuts-tv-checklist.html), there were 39 Peanuts TV specials done during Schulz’s life, 5 posthumous specials, a 8-episode miniseries, an 18-episode Saturday-morning cartoon, and 4 feature films. **MGibson** is recalling _It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown_ (1969) and either the feature film _Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don’t Come Back)_ (1980) or its TV follow-up _What Have We Learned, Charlie Brown?_ (1983). **Obligate Carnivore** is recalling the feature film _Snoopy Come Home_ (1972), featuring wonderful compositions by Walt Disney’s favorite composers, Richard and Robert Sherman. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/7 "2007-10-11T12:47:03Z")
Schultz himself stated that his daughter Meredith was the inspiration for Lucy. She acted like her when she was very young, and he even use to call her “fussbudget.” Scultz has written autobiographical stuff in several of the Peanuts books. He admits to getting depressed occasionally (who doesn’t?). But he always came across as a nice “Charlie Brown” type of guy. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/8 "2007-10-11T14:11:16Z")
I like the Thanksgiving special where they make a traditional dinner of popcorn and toast. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/9 "2007-10-11T14:41:10Z")
[QUOTE=MGibson] I remember one Charlie Brown episode where they went to France and another were they went to summer camp. Other than Christmas and Halloween I don’t remember any others. Were there more? Marc [/QUOTE] Others have given the links, of course. My parents taped “The NASA Space Station” episode when it aired. Not a very good show, in my opinion, and boy were they optimistic about what would eventually become the ISS. I remember the script claiming that it’d be up and running by 1995. They also taped “The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk.” Same opinion, more or less. Quite frankly, maybe three Peanuts shows are worth watching in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/10 "2007-10-11T14:58:13Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] I like the Thanksgiving special where they make a traditional dinner of popcorn and toast. [/QUOTE] It was all they could make. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/11 "2007-10-11T15:22:15Z")
I’ve been looking forward to the new biography. I’m currently working my way through the various Complete Peanuts volumes and have developed an extremely deep appreciation for a body of which which I had largely dismissed before. The only Peanuts I ever liked were the earlier strips, and while I still vastly prefer Shultz’s style in the earlier strips, I’ve only recently started to appreciate the strip on the whole. The DVDs sound cool, too. The TV specials and the biography will make really nice companions to my growing Peanuts library. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/12 "2007-10-11T20:24:48Z")
Schulz occasionally took a punch line directly from life. One example I read about long ago was the strip originally published on May 28, 1961. As [this page](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ecBMf3q5XwAJ:en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Annotations_of_The_Complete_Peanuts/1961_to_1962+%22buttering+too+loud%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us) confirms my memory: [Quote=Charles Schulz] We were at the dinner table and Amy was talking away on a real talking streak and finally I said, “Can’t you please be quiet?” and she was silent for a moment and then picked up a piece of bread and began to butter it, saying, “Am I buttering too loud for you?” [/Quote] ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/13 "2007-10-11T20:35:58Z")
Wasn’t there a “Peanuts” special where Charlie Brown is paired off with the Little Red-Haired Girl at a school dance, and is supposed to kiss her? IIRC, he goes into a loopy dreamflight as soon as he kisses her, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of what happened. Linus tells him he was the hit of the dance, but Chuck has a complete blackout of the whole event. I swear I saw this, but no-one I ever mention it to remembers it. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/14 "2007-10-11T22:17:10Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] Wasn’t there a “Peanuts” special where Charlie Brown is paired off with the Little Red-Haired Girl at a school dance, and is supposed to kiss her? IIRC, he goes into a loopy dreamflight as soon as he kisses her, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of what happened. Linus tells him he was the hit of the dance, but Chuck has a complete blackout of the whole event. I swear I saw this, but no-one I ever mention it to remembers it. [/QUOTE] That’s [It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Your_First_Kiss%2C_Charlie_Brown) from 1977. (I could have sworn it was much earlier; I’m obviously conflating it with _You’re in Love, Charlie Brown_.) The one I’m eager to see again is _Play It Again, Charlie Brown_, which actually focuses on Schroeder’s Beethoven fixation, and Lucy’s frustration therewith. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/15 "2007-10-13T21:23:43Z")
One of Schulz’s biggest fans, Bill Watterson, has made of one his rare post-_Calvin and Hobbes_ print appearances to [review](http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119214690326956694.html?watterson) _Schulz and Peanuts_ for _The Wall Street Journal_. Watterson is impressed by how Schulz was able to take the bad parts of his life and find humor in them- which is, I guess, what all humorists do. [Here’s](http://www.schulzbiography.com/) the book’s official website. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2007, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-grief-new-schulz-biography-peanuts-dvds-coming/422167/16 "2007-10-13T22:28:40Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] Wasn’t there a “Peanuts” special where Charlie Brown is paired off with the Little Red-Haired Girl at a school dance, and is supposed to kiss her? [/QUOTE] She was blasphemously shown on screen, and her name was blasphemously revealed to be Heather. Thankfully, this video does not actually exist, except in the fevered imaginations of those who claim to have seen it.