She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown

Plot synopsis:
Peppermint Patty is practicing figure skating with her coach Snoopy (in a role modeled on real-life skating coach Carlo Fassi) for an upcoming competition, but the many days of getting up to practice at 4:30 A.M. are starting to take their toll, and she falls asleep constantly in class. One of her practices is halted briefly when a group of ten hockey players threatens her if she does not leave the ice so they can play. Patty and Snoopy take care of the situation by shoving the lead hockey players on each squad, causing both teams of hockey players to fall on top of each other like dominoes and be swept off the ice by Snoopy.
Later that day after an afternoon practice, Marcie, who is observing, invites Patty over to her house for hot cocoa and cookies. Once there, Patty notices that Marcie has a sewing machine. Despite Marcie explaining that it is her mother's machine, and that she does not know how to sew, Patty commissions her to make a dress for the competition. With that settled, they head to a fabric store and buy the supplies (Peppermint Patty decides on denim, thus a "jean dress"). As expected, the dress does not come out good on Marcie's part, looking more like a sleeveless poncho, to which Marcie defends her mistake by saying she stated her poor sewing skills and the homespun outfit was Patty's idea, not hers. Patty heads back outside and almost tearfully shows Snoopy the mangled dress. He leads her back to Marcie's and, taking the dress from Patty, returns to the sewing machine and almost instantly sews the dress into a top-notch skating outfit.
Snoopy is less helpful, however, when Patty complains that her hair is a "mousey blah" style. Snoopy brings in a large red gift box, and inside is a large red curly-haired wig that makes Patty look like Little Orphan Annie. After trying it on, Patty rolls her eyes and dumps the wig on Snoopy's head.
The day of the competition has arrived. All the contestants are first practicing altogether, then they clear while the Zamboni (driven by Snoopy) clears the ice. The first two contestants end up falling and get rather low scores. The third contestant does not fall, and gets such a good score that the pressure is on for Patty. Unfortunately, disaster seems to strike as her music tape goes haywire in the cassette deck. While Snoopy (who is also running the music for each contestant) frantically tries to fix it and ends up in a fight with the machine on the ice, Patty is starting to sweat as she holds her opening pose longer than she expected, and all the rest of the Peanuts characters in the audience worry that she will be disqualified. However, disaster is averted when Woodstock steps up to the microphone and whistles her music, "O mio babbino caro".
Peppermint Patty receives the highest score, and has won the competition. She is shown on the stand with her trophy, while the runners-up stand below her with silver and bronze medals. On the way out, she is talking with Snoopy about her performance, and Snoopy is back as his grumbling, coaching self. She finally asks if he has anything nice to say, and she gets kissed on the cheek by him. At the end, Woodstock is shown bringing up the rear whistling the music again.

Tags: psychedelic

Review:
"I have weak ankles, sir.".
Peppermint Patty is in training for a figure skating competition with Snoopy as her coach.
There are a number of obstacles along the way, including a group of hockey bullies and Marcie's poor dressmaking skills.
But Patty forges on with help from her coach and a certain little bird.
This is a rather different Peanuts special as the focus is entirely on supporting character (but fan favorite) Peppermint Patty.
She, Marcie, and Snoopy are the only characters with a lot of screen time.
The rest of the gang shows up at the skating competition and get a line or two each.
Woodstock is also present in the background throughout and gets one of his best moments from any of the TV specials at the end.
The skating sequences are really well done with authentic movements, accomplished with rotoscoping.
Charles Schulz's own daughter did some of the skating.
It's not a very humorous cartoon but it does have heart and a pleasant tone.
Not one of the greats but nice..
it's Peppermint Patty's show.
Peppermint Patty is training for a figure skating competition.
She gets Snoopy to be her growling coach.
Marcie tries to sew her costume but Snoopy has to do it right.
The Peanuts gang gathers to watch Peppermint Patty compete.
However the music tape tangles up Snoopy and Woodstock saves the day by whistling the song.The Charlie Brown wig is hilarious and says so much about Snoopy.
Woodstock whistling is a nice moment.
Otherwise, there isn't much in this Peanuts special.
Most of the main characters get only minor roles.
It feels a little light because of that.
A Peanuts special should always try to have the whole gang participate.
At least it should keep Charlie Brown front and center..
Includes my favorite moment in all the "Peanuts" specials.
"She's A Good Skate, Charlie Brown" is not as well-known as, say, "A Charlie Brown Christmas." But this "Peanuts" special includes a special moment that I will always remember.In this special, Peppermint Patty is training for a local figure skating competition.
She spends hours at a frozen winter pond, practicing her skating routines, with Snoopy, her "skating coach," barking and snarling orders.
Snoopy's little bird friend, Woodstock, watches from the side of the pond, caught up in the beauty of Patty's skating.On the night of the competition, Patty skates out on the ice at the local ice rink.
But as she is about to begin her routine, the tape containing her music breaks.
Just as Patty is about to be disqualified, Woodstock saves the day.
He steps to the microphone in the announcer's booth, and whistles a beautiful rendition of Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro." (A professional bird whistler, Jason Serinus, was used for this.) Patty does her routine, and wins the competition.When Woodstock whistles Patty's music, it is a poignant and deeply moving moment.
You get the idea that Woodstock is a little guy with hidden reserves of spirit and a tremendous heart..
Soft Side of Peppermint Patty, and Woodstock Too!!.
Who would have thought that Tom-boy Peppermint Patty, the girl with the 95 mph fastball could be such a lovely figure skater.
And who would have known that silly and fun-loving Snoopy, the dog who pretends he's a WWI fighter pilot could be such a demanding coach.
Such is the case in "She's a Good Skate Charlie Brown".
This is one of the more memorable Peanuts adventures , not so much for the usual sight-gags, and banter, but for the wonderful climactic scene at the skating competition when Woodstock the bird steps up to the microphone and takes over for a broken cassette player allowing Patty to perform a beautiful and graceful program on the ice.
Between the spellbinding and haunting melody and the amazing skating motions wonderfully captured in animation form (you would think you were watching the Olympics)...you know you are seeing something truly special...a highlight of the "Peanuts" series..
Typically enjoyable Peanuts TV special.
Peppermint Patty rigorously trains for an upcoming figure skating competition with Snoopy serving as her tough coach and Marcie deputized as her reluctant costume designer.
Director Bill Melendez, working from a pleasant and witty script by Charles M.
Schulz, relates the delightful story at a snappy pace, creates and sustains an engagingly breezy tone, and milks the amusing sense of good-natured dry humor for a few solid laughs (it's a total hoot to see a crabby and exacting Snoopy put Patty through her paces and the sequence with Patty and Snoopy standing up to a team of belligerent bully hockey players is quite funny).
Naturally, the trademark sweet and warm Schulz sensibility is very evident here, with the single most lovely, precious, and touching moment occurring when Woodstock whistles the music for Patty over the microphone at the big skating event after Snoopy accidentally breaks the cassette player.
The nice jazzy score by Ed Bogas and Judy Munsen keeps things bubbling along.
The animation is really bright and colorful as well.
Well worth a watch for Peanuts fans..
One of the most underrated Peanuts Specials starring my favorite character.
(Slight Spoiler warning).
Peppermint Patty is hands down my favorite characters in Peanuts.
She is one of the funniest characters in the comics, (Though Snoopy is the funniest hands down.) Plus she is a character that I can relate too as I too had trouble at school when I was a kid.
When I first heard about this special back in December of last year, I decided to give it a watch.
And personally, I love it.The story is pretty good for what it was especially since it was based on a storyline in the comic where Peppermint Patty trains for an ice skating competition with the help of Snoopy and Marcie.
(both the special and the comic storyline have VERY different outcomes but good stories in their own way.) I will admit though that there a couple of points in the story that are rushed but doesn't hurt the special in anyway The animation is great.
It sticks true to the Peanuts Style and the skating animation which was done by rotoscope is really well done.While Snoopy and Peppermint Patty had some of the funniest moments.
The best moment in the special hands down goes to Woodstock for whistling "O Mio Babbino Caro" during a certain event at the end; Which believe it or not is a major plot point in the special.
I don't want to give to much away on what happens.
You have to see it for yourself.This is also the first special to use adult voices, which a lot of Peanuts fans might not like, but personally I'm okay with it.
I really don't see why that is a bad thing nor do I see it hurt the quality of the special Overall, She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown is a really great special that is worth the watch.
It's a shame that it has been overlooked cause in my opinion, it is one of the good ones.
I bet it is because many Peanuts fans feel that the specials from the 60's and 70's are the best and the 80's, 90's and 2000's special dipped in quality.
To which I say, "Have you guys watch "What Have We Learned Charlie Brown?" and Why Charlie Brown, Why?" those are some of the best specials and their from the 80's and 90's respectively.But as for She's a Good Skate, this is a great and yet overlooked special that is worth the watch if you're a fan of Peanuts and/or a fan of Peppermint Patty..
Patty's moment in the limelight.
"She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown" is an animated short film from over 35 years ago and as always with the Peanuts, it runs for over 20 and under 30 minutes.
Also as many other times, this one here was nominated for an Emmy.
The win, however, went to a fairly unknown film called "Carlton Your Doorman" by Lorenzo Music, the voice of Garfield.
Back to this one here, Roman directed and Schulz wrote it like so many other times.
I have to say that i not only do not like peppermint, but also that this film confirms my theory that Peppermint Patty is among the least memorable Peantuts regulars and not interesting enough for her own film.
Usually, they have one character of the gang in the spotlight with the others being supporting players and usually they used references from other films to create a movie around this character like with Linus and his blanket for example, but it seems like they did not really have a clue what to do with Patty, so they turned her into an ice-skater.
The story is uninteresting, yep predictable.
Not a good watch.
Sorry Pats, you will never be my favorite.
Not recommended.