HAPPY HALLOWE'EN, EVERYBODY !!!!!!!
Well, Boils & Ghouls... the BIG DAY has arrived !! Yes, October 31st is here at last and FINALLY we can REALLY get into the spirit of things (ahem!) and celebrate HALLOWE'EN in fine style !! Of course, this also means that the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2018 is now over, and this will be the last post in my month-long blogathon for "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku"!
If you read my Hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published on 30th September, then you will know that I've been posting one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the best spooky shorts I could find, this means you should now have lots of great choices for some creepy cartoon viewing as you celebrate Hallowe'en tonight, not to mention some top-notch animated scares for you to enjoy in the coming weeks and months! ;-)
Likewise... if you read my posts from 'Day Three', or 'Day Ten', or 'Day Seventeen', or perhaps even 'Day Twenty-Four' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall that each featured a slightly longer animated short than the usual creepy classics (of around 5-10 minutes) which I shared on most days in this series of posts. The reason is: I dedicated each Wednesday to my "MIDWEEK MEGATOON", and these films were typically in the region of 20-30 minutes duration. Last week was a 'toon from the eighties, called "Garfield's Halloween Adventure"... but this week I'm sharing one of my favourite Halloween animated specials from the sixties, entitled "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"! :-D
Released (i.e. first broadcast) on 27th October 1966, while produced and directed by Bill Melendez, this now classic piece of animation has become synonymous with Hallowe'en... meaning that, each and every October, both kids and adults alike are eagerly anticipating another screening - although, in our case, it's probably more accurate to say "another streaming"! :-P ;-) :-) Based on a story written by 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz, this Halloween TV Special also features more original music by the super-talented Vince Guaraldi - who, in case you weren't aware, also recorded the famous theme tune. Other musical arrangements, as well as conducting duties, were handled by John Scott Trotter.
Owing to the (relative) lack of time that I have available today - yes, believe it or not, we'll all be out celebrating Hallowe'en with the rest (and best) of you - I'm going to forego my usual introduction to this animated film, which typically features a series of still frame images / screen captures arranged in a sort of virtual "storyboard" depicting the initial part of the cartoon, and jump straight to the video:-
Unlike other films from this series of posts, "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) did not seem to be available via 'YouTube' and, as a result, the version I am sharing with you today is hosted on the 'Vimeo' website. Of course, in addition to watching this embedded video of the cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your phone or tablet by using the 'Vimeo' app(s) for both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms on your mobile devices. For those who prefer to watch on their big screen television, there is also a Roku channel for 'Vimeo' which is available via the built-in 'Channel Store', found under "Streaming Channels" from the 'Home' menu of your Roku streaming media player, and the channel icon [aka 'HD Poster' image] to look out for is as follows:-
VIMEO....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TOP TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the Roku channel for 'Vimeo' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "prettyroasdo", also known as "Aaliyah Rosado" - or the unique identifier (which is "296755987" for the video shown above) - so your best hope of finding "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) within the 'Vimeo' channel on your Roku device is to use the exact title provided by the uploader... so, in this particular case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" as shown (in full) across the top of the embedded video that has been included in this post. Experience has taught me that not all the video titles will be included within the 'Vimeo' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed among the 'Search' results on the right of your screen and that it should be possible to stream the whole thing on Roku device(s) without any issues! ;-) :-)
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video, watch out for when 'Charlie Brown' goes out to "Trick Or Treat" around the neighbourhood with the other kids (minus 'Linus' & 'Sally', of course!) and, while everyone else is getting handfuls of candy and other "treats", all he gets is a rock thrown in his candy bag (on more than one occasion!). Coupled with the fact that, having celebrated getting an invitation to a Halloween party, he was told he got an invite by mistake... and, when he went anyway, his friend 'Violet' used the back of his bald head to draw the outline of a Jack-O-Lantern face, it is not hard to feel for the little guy. There he is, an eager & sincere kid, who never seems to catch a break!
Charlie Brown: "I Got A Rock!"
Imagine if you had suffered the above scenario - repeatedly - over the course of going door-to-door to "Trick Or Treat" for candy... on top of being subjected to this treatment, by one of your "friends"! :-O
'Violet' Draws A Jack-O-Lantern Face On The Head Of 'Charlie Brown' !!
But, if you think that's tough, don't even get me started on what happened to poor young 'Linus'! :-O
'Sally' Loses It With 'Linus', Having Sat In A Cold Pumpkin Patch All Night For Nothing !!
Left Alone And Shivering With His Unwavering Belief, Until Big Sis' Shows-Up At 4am !!
Granted this all seems harsh but, if you think about it, many of the best-loved TV Specials have some element of melancholy... but (usually) they provide a more satisfactory conclusion when, more often than not, the main character has managed to triumph over adversity. This theme has been much-used, for example, in many of the Rankin/Bass TV Specials - whose characters frequently endure all kinds of hardship and despair, only for everything to turn-out fine in the end. You can also question whether the festive favourite, "It's A Wonderful Life", would have had such impact were it not for the upbeat finale of seeing 'George Bailey' reunited with his family after drowning in the depths of despair. No such let-off for all concerned in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"... but, then again, perhaps the fact it took things one stage further than most - in avoiding a sugary-sweet ending - is what keeps it so close to people's hearts. Pretty ironic for a celebration that is (mostly) centred around candy! ;-)
Anyhow, having made those observations, let's not forget that there are also "treats" in-store for many on Hallowe'en... and, as it happens, I've got a few more for all of you before I sign-off and head out in a short while. As has been the norm, in this series of posts, these "treats" will take the form of various items of memorabilia associated with today's creepy cartoon classic - so, get stuck-in to this lot! ;-) :-)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Film Poster]
'Peanuts' Creator, Charles M. Schulz, Draws 'Charlie Brown' For The Comic Strip
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Standard Edition] (by Michael De Pippo)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Variant Edition] (by Michael De Pippo)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [CBS Advert] (October 1984)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [50th Anniversary Tribute] (Dark Hall Mansion)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Vinyl Record, Book, And Comic Strip]
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [DHM's 50th Anniversary Tribute] (Ltd. Edition)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Fan Poster] (El Ataque De La Gran Calabaza)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [Contemporary Poster] (Tim Doyle / Ridge Rooms)
"It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (1966) [DHM's 50th Anniversary Tribute] (Variant Poster)
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Still, that's all I've got time for today... and sadly that's all for this year, too, but do remember to come back next year, for the followup to "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" with whatever Hallowe'en treats I can find for you in 2019, right here on this blog. Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website and continue to show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' who took part this time, as well as in previous years. I know they will all appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made! ;-)
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness that's been going-on around these parts for the last month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost)! ;-)
Until the next time, then...
