It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown (1969) Movie Script

Come on, Sally. It's time to go to school.
- Not for me.
- What do you mean not for you?
I went yesterday.
But Mom made a lunch for you
and packed it in this new lunchbox.
Mom bought me a new lunchbox?
Well, if Mom went
to all that trouble and expense...
...of getting me a new lunchbox,
I'd better go to school.
But that's the only reason I'm going.
Hurry up, Sally,
before you change your mind.
I'm coming. I'm coming.
I'll just have to make the best of it.
So I'll go to kindergarten, and I'll study,
and I'll try to get along with everybody.
But I won't learn Latin.
Come on, we'll be late for school.
Did you wash your hands?
Let's see your fingernails.
They're clean.
How'd you get your fingernails so clean?
Toothpaste.
Isn't there any way
I can get out of starting kindergarten?
I doubt it, Sally.
Everybody has to go to school.
There must be some way
to get around it.
Do you think maybe
I can get a deferment?
Hi, Charlie Brown. Hi, Sally.
- Hi, Charlie Brown. Hi, Sally.
- Hi, Lucy. Hi, Linus.
What's with Sally?
Poor Sally is so nervous
that if someone mentioned kindergarten...
...I bet she'd jump 30 feet in the air.
Kindergarten.
Hmm. Only 10 feet.
I knew you were exaggerating.
Well, there it is, Sally.
See? Nothing to be frightened about.
Agh!
[WHISPERING]
Psst. H.
[WHISPERING]
Psst. K.
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-wah.
- Oh, good grief.
- Yes, ma'am?
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah. Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah.
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-wah.
Yes, ma'am. We were playing hangman.
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah.
Studying? Oh, yes, ma'am.
You're absolutely right.
We should have been studying. But you'd...
May I say something, ma'am?
You seem to forget that you haven't
given us any assignments yet.
Now you've done it.
Here comes a stupid assignment.
Miss Halverson,
could you repeat our assignment?
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah. Wah-wah-wah-wah.
Write a 500-word theme
on what we did this summer?
How do you teachers keep coming up
with these great new ideas?
[BELL RINGS]
Nobody can write a 500-word essay
on what he did during the summer.
It's ridiculous.
When are you going to write yours?
This evening?
Mine's already finished.
I wrote it during study period.
Violet, you drive me crazy.
Do you know why English teachers
go to college for four years?
No, I don't know why English teachers
go to college for four years.
Well, then I'll tell you why English teachers
go to college for four years.
So they can learn
how to make stupid kids...
...write stupid essays
on what they did all stupid summer.
CHARLIE [IN VOICEO VER]:
English Essay.
"What I Did This Summer. "
I played ball and went to camp.
One, two, three, four...
...five, six, seven, eight.
Four hundred and ninety-two words to go.
What did I do this summer?
Well, you wanted to stay home
and read comic books and watch TV.
But I signed you up for camp.
"What I Did This Summer. "
This summer I went to camp.
And it all started
on the last day of school.
[BELL RINGS THEN KIDS CHEERING]
We rushed to freedom,
ready for vacation.
Oh, boy, summer at last.
I'm going to spend it reading comic books
and watching TV.
What are you going to do,
Charlie Brown?
I'm going to spend the summer
developing the old pitching arm.
[THWACK]
And I'm going to develop
my piano technique.
My fingers must be loose and pliable.
Why, I might even write a concerto.
And I'm going to spend all summer
having clean thoughts.
[ALL COUGHING]
I've signed everyone up
for summer camp.
ALL:
Camp? Everyone?
There's to be no discussion
and no need to thank me.
I feel like I've been drafted.
If I can't take my piano, I won't go.
Camp? Camp?
Those summer camps
are always out in the woods someplace.
And those woods
are full of queen snakes.
Have you ever been chomped
by a queen snake?
You'll not get me near any woods
full of queen snakes.
No, sir. Not me.
I'll tell the parents
you will all be happy to go.
[ALL WAILlNG]
Well, I guess we're all ready,
but what about Snoopy?
CHARLIE:
Snoopy's ready.
- Frieda?
FRIEDA: Here.
- Violet?
- Here.
LUCY: Patty?
- Present.
LUCY: Peppermint Patty?
- Yo.
[PLAYING SAD TUNE ON PIANO]
[GEARS GRINDING, ENGINE STARTING]
Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup! Hup!
All present and accounted for, sir.
Carry on, Patty.
- Get off my foot.
- Quit pushing.
Back up, everyone. Back up.
- Ooh. Ow!
- All right, everybody. Move it along.
Hup. Hup. Hup. Hup.
LINUS [IN VOICEO VER]:
So here I am on the bus...
...headed for camp.
CHARLIE:
Well, here I am on a bus going to camp.
LINUS: I'll no sooner step off the bus
than I'll be chomped by a queen snake.
Why do they send little kids to camp
who don't wanna go?
What if my mother and father move away
while I'm gone and don't tell me?
I'm doomed.
We've been shanghaied.
LINUS: The first thing that happened
did not augur well.
Somebody picked a leader for our tent.
As you are aware, I've been chosen
your tent leader and activities chairman.
I feel my valuable experience at baseball
managing will stand us in good stead.
BOTH:
Good grief.
The first thing we must learn
is the proper way to make our beds.
See this? At each corner,
we must stretch and box-in the blanket...
...so that at bed check,
when I come by to check...
...I'll take a quarter
and bounce it on the cover.
It should...
Well, so much for making beds.
Now, we've worked out a schedule
of competitive sports...
...to sort of get the chinks out
of the winter fat.
We'll start with a little competition
with the girls across the lake.
We're gonna indulge
in a little swimming race with them.
And I don't want you guys
to show them up too badly.
Swim steady,
but don't make them look too bad.
After all, boys are stronger.
LUCY: After we arrived,
the first thing those boys did...
...was issue us a challenge
to a swim meet.
Remember, swim to the float and back.
First kid back wins for his tent.
Ready, set...
...go.
Come on, team.
Team.
Team, come on.
Come on, team.
[ALL CHEERING]
Well, troops, that was a sorry performance
this morning out on the lake.
But we won't let it discourage us.
It isn't like we lost a ball game
or something really important.
It's like we had a disaster.
At any rate, I think we can look forward
to a hearty lunch...
...and then a rousing softball game.
Perhaps we should seek revenge
for this morning's fiasco...
...by challenging the girls' camp
to a softball game.
[ALL CHEERING]
Ten-hut!
Right face.
Boy, I like summer camp.
It's the next best thing
to being in the infantry.
Forward march.
Hup, hup. Hup, hup, hup.
Hup, hup. Hup, hup, hup.
Column right.
[YELLS]
[ALL GRUNTING]
Quit pushing.
- Quit pushing.
- All right, everybody, move it along.
[FLATLY]
Hup, hup, hup.
CHARLIE:
Well, here I am standing in the chow line.
Lunch is gonna taste good.
What's your name, kid?
Charlie Brown.
Hey, get a load of the kid
with the funny name.
Lunch is gonna taste awful.
Ugh.
Aah!
Aah! Aah! Aah!
Where on earth is Snoopy going?
He's gotta eat. Who's gonna feed him?
LUCY:
The first day went well...
...we beat the boys
across the lake in the swim meet...
...and then we were challenged
to a softball game.
Peppermint Patty was our captain.
Eagle claws.
Okay, Chuck, we'll take our ups-to-bat.
Eagle Claws?
- You guys shag them for us.
- Eagle Claws?
PATTY:
This is the way we'll do it, gang.
Violet, you bat first.
Pop one up and over third base.
Lucille, here,
will single over the second baseman's head.
Don't hit the ball near that shortstop.
Frieda, you'll bunt toward first base
and beat it out.
This means we'll have the bases full and
I'll come up and smack a grand slammer.
If we keep the ball away
from that funny-looking kid at shortstop...
...I think we can stay at bat all afternoon.
LINUS:
The worst was yet to come.
It was bad enough to have been
so thoroughly thrashed in softball...
...but there were plans
for a nature hike the next day.
The campfire activity
was a dismal failure.
Forty-three to one.
And the one run
was a single by Snoopy...
...that he stretched into a score
by stealing second, third and home.
[EXHALES]
I hope all the queen snakes
leave us little kids alone.
What a thrashing.
And in softball, my strongest point.
I bet they're happy.
They really beat us.
It must feel good to be a winner.
I bet they feel great.
I wish I felt great.
I feel terrible.
Linus, will you please
go bring some more wood for the fire?
I hope those queen snakes
leave us little kids alone.
Hey. There's a spider on that log.
Aah!
I'm sorry. I was wrong.
It's just a piece of bark.
Wow. Look at all those stars.
Boy. I'll bet they're having
a good time up there tonight.
It looks like they're really living it up.
What makes you say that, Charlie Brown?
They've got all the lights on.
Hey, I was right.
There really is a spider on that log.
Aah!
I'm sorry. I was wrong again.
It was just an old cocklebur.
Surprise.
Peppermint Patty?
What are you doing here?
Hi, Chuck. We thought we'd come over
and cheer you up.
Maybe sing a few songs
around the old campfire.
You know, "Pack Up Your Troubles"...
..."There's a Long, Long Trail,"
or "Take Me Out to the Ball Game. "
Mm. I feel terrible.
Come on, Lucy, let's cheer up the troops.
[SINGING "PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES"]
[BUGLE PLAYING]
LUCY: Violet.
- Here.
- Patty.
- Here.
- Frieda.
- Present.
- Sophie.
- Here.
- Linus.
- Clara.
- Snoopy.
- Here.
- Shirley.
- Schroeder.
- Here.
- Here.
- Peppermint Patty.
- Shermy.
- Yo.
- Pigpen.
Take over, Peppermint Patty.
Take the troops to chow.
Forward march. Right face.
BO Y 1: Ooh, ow!
BO Y 2: Quit pushing.
BO Y 1:
Ow, ooh, oh.
Quit pushing.
BO Y 3: Get off my foot.
BO Y 4: Back up.
[SIGHS]
Bleah.
CHARLIE:
After our rousing breakfast...
...we were
scheduled for a nature hunt with the girls.
Hi, Chuck.
Great game yesterday, wasn't it?
- Beautiful.
- Sorry I had to hit that home run.
For a while there, I considered
letting you strike me out and be a hero...
...but I knew you wouldn't want me
to do that.
- Oh?
- Hey, there's a bug in your hair...
...Charlie Brown.
Where? Where? Brush it off.
That's all right. It's gone now.
That's the one thing I hate
about all this outdoor living.
Well, don't worry.
It's not in your hair anymore.
It fell down your neck.
Help. Help. Help. A bee. A bee.
Aah! A bee. A bee. Aah!
Not unlike Robin Hood.
Look at this. A big yellow butterfly.
It's unusual to see one this time of year.
Unless, of course, it flew up from Brazil.
I'll bet that's it.
They do that sometimes, you know.
- They fly up from Brazil and they...
- This is no butterfly.
This is a potato chip.
Well, I'll be. So it is.
I wonder how a potato chip
got all the way up here from Brazil.
We've just got to do something
to show everybody we're not born losers.
SHERMY:
Hey, Charlie Brown.
- They're having a canoe race.
- A canoe race?
Come on, Snoopy.
If we can win the canoe race, everyone
will forget about the softball game.
We'll show them, Snoopy.
We'll get in this canoe,
we'll win this race and we'll be heroes.
Actually, I had planned
for you to help me with the paddling.
We're gonna win this canoe race, Snoopy,
or we're gonna die trying.
I'm gonna paddle and paddle
and paddle and whew.
I'm exhausted.
I feel like I've paddled a hundred miles.
I wonder if we won.
No, but you got 4 feet from the dock.
Shermy, you've got to come up
with something that we can win at.
Isn't there a champion that will come forth
and uphold the right?
Boy, why didn't I think of this before?
Well, troops, I have a plan
that will recoup for us our lost prestige.
I propose we issue a challenge to the girls
across the lake to a wrist-wrestling contest.
That's not a very good idea,
Charlie Brown.
They have Lucy, you know.
Yeah. We don't have anyone
capable of beating her.
She's tough.
I submit to you
to represent not only Tent Number 2...
...but the honor of all us boys,
none other than...
...The Masked Marvel.
[BO YS CHEERING]
Snoopy, we're going to have to
put you in training.
A lot of scientific bodybuilding exercises,
plus a training table for you.
No more gourmet meals.
You'll have to eat with us
and get a lot of good nourishment.
Oatmeal, spaghetti, macaroni...
...corned beef, chipped beef. Bleah.
You must drink my specially balanced
electrolyte solution, Snoopy.
It replaces the body's stores
and prevents any diminution...
...of vitally needed electrolytes
and nutrients.
[COUGHING]
[GIRLS CHATTERING]
[ALL CHATTERING]
Gah! Gah! Gah!
I think we've got him ready.
Before we over-train him,
we should issue the challenge.
I think now is the time.
Schroeder, you and Linus and I
will go over to the girls' camp.
[ALL CHEERING]
ALL: Hey, manager.
How about another ball game?
[ALL LAUGH]
No. Let's play jacks.
[ALL LAUGH]
Maybe you boys would like
a little game of tiddlywinks.
[GIRLS LAUGH]
The boys from Tents Number 2
and Number 3...
...would like to issue a challenge
to you girls...
...to a little wrist-wrestling championship.
Our champion
against the girls' representative.
And I propose it for tomorrow morning...
...to give you girls a chance
to pick a champion and to train her.
You sure you wanna do it, eh?
We'll murder you, you know.
The girls have a champion,
and we don't need any training time.
Today after lunch, the girls' representative,
and I might add, the world's champion...
...will meet your challenger
and decide the issue.
GIRLS: Hey, manager.
Are you the boys' champion?
You'd better be better at wrist wrestling
than you are at swimming, or ball playing...
...or canoeing, or running,
or jumping, or pillow fighting...
...or sack racing, or basketball playing,
or field hockey, or volleyballing.
Good grief.
Snoopy, you'd better not eat
till after the contest.
However, just in case, you can have
plenty of that solution of Linus'.
Aah. Aah-ha.
GIRLS:
Hooray for Lucy. Yay!
Sock it to him, champ. Yay!
BOYS:
The Masked Marvel.
Hey, it's that funny kid with the big nose,
their shortstop.
The only decent athlete on their side.
BOYS:
Hooray for the boys.
Hooray.
GIRLS:
Girls, girls.
Rah, rah, rah.
[CROWD CHATTERING, CHEERING]
Augh!
Foul. Foul.
This stupid Masked Marvel fouled.
And I'm the rightful winner. I won.
[CROWD CHEERING]
Rats. They've all got their assignments,
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah. Wah-wah-wah-wah.
My essay?
Yes, ma'am, I have it right here.
But I couldn't write 500 words.
I only wrote 13.
HALVERSON:
Wah-wah-wah-wah-wah.
Detail?
Yes, I suppose I could have gone
into more detail.
But with the kind of summers I have,
it's best to try to forget the details.
I got an A on my vacation paper,
Charlie Brown. What did you get?
- I got a C-minus.
- That's too bad.
Oh, well.
It was a short summer, Charlie Brown.
And it looks like it's going
to be a long winter.