As [[[the Peanuts]]] gang further cemented themselves into the fabric of American society, one could always count on the animated specials arriving each year. Unfortunately, as the 1970s progressed, the strip and specials continued to lose their charm and appeal, coasting on their heyday a decade previously.

That regression is fairly evident in [[[Peanuts 1970’s Collection Volume 2]]], out today from Warner Home Video. The two-disc set contains six episodes, one of which makes its home video debut. Absent are two self-congratulatory specials which also aired during this period.

The vocal cast changed as actors aged but remained in the same range and was likely not as noticeable year to year but is more obvious in rewatching these in a short order. There are also some odd proportional changes, notable in the final two specials contained here. There’s a different change as Vince Guaraldi’s death robbed the specials of their jazz-inspired music, which was often the best thing about any one of these.

[[[Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown]]] (1/28/75) opens the set as the gang at Birchwood Elementary School grows obsessive about the romance in the air. Linus suddenly has the hots for his teacher at one end and then there’s Schroeder, who’s fairly oblivious to the day. And then there’s poor Charlie Brown, hoping for valentines and receiving none.

There are several lapses in logic beginning with Sally and Linus suddenly in the same class as their older siblings while Peppermint Patti and Marcie are now attending the same school as their cross-town pals. Worse, the teacher has abandoned the class in the middle of the class party (with Shermy making a final cameo appearance). In during the more lax era, no adult would walk out of school leaving a room full of children unattended. Perhaps the best bit is Linus tosses away the chocolates he failed to give his teacher, unaware each piece is being gobbled up by Snoopy and Woodstock.

(more…)