It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown

---

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.

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