Sunday, October 25, 2009

It's Halloween


All Hallows Eve is fast approaching and with it many memories of Halloween's past. I wish I had a picture of myself dressed in my Halloween garb as a child but, alas, none exist. I can tell you this, it was always a momentous night filled with C-A-N-D-Y. Yes, in bold and all caps!

Two things always come to mind when Halloween rolls around, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, and It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

Let’s start with….


The Raven
(1845)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door
-Only this, and nothing more.'


As you know, this is just the first stanza or verse of The Raven, it is actually quite lengthy, haunting and gothic. But I love to read it every year. Though not related to Halloween but just as romantic and gothic is Poe’s…

Annabel Lee
(1849)

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;--
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
She was a child and I was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love--
I and my Annabel Lee--
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

I can remember reading and reciting this poem in the fourth or fifth grade. Annabel Lee is another favorite Poe poem of my mine. Is it no wonder that I was attracted to gothic novels like Jane Eyre at an early age? I sometimes felt I was born out of sync with time.

But in stark contrast to these heavy hearted poems is Charlie Brown, that round headed kid. Here’s a closely held family secret… long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away, long before I even knew Charlie Brown existed, I had a cousin whose nickname was not just Charlie but Charlie Brown. Yes, the whole enchilada! Let me tell you it was quite startling to realize one day that his name was really Stephen!

Charlie Brown, not again!


I can’t wait to watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown one more time. You know Charlie Brown should know better when it comes to Lucy and that football, Snoopy will be flying on his Sopwith Camel, Linus will be writing a letter to the Great Pumpkin telling him it's not his fault Santa Claus gets more publicity, Sally’s going to go on her rant at being cheated out of tricks and treats, and the gang all end up at Violet’s house for a Halloween party.

Great Pumpkin: 0 Beagle: 1


This third Charlie Brown special first aired October 27, 1966 on CBS and pre-empted My Three Sons! ABC picked up the rights to the special beginning in 2001.

Whoo-Hoo - party at Violet's!


Eeeeewwww, dog germs!

A little rememberence of Halloween past





Something for the girls!





I wish you Happy Hauntings!







10 comments:

  1. What a fun post! The Great Pumpkin is something I look forward to every year. It reminds me of really fun times when I was a kid. Halloween seemed so much more carefree then, we ran the neighborhood like a bunch of wild ones and never worried about a thing other than an early snow making us have to wear a coat over our cool costumes lol. And Annabel Lee is my favorite Poe! Kathy (PS, if you do ever get to Austin, drop me a line. It really is a very fun place!)

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  2. THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN BONNUS! This music is such a crack-up! It is perfect. I can see you plotting and planning the music as you cheerfully put your post together! This second one that is playing is WONDERFUL! And the Charlie Brown clips are bringing me such glorious memories. Gosh I love the blog world, but most of all, you, all of you dear friends that create such a warm and fun place to visit. Thank you. LOL! Anita

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  3. Bonnie

    I've always love Poe's Annabel Lee. The weird thing is that the first time I heard it was, of all places, in a Clint Eastwood move called "Play Misty For Me." I remember I associated it with stalker that gave me the creeps as a kid. But when I actually read it, I remember that it floor me for the beauty of the imagery and the tragic by undying nature of "love that was more than love." I had this line before and I never new that it was Poe's, and I always wondered, what can it be a love more than love. Poe himself provides the sad but sustaining answer:

    And neither the angels in heaven above,
    Nor the demons down under the sea,
    Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
    Of the beautiful Annabel Lee...

    ---Oh and your post made it mandatory for Anita and I to watch Charlie Brown tonight on Halloween (NOT Fall Harvest).

    Rattus

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  4. Bonnie,
    You'll have to forgive the spelling blunders of my last post written in haste as I am off to class.

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  5. Hi Bonnie! I love Charlie Brown and the great pumpkin....but especially the WWI flying ace in France!! lol I must admit that "The Raven" is my favorite Poe. I had a large portion of it memorized at one point in time. Have a wonderful Halloween with Sadie and Kitty and try not to eat too much candy. tToo late for me!! lol Happy weekend...hugs...Debbie

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  6. HEY GIRLFRIEND! How are ya? I hope you and Sadie are having a great BOO hour tonight. Take care!!! Oh, come on by, I mention you on my blog! Bisous, Anita

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  7. I'm just now getting around to visiting some of my favorite blogs. Life has taken me else where in recent weeks. LOL
    This is a wonderful Halloween post. The Raven and Annabel Lee are favorites. I was going to do a Poe post myself, but just didn't get it done. There is a special Poe exhibit here in town in celebration of his bicentennial, and there have been some wonderful events in connection with it.
    Of course who doesn't love Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Thank you for this delightful post. ~ Sarah

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  8. Being Australian,we never did Halloween.It is only starting to take off a bit over the last few years,but I love how you folks do it in the US!!

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  9. What a wonderful post to get us in the mood for such fun in the seasons ahead!

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  10. It took me some time tracking you down this time - you hadn't posted on the blog I usually visit and, for some reason, I couldn't open this.
    Still, some things are worth waiting for and this was one of them - especially the Annabelle poem.

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