The Bootleg Files: Tooth Brushing

BOOTLEG FILES 949: “Tooth Brushing” (1978 animated short featuring the Peanuts characters).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: It fell through the cracks.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: It is surprising that it hasn’t been a special feature yet.

Any critic who claims to know everything about movies is not telling the truth. The true joy of being critic is to discover films that you never knew existed, particularly within genres where you think that you’re an expert.

Case in point: As a longtime fan of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts characters, I was unaware that Charlie Brown and his pals appeared in a 1978 educational film designed to teach kids how to properly brush their teeth. I only discovered “Tooth Brushing” earlier this week when a Facebook denizen shared a YouTube link to an unauthorized video upload.

“Tooth Brushing” was created for the American Dental Association and distributed on 16mm to schools. I can claim ignorance because the film was never shown in my 1970s-era school and was never broadcast on television. It is absent from the various home entertainment releases featuring Schulz’s classic work. Nor I can recall ever reading anything about the film in various books and articles I’ve absorbed regarding Schulz’s output.

The presentation of “Tooth Brushing” mirrors the Peanuts television specials, even including sampling of Vince Guaraldi’s distinctive scoring. (The composer passed away shortly before the film was completed.) However, the content is more straightforward and is absent of the melancholy of the prime-time programming.

In this offering, Charlie Brown emerges from his dentist’s office with a booklet on how to properly brush his teeth. He is excited to follow its instructions and, ultimately, show off his white teeth. This is unintentionally amusing, since Charlie Brown and his comrades are never drawn with teeth.

The happy boy encounters his dog Snoopy (who is inexplicably walking around the neighborhood) and then he meets with his friend Linus. After sharing the news of his dental knowledge, Charlie Brown and Linus plus Snoopy go into Linus’ home to practice the right way to brush one’s teeth.

The trio head to the bathroom, where they find toothbrushes in glasses marked “Linus” and “Lucy.” Linus takes his toothbrush while the bipedal Snoopy stands on a stool using the toothbrush belonging to Lucy, Linus’ older sister. Charlie Brown reads aloud from the booklet on the proper way to brush teeth – Linus does it in a serious manner while Snoopy takes a more jokey approach to the task.

After the demonstration, Charlie Brown gives Linus and Snoopy disclosing tablets, which leaves red marks that color the tooth plaque where their brushing was inadequate. (As an aside, I never heard of disclosing tablets before watching this film – am I the only one who went through childhood without those things?)

Lucy finally shows up and wants to get in on the dental fun. However, she is unaware that Snoopy used her toothbrush, and neither Charlie Brown nor Linus has the nerve to tell her. The boys exit the house and find Snoopy outside, whistling in an attempt to feign innocence over what he did. Charlie Brown scolds him with the warning that one should never use another person’s toothbrush. Snoopy then gives a frenetic presentation on flossing.

I was hoping for more humor in “Tooth Brushing,” but the film is not very invigorating. In fairness, the subject doesn’t lend itself easily to vigorous staging, and too-familiar animated comedy characters aren’t a natural fit with this subject. The Looney Tunes gang would probably substitute TNT sticks for toothbrushes, and Fred Flintstone would need a supersized toothbrush to fit in his big mouth.

Nonetheless, “Tooth Brushing” made a good impression and the American Dental Association teamed with Schulz in 1979 for another educational short, “It’s Dental Flossophy, Charlie Brown.” Schulz used his characters for only one other educational short, the 1979 anti-pollution film “Clean the Air” (also known as “Charlie Brown Clears the Air”) created for the American Lung Association.

For those who are curious, take a bite out of this:

IMPORTANT NOTICE: While this weekly column acknowledges the presence of rare film and television productions through the so-called collector-to-collector market, this should not be seen as encouraging or condoning the unauthorized duplication and distribution of copyright-protected material, either through DVDs or Blu-ray discs or through postings on Internet video sites.

Listen to Phil Hall’s award-winning podcast “The Online Movie Show with Phil Hall” on SoundCloud and his radio show “Nutmeg Chatter” on WAPJ-FM in Torrington, Connecticut, with a new episode every Sunday. You can also follow his book reviews at The Epoch Times.