My goodness, I remember that song! I think I first heard it on the old Dr. Demento show on KROQ in Los Angeles, which was all about silly novelty songs. Fond memories.
You make a good point about how it seems out of character that Snoopy is always shot down by the Red Baron in his fantasies, and you may well be right that it's a subtle connection with Charlie Brown. I guess that was always in the back of my mind, too. I think a lot of Peanuts' enduring appeal comes from a pervasive feeling that striving is heroic because success is so distant. But I think there is a practical reason as well — if Snoopy ever got the best of the Red Baron, then the running gag comes to an end. IIRC, the only time Richtofen was shot down was when was killed. So it would conflict with the historical record. And I don't think it was that much of a humiliation to get shot down by the Red Baron; he was such a legendary figure that it would be a disappointment, but not necessarily a humiliation.
My goodness, I remember that song! I think I first heard it on the old Dr. Demento show on KROQ in Los Angeles, which was all about silly novelty songs. Fond memories.
You make a good point about how it seems out of character that Snoopy is always shot down by the Red Baron in his fantasies, and you may well be right that it's a subtle connection with Charlie Brown. I guess that was always in the back of my mind, too. I think a lot of Peanuts' enduring appeal comes from a pervasive feeling that striving is heroic because success is so distant. But I think there is a practical reason as well — if Snoopy ever got the best of the Red Baron, then the running gag comes to an end. IIRC, the only time Richtofen was shot down was when was killed. So it would conflict with the historical record. And I don't think it was that much of a humiliation to get shot down by the Red Baron; he was such a legendary figure that it would be a disappointment, but not necessarily a humiliation.