One of ABC’s many ‘special’ programs, the Weekend Special featured live-action and animated versions of favorite children’s stories.  The 30-minute teleplays featured many ABC stars of the time and the animated efforts came from various sources, like Hanna-Barbera, Marvel, DIC, Ruby-Spears and others. The show first appeared as on a monthly schedule but became a weekly affair in the late 70s.

The show went through a few hosts as well: Michael Young was there at the beginning but was soon replaced by Willie Tyler and his sidekick puppet, Lester. In the mid-80s, master and puppet gave way to just a puppet, Cap’n O.G. Readmore, a cat in a naval captain’s outfit. Every Saturday morning, the Cap’n’s gruff voice encouraged kids to read, hopefully whetting their appetite for the classics after presenting the episode.

The ABC Weekend Special on and off for 20 years, though its seasons were irregular and didn’t include a consistent number of episodes. Some of the most popular stories to air in the series were “The Winged Colt,” “The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy,” “Little Lulu,” “The Trouble with Miss Switch,” “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” “The Velveteen Rabbit,” “Pippi Longstocking,” “Runaway Ralph” and “The Magic Flute.” “Runaway Ralph” featured the young ABC star, Fred Savage, while another story, “The Legend of Lochnagar” was written and narrated by Prince Charles—the actual prince, not just a cat puppet in a prince outfit.

The show enjoyed a slow simmer of success, never quite becoming a sensation but still accomplishing its goal of getting young viewers interested in reading.