CBS Storybreak
Encyclopedia
CBS Storybreak is a Saturday morning anthology television series that originally aired on the CBS
network during the 1985 season. Hosted by Captain Kangaroo
's Bob Keeshan
(and in its 1993 return by The Cosby Show
's Malcolm Jamal-Warner), the episodes are half-hour animated
adaptations of some of the most beloved children's books published at the time of airing, including How to Eat Fried Worms
. Other episodes included Dragon's Blood
and Ratha's Creature
.
Unique for an American television series, the series featured open captions captioned by The Caption Center for the hearing impaired during its 1993 reairing, instead of the usual closed captioning
. In addition to being a convenience for the hearing-impaired, this also allowed those who could hear to read along with the story.
The episodes were produced by Australia
's Southern Star Entertainment and America
's Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS Entertainment.
One of its crew, Sander Schwartz, would go on to become the president of Warner Bros. Animation
in 2002.
Select episodes were released on home video
in 1992 under the title Video Storybreak.
CBS' first in-house cartoon series since their original Terrytoons
, it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in the 1985-1986 season. It continued in reruns until 1988 and returned to air in reruns (with Jamal-Warner replacing Keeshan as host) during the 1993 season.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network during the 1985 season. Hosted by Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo
Captain Kangaroo is a children's television series which aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for nearly 30 years, from October 3, 1955 until December 8, 1984, making it the longest-running children's television program of its day...
's Bob Keeshan
Bob Keeshan
Robert James "Bob" Keeshan was an American television producer and actor. He is most notable as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of people during its 30-year run from 1955 to 1984.Keeshan also played the original...
(and in its 1993 return by The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
's Malcolm Jamal-Warner), the episodes are half-hour animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
adaptations of some of the most beloved children's books published at the time of airing, including How to Eat Fried Worms
How to Eat Fried Worms
How to Eat Fried Worms is the title of a children's book written by Thomas Rockwell, first published in 1973. It was later turned into a CBS Storybreak episode in the mid-1980s, and a movie of the same name in 2006...
. Other episodes included Dragon's Blood
The Pit Dragon Trilogy
The Pit Dragon Chronicles is a series of science fiction and fantasy novels by Jane Yolen. The anthology is simply all of the first three books in one. The books are set in the far future, on a desert planet called Austar IV, which has a history and climate similar to that of Australia. The planet...
and Ratha's Creature
Ratha's Creature
Ratha’s Creature is a novel by Clare Bell. First published in 1983 by Atheneum-Argo, Margaret K. McElderry , it is being re-issued in July 2007 by Viking-Penguin's Firebird Books, edited by Sharyn November....
.
Unique for an American television series, the series featured open captions captioned by The Caption Center for the hearing impaired during its 1993 reairing, instead of the usual closed captioning
Closed captioning
Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it...
. In addition to being a convenience for the hearing-impaired, this also allowed those who could hear to read along with the story.
The episodes were produced by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Southern Star Entertainment and America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS Entertainment.
One of its crew, Sander Schwartz, would go on to become the president of Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
in 2002.
Select episodes were released on home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
in 1992 under the title Video Storybreak.
CBS' first in-house cartoon series since their original Terrytoons
Terrytoons
Terrytoons was an animation studio founded by Paul Terry. The studio, located in suburban New Rochelle, New York, operated from 1929 to 1968. Its most popular characters included Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Sourpuss, Dinky Duck, Deputy Dawg, Luno and Heckle and Jeckle; these cartoons and all of its...
, it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in the 1985-1986 season. It continued in reruns until 1988 and returned to air in reruns (with Jamal-Warner replacing Keeshan as host) during the 1993 season.
External links
- http://www.retrojunk.com/details_tvshows/381-cbs-storybreak/
- CBS Storybreak Info and Videos at The Retroist