"The Reluctant Dragon" was first broadcast Apr. 7, 1981, as one of three animated shorts for a CBS LIBRARY presentation titled "Misunderstood Monsters" (the other two were "Creole" and "Beauty and the Beast"). Director Sam Weiss was a longtime veteran of such projects, and again signed venerable John Carradine as narrator, the same function he had served for a previous 13 minute adaptation of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in 1972. This was about the same brief length at 12 minutes but featuring less of Carradine's voice, the story carried by its three central characters, led by Sparky Marcus as The Boy, who knows all about fire breathing dragons and journeys to a cave where his father believes the terrible beast resides. Sure enough, he finds his sleeping quarry almost purring outside the entrance, hardly the monster the villagers expect but a gentle soul without malice, sharing his love of poetry with his new friend. The arrival of St. George the Dragonslayer (Louis Nye) proves an ill omen for such a harmless creature, out of practice at breathing fire but eager to make a public show to spare any embarrassment for his equally reluctant foe. No dragons were harmed in the wrap up of this entry, LAUGH-IN's Alan Sues the perfect choice for the prissy dragon, whose main goal in life is to continue his writing for someone who will appreciate it. Over the years this short has been released on video compilations from one label to another, no DVD or Blu-Ray as yet.
