"CHANNEL UMPTEE-3"
(Show Description)

"Channel Umptee-3," an all-new animated series from executive producer Norman Lear and created by renowned animator Jim George, brings a splash of fun, a dash of magic and a touch of "anarchy" to Saturday mornings. Entertaining at the speed of "kid think," slipping learning under laughter, "Channel Umptee-3" is designed engagingly to meet the FCC's educational requirements for children's television. The adventures begin Saturdays at 8:00 AM on Kids' WB!, when viewers discover a secret television station, Channel Umptee-3, in the "white space" between channels.

It's brought to you by a small band of wildly enthusiastic television pirates, led by Ogden, Holey Moley and Sheldon S. Cargo, who drive around in the Umptee-3 news van broadcasting stuff that's entirely too cool, too weird and too wonderful for regular television. And best of all...it's true. It's all about the world we live in...and if you know how to look at it, and Channel Umptee-3 knows how to look at it, the world is a magical place.

The producer and in-your-face star of Channel Umptee-3 is a seven-foot hyperactive ostrich named Ogden. Like any good ostrich, he spent the first half of his life with his head in the sand. It felt okay. Nothing bad ever happened. Then again, nothing particularly good ever happened either. All he ever saw was a close-up of sand. When he finally pulled his head out of the sand, he discovered that the world is amazing. Thrilled, he relentlessly shares that fact with everyone, everywhere, all the time!

Holey Moley, Ogden's best friend and partner, is the personification of unbridled curiosity. Unlike Ogden, who talks incessantly, Holey Moley never says anything. He just walks around carrying a little hole with him. Whenever anything catches his interest, he slaps it down, sticks his head in and takes a good close look at it. Then he slips right in, to an amazing world that's never been seen before.

The third member of the Umptee-3 lead team is the technical director and resident genius, an introverted snail named Sheldon S. Cargo. He spends lots of time in his shell, which doubles as Channel Umptee-3's control room. Once we see inside, it's easy to see why. It's filled with the coolest electronic devices: computer hardware, software, video games, entertainment center and toys. It's Sheldon's job to make sure that Umptee-3 gets on the air. Often, that includes trying to keep a lid on Holey Moley and Ogden, at least until the show airs. That's not easy! But no one is better qualified to keep things running smoothly than Sheldon. After all, he is a genius.

The Umptee-3 signal broadcasts to a world that also includes Frumps. They are everywhere. Frumps are easy to recognize. Whenever anything wonderful is about to happen, they're the ones standing in the way saying "no!" They have a propensity for dark grey suits, and they live in "boxes." They love living in "boxes." They think that everyone should live in a "box." Everything belongs in a "box" as well. "If it doesn't come in a 'box,' then it either doesn't exist or it should be put in a 'box.' If it doesn't fit, force it!"

The wealthiest and most powerful Frump of all is Stickley Ricketts, President and C.E.O. of Ricketts Industries. With an estimated personal net worth of over fifty "bazillion" dollars, Stickley's strategy has been a simple one. Convince the world that everyone and everything belongs in a "box," and manufacture the "boxes."

Until recently, Stickley, and his wife Pandora, were living in a wonderful box-filled world. However, the gang at Channel Umptee-3 has begun to tell all of Frumpdom, including the children, that there is a whole world outside of "boxes." In fact, there is a rumor circulating that the Frumps are actually being told by Channel Umptee-3 to take things out of "boxes" and look at them -- this is blasphemy! To make matters worse for the Frumps, they can't catch the culprits because Channel Umptee-3 airs from a different location every time. After all, it's a pirate television station that doesn't broadcast in a "box!"

The only hope for the Frumps lies in two highly skilled private investigators -- Agent One and Agent Two, Bud and Ed, respectively -- who launch a covert operation with a very detailed and thought-out plan to locate, infiltrate and capture (in a "box," of course) the denizens of Channel Umptee-3. Although Sherlock Holmes and Watson they are not, Bud and Ed are relentless fanatics, and therefore, it is their never-ending super sleuthing that perpetually propels the "Channel Umptee-3" series.

The talented voice actors of "Channel Umptee-3" include: Rob Paulsen ("Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky & The Brain," "Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs") as Ogden; David Paymer ("Mr. Saturday Night," "Quiz Show") as Sheldon S. Cargo; Jonathan Harris ("Lost in Space," "Problem Child") as Stickley Ricketts; Alice Ghostley ("Grease," "The Graduate") as Pandora; Neil Ross ("Spiderman," "An American Tail") as Ed; and Gregg Berger ("Duckman," "G.I. Joe") as Bud.

"Channel Umptee-3," executive produced by Norman Lear and John Baskin (Act III Productions) and Jim George, is produced by Enchante/George in association with Columbia TriStar Television, under the creative supervision of creators Jim and Peggy George for Kids' WB!, The WB Television Network's children's programming service.

WEEK NINETEEN

Show #12
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FRIDAY, 1-16-98

WEEK TWENTY

Show #4
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FRIDAY, 1-23-98

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TM & © 1997 Warner Bros.
TM & © 1997 Columbia TriStar Television