Channel Umptee-3 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Channel Umptee-3 |
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| Genre | Cartoon series |
| Created by | Jim George |
| Developed by | Jim George Norman Lear John Baskin |
| Directed by | Chris Headrick Don Jurwich Michael Peraza Jr. David Schwartz Bob Seeley |
| Voices of | Gregg Berger Greg Burson Alice Ghostley Jonathan Harris Rob Paulsen David Paymer Neil Ross Susan Silo |
| Theme music composer | Walter Murphy |
| Opening theme | "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" by Rob Paulsen, David Paymer, and Jonathan Harris |
| Ending theme | "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" (instrumental) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | John Baskin Norman Lear |
| Producer(s) | Jim George Peggy George Jeff Kline Robert Seeley Ping Warner |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Adelaide Productions Act III Television Enchanted George Productions Columbia TriStar Television |
| Distributor | Columbia TriStar Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | The WB |
| Audio format | Dolby Surround |
| Original release | October 20, 1997 – February 25, 1998 |
Channel Umptee-3 (also called Umptee-3) was a fun cartoon show that aired from 1997 to 1998. It was created by Jim George and produced by Norman Lear. The show was part of the Kids' WB block on The WB network. This cartoon had only one season. Its main goal was to help kids see how amazing everyday things are, like why we need to sleep or how important water is. The name "Umptee-3" comes from the word "umpteen", which means a very large, but unknown, number.
Contents
How the Show Worked
The cartoon followed three main characters: Ogden Ostrich, Holey Moley, and Sheldon S. Cargo. They traveled the world in a special van. Inside their van, they ran their own secret TV station called Channel Umptee-3. This station was "pirate television" because it broadcast between other regular channels.
Each episode of Channel Umptee-3 tried to focus on a specific topic. But often, the show would start talking about one thing and then quickly switch to another. For example, an episode might begin discussing cats, but then it would change to talk about owning things.
Meanwhile, a group called "The Frumps" tried to shut down Channel Umptee-3. They wanted to stop the show or gain more power for themselves. But no matter what plan they came up with, it always failed! The show also used a lot of stock footage, which are video clips that are already made and can be used again. Sometimes, the show even made funny references to famous movies and TV shows.
Meet the Characters
The Umptees
These are the heroes who run Channel Umptee-3!
- Ogden O. Ostrich (Rob Paulsen) – Ogden is a very excited yellow ostrich. He got the idea for the TV show after pulling his head out of the ground and seeing how magical the world was. At the start of every episode, Ogden runs up to the camera, shouting "Hey!"
- Holey Moley – Holey Moley is a big mole who doesn't speak. He carries special portable holes that let him and his friends travel anywhere they need to go.
- Sheldon S. Cargo (David Paymer) – Sheldon is a large pink snail. His shell has a unicycle-like wheel to help him move around. Sheldon is the serious and professional one in the group. He tries his best to keep the show organized, even with Ogden's super energetic behavior. His name sounds like "escargot", which is a fancy word for snails.
- Professor Edwin I. Relevant (Greg Burson) – The professor is the show's expert on everything! Ogden and the others often ask Professor Relevant for information about the day's topic.
- Test and Polly (Neil Ross and Susan Silo) – These two are the newscasters for Channel Umptee-3.
The Frumps
These characters try to stop Channel Umptee-3.
- Stickley Rickets (Jonathan Harris) – Stickley is an older man who runs a company that makes boxes. He calls the Umptees "Umptee-doodies." He thinks they are a threat to his business because they encourage people to take things out of boxes and look at them in new ways. So, he always tries to shut down their station and "put them in a box, where they belong."
- Pandora Rickets (Alice Ghostley) – Pandora is Stickley's wife. She isn't as obsessed with the Umptees as her husband is. Pandora even likes to watch some of their shows, but she doesn't want Stickley to find out! Her name comes from "Pandora's box."
- Ed and Bud (Neil Ross and Gregg Berger) – Ed and Bud are Stickley's two helpers. They wear black suits and follow Stickley's orders, but they almost never succeed. Ed is the taller one, and Bud is shorter and has less hair.
Other Voices You Might Hear
Many other talented voice actors helped bring the show to life:
- Charlie Adler
- Susanne Blakeslee
- Jeff Bennett
- Liz Georges
- Jason Graae
- Maurice LaMarche
- Pat Musick
- Julie Payne
- Patrick Pinney
- Roger Rose
- Tara Strong
- Laura Summer
- Ron Taylor
- Frank Welker
Behind the Scenes
- Mark Evanier – He was the Voice Director, helping the actors sound just right for their characters.
Episodes
Channel Umptee-3 had 13 episodes in its one season. Here's a list of them:
| No. | Title | Topic(s) | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "The Music Show" | Music | October 25, 1997 | |
| 2 | "Umptee Sunrise" | The sun | November 1, 1997 | |
| 3 | "The U.F.O. Show" | UFOs and extraterrestrial life | November 8, 1997 | |
| 4 | "What’s So Funny" | Laughter and humor | November 15, 1997 | |
| 5 | "The Now Voyagers" | Time | November 22, 1997 | |
| 6 | "Just Add Water" | Water | December 6, 1997 | |
| 7 | "Perchance to Dream" | Sleep and dreams | December 19, 1997 | |
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Ogden decides he never wants to sleep again because of a bad dream. His friends try to explain that everyone needs to sleep.
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| 8 | "Sale of the Century" | Money | January 2, 1998 | |
| 9 | "The Fear Show" | Fear | January 9, 1998 | |
| 10 | "The Weather Show" | Weather | January 16, 1998 | |
| 11 | "Yours, Mine, and Ours" | Ownership | February 6, 1998 | |
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The Umptees win a huge chocolate bunny award. Ogden and Sheldon argue about whether to eat it or display it. This leads to Professor Relevant explaining about ownership. Meanwhile, Stickley's men steal Holey Moley's portable hole, thinking it has treasure inside.
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| 12 | "The Lying Show" | Truth and lies | February 13, 1998 | |
| 13 | "Words Are Weird" | Words | February 20, 1998 | |
Where to Find Episodes Now
Since Channel Umptee-3 had a short run and isn't very well-known, it's been hard to find all the episodes. Only four episodes and the show's theme song were found publicly after it first aired. These episodes were first put on YouTube, but then Sony Pictures blocked them worldwide. Because of this, they were later uploaded to other places, like the Internet Archive.
Currently, Sony Pictures Television owns all the rights to Channel Umptee-3. This means they can choose to make the series available on streaming services. As of 2020, the show is not yet available on any streaming platform.
