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{{short description|Television series}}
{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| show_name = Channel Umptee-3
| image = Channel Umptee-3.png
⚫
| caption =
| image =
| alt_name = Umptee-3
⚫
| caption =
| genre = [[Cartoon series]]
| genre = [[Comedy]]
| creator = [[James L. George|Jim George]]
| creator = Jim George
| director = Chris Headrick<br>Don Jurwich<br>[[Michael Peraza|Michael Peraza Jr.]]<br>David Schwartz<br>[[Robert Seeley|Bob Seeley]]
| director = Chris Headrick<br />Don Jurwich<br />[[Michael Peraza|Mike Peraza]]<br />David Schwartz<br />[[Robert Seeley|Bob Seeley]]
| developer = [[James L. George|Jim George]]<br>[[Norman Lear]]<br>[[John Baskin]]
| developer = Jim George<br />[[Norman Lear]]<br />[[John Baskin]]
| presenter =
| presenter =
| starring =
| starring =
| voices = [[Gregg Berger]]<br>[[Greg Burson]]<br>[[Alice Ghostley]]<br>[[Jonathan Harris]]<br>[[Rob Paulsen]]<br>[[David Paymer]]<br>[[Neil Ross]]<br>[[Susan Silo]]
| voices = [[Gregg Berger]]<br />[[Greg Burson]]<br />[[Alice Ghostley]]<br />[[Jonathan Harris]]<br />[[Rob Paulsen]]<br />[[David Paymer]]<br />[[Neil Ross]]<br />[[Susan Silo]]
| narrated =
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer = [[Walter Murphy]]
| theme_music_composer = Jim George
| opentheme = "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" by Rob Paulsen, David Paymer, and Jonathan Harris
| opentheme = "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" performed by Rob Paulsen, David Paymer, and Jonathan Harris
| endtheme = "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" (instrumental)
| endtheme = "Channel Umptee-3 Theme" (instrumental)
| composer =
| composer = [[Walter Murphy]]
| country = United States
| country = United States
| language =
| language = English
| num_seasons = 1
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 13
| num_episodes = 13
| list_episodes = #Episodes
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer = [[John Baskin]]<br>[[Norman Lear]]
| executive_producer = Jim George<br />Norman Lear<br />John Baskin<br />[[Richard Raynis]]<br />[[Everett Peck]]
| producer = [[James L. George|Jim George]]<br>[[Peggy George (disambiguation)|Peggy George]]<br>[[Jeff Kline]]<br>[[Robert Seeley]]<br>[[Ping Warner]]
| producer = [[Jeff Kline]]<br />Peggy George<br />Bob Seeley
| location =
| location =
| camera =
| camera =
| runtime = 21 minutes
| runtime = 21 minutes
| network = [[The WB]]
| network = [[The WB]] ([[Kids' WB]])
| company =[[Adelaide Productions]] <br> Act III Television<br>Enchanted George Productions<br>[[Columbia TriStar Television]]
| company = [[Adelaide Productions]]<br />[[Act III Communications|Act III Productions]]<br />Enchanté George<br />[[Columbia TriStar Television]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}
⚫
| distributor = [[Sony Pictures Television]]
| last_aired = {{End date|1998|02|20}}
| picture_format =
⚫
| related =
| audio_format = [[Dolby Surround]]
| first_run =
| first_aired = October 20, 1997
| last_aired = February 25, 1998
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
⚫
| related =
| website =
}}
}}


'''''Channel Umptee-3''''' (also known simply as ''Umptee-3'') is a [[Saturday morning cartoon|Saturday morning]] [[animated television series]] created by Jim George and produced by [[Norman Lear]] that aired on [[The WB]] in 1997.<ref name=signature>{{cite news|title=WB's 'Umptee-3' has Norman Lear's signature|url=https://variety.com/article/VR1116677702|accessdate=28 May 2011|newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 14, 2007|author=Unknown author|location=USA}}</ref><ref name=time>{{cite news|title=TELEVISION: TUBE FOR TOTS|url=http://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987416-1,00.html|accessdate=28 May 2011|newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]|date=November 24, 2007|author=James Collins|author2=Jeanne McDowell|author3=William Tynan|location=USA}}</ref> This one-season cartoon show was designed to teach kids to appreciate the wonders of everyday things, such as sleep and water. The title is derived from the fictitious number "[[umpteen]]". It was also the last television series that Lear was involved in as an executive producer until the 2017 reboot of ''[[One Day at a Time (2017 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]''.
'''''Channel Umptee-3''''' (also known simply as ''Umptee-3'') is a [[Saturday morning cartoon|Saturday morning]] [[animated television series]] created by Jim George and produced by [[Norman Lear]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |pages=121–122 }}</ref> It aired on [[The WB]] as part of the [[Kids' WB]] programming block from 1997 to 1998.<ref name="Variety 1997">{{cite news|title=WB's 'Umptee-3' has Norman Lear's signature|url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/wb-s-umptee-3-has-norman-lear-s-signature-1116677702/|access-date=28 May 2011|newspaper=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 15, 1997|archive-date=April 20, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420032642/https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/wb-s-umptee-3-has-norman-lear-s-signature-1116677702/}}</ref><ref name=time>{{cite news|title=Television: Tube for Tots|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987416-1,00.html|access-date=28 May 2011|newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=November 24, 2007 |first1=James|last1=Collins|first2=Jeanne|last2=McDowell|first3=William|last3=Tynan |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918105500/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987416-1,00.html|archive-date=2009-09-18}}</ref> The one-season cartoon was designed to teach children to appreciate the wonders of everyday things, such as sleep and water. The title is derived from the fictitonal number "[[umpteen]]". It was also the last television series that Lear was involved in as an executive producer (and the last to feature an original story) until the 2017 revival of ''[[One Day at a Time (2017 TV series)|One Day at a Time]]''.


==Format==
==Format==
Ogden Ostrich, Holey Moley (a mole), and Sheldon S. Cargo (a snail) drive around the world in a van with their own underground television station. Channel Umptee-3, which exists between other channels and is broadcast from a mobile station, tries to focus on a specific topic in each episode, but is usually diverted from it and shifted onto another topic; e.g., one episode started out discussing cats, but quickly segued into the subject of ownership (which was the real topic of that show). Meanwhile, “The Frumps” (i.e., Stickley Rickets and his henchmen) would try to shut the station down or increase their own power, but whatever plan they came up with would fail.
Ogden Ostrich, Holey Moley (a mole), and Sheldon S. Cargo (a snail) drive around the world in a van with their own underground [[pirate television]] station.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |page=199}}</ref> Channel Umptee-3, which exists between other channels and is broadcast from a mobile station, tries to focus on a specific topic in each episode, but is normally diverted from it and shifted onto another topic; e.g., one episode started out discussing cats, but quickly segued into the subject of ownership (which was the real topic of that show). Meanwhile, "The Frumps" (i.e., Stickley Rickets and his henchmen) would try to shut the station down or increase their own power, but whatever plan they came up with would fail.


The show made great use of [[stock footage]], as did the earlier WB show ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' Also, the show sometimes made references to well-known movies and TV shows; e.g., the episode “Yours, Mine, and Ours” included references to ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'', ''[[Harvey (film)|Harvey]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[Dragnet (series)|Dragnet]]'', and ''[[The People's Court|The People’s Court]]'', and the title was that of [[Yours, Mine and Ours (1968 film)|a classic movie]].
The show made great use of [[stock footage]], as did the earlier WB show ''[[Freakazoid!]]'' Also, the show sometimes made references to well-known films and TV shows; e.g., the episode "Yours, Mine, and Ours" included references to ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'', ''[[Harvey (1950 film)|Harvey]]'', ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[Dragnet (series)|Dragnet]]'', and ''[[The People's Court]]'', and the title was that of [[Yours, Mine and Ours (1968 film)|a classic film]].


==Characters==
==Characters==
===The Umptees===
===The Umptees===
* '''Ogden O. Ostrich''' ([[Rob Paulsen]]) - An excitable yellow [[ostrich]] who first came up with the idea for a television program to show everyone that “the world is a magical place” after pulling his head out of the ground one day and looking at the world around him. At the start of every episode, Ogden comes running up the camera yelling “Hey!” over and over.
* '''Ogden O. Ostrich''' ([[Rob Paulsen]]) – An excitable yellow [[ostrich]] who first came up with the idea for a television program to show everyone that "the world is a magical place" after pulling his head out of the ground one day and looking at the world around him. At the start of every episode, Ogden comes running up the camera yelling "Hey!" over and over.
* '''Holey Moley''' - A [[pantomime]] character. He is a large [[Mole (animal)|mole]] who carries a number of [[portable hole]]s that allow him and his friends to go anywhere.
* '''Holey Moley''' – A [[pantomime]] character. He is a large [[Mole (animal)|mole]] who carries a number of [[portable hole]]s that allow him and his friends to go anywhere.
* '''Sheldon S. Cargo''' ([[David Paymer]]) - A large pink [[snail]] whose shell is fitted with a [[unicycle]]-like wheel to help him get around. Sheldon is the serious, professional member of the team; he tries his best to hold the show together, despite Ogden's almost hyperactive behavior. His name is derived from “[[escargot]].”
* '''Sheldon S. Cargo''' ([[David Paymer]]) – A large pink [[snail]] whose shell is fitted with a [[unicycle]]-like wheel to help him get around. Sheldon is the serious, professional member of the team; he tries his best to hold the show together, despite Ogden's almost hyperactive behavior. His name is derived from the French word "escargot".
* '''Professor Edwin I. Relevant''' ([[Greg Burson]]) - The station's resident expert on everything. Ogden and the others turn to Professor Relevant for information on the day's topic in almost every episode.
* '''Professor Edwin I. Relevant''' ([[Greg Burson]]) – The station's resident expert on everything. Ogden and the others turn to Professor Relevant for information on the day's topic in almost every episode.
* '''Test and Polly''' ([[Neil Ross]] and [[Susan Silo]]) - two [[newscaster]]s who work for Channel Umptee-3.
* '''Test and Polly''' ([[Neil Ross]] and [[Susan Silo]]) – two [[newscaster]]s who work for Channel Umptee-3.


===The Frumps===
===The Frumps===
* '''Stickley Rickets''' (voiced by [[Jonathan Harris]]) - The elderly president of a corporation that produces [[box]]es. Because the “Umptee-doodies” (as he calls them) encourage people to take things out of boxes and look at them in a new way, he sees them as a threat to his business. So he constantly plots to shut them down and “put them in a box, where they belong.”
* '''Stickley Rickets''' (voiced by [[Jonathan Harris]]) – The elderly president of a corporation that produces [[box]]es. Because the "Umptee-doodies" (as he calls them) encourage people to take things out of boxes and look at them in a new way, he sees them as a threat to his business. So he constantly plots to shut them down and "put them in a box, where they belong."
* '''Pandora Rickets''' (voiced by [[Alice Ghostley]]) - Stickley's wife. She isn't nearly as obsessed as her husband where the Umptees are concerned. Pandora even likes to watch some of the shows, although she doesn't want Stickley to find out. Her name is derived from “[[Pandora's box|Pandora’s box]].”
* '''Pandora Rickets''' (voiced by [[Alice Ghostley]]) – Stickley's wife. She isn't nearly as obsessed as her husband where the Umptees are concerned. Pandora even likes to watch some of the shows, although she does not want Stickley to find out. Her name is derived from "[[Pandora's box]]".
* '''Ed and Bud''' (voiced by [[Neil Ross]] and [[Gregg Berger]]) - Two black-suited henchmen who carry out Stickley's orders and are almost never successful. Ed is the taller one, and Bud is the shorter, balding one.
* '''Ed and Bud''' (voiced by [[Neil Ross]] and [[Gregg Berger]]) – Two black-suited henchmen who carry out Stickley's orders and are almost never successful. Ed is the taller one, and Bud is the shorter, balding one.


===Other voices===
===Other voices===
Other voice actors who appeared on the show included:
Other voice actors who appeared on the show included:
{{col-begin}}
{{div col}}
{{col-2}}
* [[Charlie Adler]]
* [[Charlie Adler]]
* [[Susanne Blakeslee]]
* [[Susanne Blakeslee]]
Line 69: Line 62:
* [[Jason Graae]]
* [[Jason Graae]]
* [[Maurice LaMarche]]
* [[Maurice LaMarche]]
* [[Danny Mann]]
{{col-2}}
* [[Pat Musick]]
* [[Pat Musick]]
* [[Julie Payne (post-1960s actress)|Julie Payne]]
* [[Julie Payne (post-1960s actress)|Julie Payne]]
* [[Patrick Pinney]]
* [[Patrick Pinney]]
* [[Roger Rose]]
* [[Roger Rose]]
* [[Tara Strong]]
* [[Tara Strong|Tara Charendoff]]
* [[Laura Summer]]
* [[Laura Summer]]
* [[Ron Taylor (actor)|Ron Taylor]]
* [[Ron Taylor (actor)|Ron Taylor]]
* [[Frank Welker]]
* [[Frank Welker]]
{{col-end}}
{{div col end}}

==Crew==
* [[Mark Evanier]] – Voice Director


==Episodes==
==Episodes==
{{No plot|section|date=June 2020}}
{| class="wikitable" style="background:#FFFFFF"
{{Episode table
! style="background:#FFD700; width:20px"| Nº
! style="background:#FFD700"| Title
|background=#D28358
|overall=6
! style="background:#FFD700"| Topic
|title=
! style="background:#FFD700; width:130px"| Original air date
|aux3=20
|aux3T=Topic(s)
|airdate=18
|episodes=

{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 1
| EpisodeNumber = 1
Line 92: Line 91:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|10|25}}
| Aux3 = [[Music]]
| Aux3 = [[Music]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
⚫
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
Line 99: Line 99:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|01}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|01}}
| Aux3 = The [[sun]]
| Aux3 = The [[sun]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
⚫
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
Line 106: Line 107:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|08}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|08}}
| Aux3 = [[unidentified flying object|UFOs]] and [[extraterrestrial life]]
| Aux3 = [[unidentified flying object|UFOs]] and [[extraterrestrial life]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| EpisodeNumber = 4
| Title = What’s So Funny
| Title = What's So Funny
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|15}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|15}}
| Aux3 = [[Laughter]] and [[humor]]
| Aux3 = [[Laughter]] and [[humor]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
Line 120: Line 123:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|22}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|11|22}}
| Aux3 = [[Time]]
| Aux3 = [[Time]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
Line 127: Line 131:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|06}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|06}}
| Aux3 = [[Water]]
| Aux3 = [[Water]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
Line 134: Line 139:
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|19}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1997|12|19}}
| Aux3 = [[Sleep]] and [[dream]]s
| Aux3 = [[Sleep]] and [[dream]]s
| ShortSummary = Ogden is determined never to sleep again because of a nightmare he'd had, and his friends try to explain to him that everyone needs to sleep.
⚫
| LineColor = FFD700
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| EpisodeNumber = 8
| Title = Sale of the Century
| Title = Sale of the Century
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|1|02}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|02}}
| Aux3 = [[Money]]
| Aux3 = [[Money]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| EpisodeNumber = 9
| Title = The Fear Show
| Title = The Fear Show
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|1|09}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|09}}
| Aux3 = [[Fear]]
| Aux3 = [[Fear]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| EpisodeNumber = 10
| Title = The Weather Show
| Title = The Weather Show
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|1|16}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|01|16}}
| Aux3 = [[Weather]]
| Aux3 = [[Weather]]
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| EpisodeNumber = 11
| Title = Yours, Mine, and Ours
| Title = Yours, Mine, and Ours
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|2|06}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|06}}
| Aux3 = [[Ownership]]
| Aux3 = [[Ownership]]
| ShortSummary = The Umptees win an award in the form of a huge chocolate bunny, and Ogden and Sheldon argue over whether to eat it or display it; this leads to some information about ownership from Professor Relevant. Meanwhile, Stickley's men steal Holey Moley's portable hole, because Stickley believes that there's a fortune inside of it.
⚫
| LineColor = FFD700
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| EpisodeNumber = 12
| Title = The Lying Show
| Title = The Lying Show
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|2|13}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|13}}
| Aux3 = [[Truth]] and [[lie]]s
| Aux3 = [[Truth]] and [[lie]]s
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
}}
}}
{{Episode list
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| EpisodeNumber = 13
| Title = Words Are Weird
| Title = Words Are Weird
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|2|20}}
| OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1998|02|20}}
| Aux3 = [[Word]]s
| Aux3 = [[Word]]s
| LineColor = FFD700
| ShortSummary =
| LineColor = D28358
⚫
}}
}}
}}
⚫
|}


==Episode status==
==Episode status==
Due to the short run and general obscurity of ''Channel Umptee-3'', only four episodes and the intro music have been found.<ref>https://lostmediawiki.com/Channel_Umptee-3_(partially_found_Kids%27_WB_cartoon;_1997)</ref> Originally, the second, third, tenth and twelfth episodes were posted to [[YouTube]], but they were blocked worldwide by [[Sony Pictures]], leading them to be posted elsewhere, ultimately on the [[Internet Archive]].
Due to the short run and general obscurity of ''Channel Umptee-3'', only four episodes and the intro music have been found publicly after its initial airing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lostmediawiki.com/Channel_Umptee-3_(partially_found_Kids%27_WB!_educational_animated_series;_1997)|title=Channel Umptee-3 (partially found Kids' WB! educational animated series; 1997) - The Lost Media Wiki|website=lostmediawiki.com}}</ref> Originally, the second, third, tenth and twelfth episodes were posted to [[YouTube]], but they were blocked worldwide by [[Sony Pictures]], leading them to be posted elsewhere, ultimately on the [[Internet Archive]].

Currently, Sony Pictures Television has the full rights to ''Channel Umptee-3'', and has the option to provide the series for streaming content providers. {{As of|2022}}, it is not yet available on any streaming platform, although it was rumored at one point to be potentially available on streaming platform [[Crackle (service)|Crackle]] sometime in late 2022/early 2023.


==References==
==References==
Line 188: Line 202:
==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0179715|title=Channel Umptee-3}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0179715|title=Channel Umptee-3}}
*{{tv.com show|channel-umptee-3|Channel Umptee-3}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19980526072354/http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/kids/umptee3/ Official Website (via Internet Archive)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19980526072354/http://www.spe.sony.com/tv/kids/umptee3/ Official Website (via Internet Archive)]
*[http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Columbia_Pictures/Adelaide_Productions/Channel_Umptee-3/index.html Big Cartoon DataBase: Channel Umptee-3 index]
*[https://archive.today/20131018182940/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Columbia_Pictures/Adelaide_Productions/Channel_Umptee-3/index.html Big Cartoon DataBase: Channel Umptee-3 index]
*[http://www.toonarific.com/show.php?s_search=umptee&Button_Update=Search&show_id=738 Toonarific Cartoons: Channel Umptee-3]
*[http://www.toonarific.com/show.php?s_search=umptee&Button_Update=Search&show_id=738 Toonarific Cartoons: Channel Umptee-3]


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{{Adelaide Productions}}
{{Adelaide Productions}}


⚫
[[Category:1997 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1990s American animated television series]]
[[Category:1990s American animated television series]]
⚫
[[Category:1997 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1998 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1998 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American animated television programs featuring anthropomorphic characters]]
[[Category:American children's animated comedy television series]]
[[Category:The WB shows]]
[[Category:American children's animated education television series]]
[[Category:Kids' WB original programs]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television]]
[[Category:Fictional television stations]]
[[Category:Fictional television stations]]
[[Category:Educational television series]]
[[Category:The WB animated television series]]
[[Category:Kids' WB original shows]]
[[Category:Television series about television]]
[[Category:Television series about television]]
[[Category:American children's animated comedy television series]]
[[Category:Television series by Adelaide Productions]]
[[Category:Television series by Adelaide Productions]]
⚫
[[Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television]]

Latest revision as of 17:52, 28 November 2024

Channel Umptee-3
Also known asUmptee-3
GenreComedy
Created byJim George
Developed byJim George
Norman Lear
John Baskin
Directed byChris Headrick
Don Jurwich
Mike Peraza
David Schwartz
Bob Seeley
Voices ofGregg Berger
Greg Burson
Alice Ghostley
Jonathan Harris
Rob Paulsen
David Paymer
Neil Ross
Susan Silo
Theme music composerJim George
Opening theme"Channel Umptee-3 Theme" performed by Rob Paulsen, David Paymer, and Jonathan Harris
Ending theme"Channel Umptee-3 Theme" (instrumental)
ComposerWalter Murphy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersJim George
Norman Lear
John Baskin
Richard Raynis
Everett Peck
ProducersJeff Kline
Peggy George
Bob Seeley
Running time21 minutes
Production companiesAdelaide Productions
Act III Productions
Enchanté George
Columbia TriStar Television
Original release
NetworkThe WB (Kids' WB)
ReleaseOctober 25, 1997 (1997-10-25) –
February 20, 1998 (1998-02-20)

Channel Umptee-3 (also known simply as Umptee-3) is a Saturday morning animated television series created by Jim George and produced by Norman Lear.[1] It aired on The WB as part of the Kids' WB programming block from 1997 to 1998.[2][3] The one-season cartoon was designed to teach children to appreciate the wonders of everyday things, such as sleep and water. The title is derived from the fictitonal number "umpteen". It was also the last television series that Lear was involved in as an executive producer (and the last to feature an original story) until the 2017 revival of One Day at a Time.

Format

[edit]

Ogden Ostrich, Holey Moley (a mole), and Sheldon S. Cargo (a snail) drive around the world in a van with their own underground pirate television station.[4] Channel Umptee-3, which exists between other channels and is broadcast from a mobile station, tries to focus on a specific topic in each episode, but is normally diverted from it and shifted onto another topic; e.g., one episode started out discussing cats, but quickly segued into the subject of ownership (which was the real topic of that show). Meanwhile, "The Frumps" (i.e., Stickley Rickets and his henchmen) would try to shut the station down or increase their own power, but whatever plan they came up with would fail.

The show made great use of stock footage, as did the earlier WB show Freakazoid! Also, the show sometimes made references to well-known films and TV shows; e.g., the episode "Yours, Mine, and Ours" included references to Cats, Harvey, Star Wars, Dragnet, and The People's Court, and the title was that of a classic film.

Characters

[edit]

The Umptees

[edit]
  • Ogden O. Ostrich (Rob Paulsen) – An excitable yellow ostrich who first came up with the idea for a television program to show everyone that "the world is a magical place" after pulling his head out of the ground one day and looking at the world around him. At the start of every episode, Ogden comes running up the camera yelling "Hey!" over and over.
  • Holey Moley – A pantomime character. He is a large mole who carries a number of portable holes that allow him and his friends to go anywhere.
  • Sheldon S. Cargo (David Paymer) – A large pink snail whose shell is fitted with a unicycle-like wheel to help him get around. Sheldon is the serious, professional member of the team; he tries his best to hold the show together, despite Ogden's almost hyperactive behavior. His name is derived from the French word "escargot".
  • Professor Edwin I. Relevant (Greg Burson) – The station's resident expert on everything. Ogden and the others turn to Professor Relevant for information on the day's topic in almost every episode.
  • Test and Polly (Neil Ross and Susan Silo) – two newscasters who work for Channel Umptee-3.

The Frumps

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  • Stickley Rickets (voiced by Jonathan Harris) – The elderly president of a corporation that produces boxes. Because the "Umptee-doodies" (as he calls them) encourage people to take things out of boxes and look at them in a new way, he sees them as a threat to his business. So he constantly plots to shut them down and "put them in a box, where they belong."
  • Pandora Rickets (voiced by Alice Ghostley) – Stickley's wife. She isn't nearly as obsessed as her husband where the Umptees are concerned. Pandora even likes to watch some of the shows, although she does not want Stickley to find out. Her name is derived from "Pandora's box".
  • Ed and Bud (voiced by Neil Ross and Gregg Berger) – Two black-suited henchmen who carry out Stickley's orders and are almost never successful. Ed is the taller one, and Bud is the shorter, balding one.

Other voices

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Other voice actors who appeared on the show included:

Crew

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Episodes

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No.TitleTopic(s)Original air date
1"The Music Show"MusicOctober 25, 1997 (1997-10-25)
2"Umptee Sunrise"The sunNovember 1, 1997 (1997-11-01)
3"The U.F.O. Show"UFOs and extraterrestrial lifeNovember 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
4"What's So Funny"Laughter and humorNovember 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
5"The Now Voyagers"TimeNovember 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)
6"Just Add Water"WaterDecember 6, 1997 (1997-12-06)
7"Perchance to Dream"Sleep and dreamsDecember 19, 1997 (1997-12-19)
Ogden is determined never to sleep again because of a nightmare he'd had, and his friends try to explain to him that everyone needs to sleep.
8"Sale of the Century"MoneyJanuary 2, 1998 (1998-01-02)
9"The Fear Show"FearJanuary 9, 1998 (1998-01-09)
10"The Weather Show"WeatherJanuary 16, 1998 (1998-01-16)
11"Yours, Mine, and Ours"OwnershipFebruary 6, 1998 (1998-02-06)
The Umptees win an award in the form of a huge chocolate bunny, and Ogden and Sheldon argue over whether to eat it or display it; this leads to some information about ownership from Professor Relevant. Meanwhile, Stickley's men steal Holey Moley's portable hole, because Stickley believes that there's a fortune inside of it.
12"The Lying Show"Truth and liesFebruary 13, 1998 (1998-02-13)
13"Words Are Weird"WordsFebruary 20, 1998 (1998-02-20)

Episode status

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Due to the short run and general obscurity of Channel Umptee-3, only four episodes and the intro music have been found publicly after its initial airing.[5] Originally, the second, third, tenth and twelfth episodes were posted to YouTube, but they were blocked worldwide by Sony Pictures, leading them to be posted elsewhere, ultimately on the Internet Archive.

Currently, Sony Pictures Television has the full rights to Channel Umptee-3, and has the option to provide the series for streaming content providers. As of 2022, it is not yet available on any streaming platform, although it was rumored at one point to be potentially available on streaming platform Crackle sometime in late 2022/early 2023.

References

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  1. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 121–122. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  2. ^ "WB's 'Umptee-3' has Norman Lear's signature". Variety. September 15, 1997. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  3. ^ Collins, James; McDowell, Jeanne; Tynan, William (November 24, 2007). "Television: Tube for Tots". Time. Archived from the original on 2009-09-18. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  4. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 199. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  5. ^ "Channel Umptee-3 (partially found Kids' WB! educational animated series; 1997) - The Lost Media Wiki". lostmediawiki.com.
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