A little more than ten years ago, I worked on a stealth cartoon series called Channel Umptee-3. Never heard of it? Neither has almost anyone else I've met, even though it was on the WB network for most of a year. It was an "educational" cartoon show produced in conjunction with Norman Lear's company and created by a brilliant cartoonist-writer named Jim George. Unfortunately at the time, it kind of got trampled over by a number of "high-profile" and exploitable shows that were around and which commanded more attention. At a comic convention a few years later, I asked a hall filled with maybe a thousand animation fans if anyone there had ever seen the show, and I think about six hands were raised…and not even all the way up, as if to say "I think so but I'm not sure."
We have for you today the opening and closing of an episode. The lead character, Ogden Ostrich, was voiced by Rob Paulsen, who is best known for playing Pinky on Pinky and the Brain, and he's Mr. Opportunity in those car commercials. Ogden's friend, Sheldon the Snail, was performed by David Paymer, who everyone seems to remember for his Oscar-nominated performance as Billy Crystal's brother in Mr. Saturday Night. There was an unofficial rule in Hollywood for about ten years there that you couldn't make a movie without David Paymer in it but I think this was his only cartoon series. The villain (you'll see and hear him in the opening) was voiced by the late Jonathan Harris, the constant Special Guest Star villain from the old live-action series, Lost in Space. All three of them are singing in the opening, along with a couple of other folks. The female voice you'll hear in there belongs to a fine singer/actress named Susanne Blakeslee.
If you stick around for the end credits and read quickly, you may spot some other familar names, including Nicola Cuti (who wrote the great comic book, E-Man), Scott Shaw! and my companion (and chicken pot roast maker), Carolyn Kelly. For some reason, my name is in there four times, which always makes me uncomfortable. I always ask to limit credits to one for fear that if I get too many on one project, I'll have to pay a royalty to Mel Brooks.
So this is a taste of Channel Umptee-3. I wish they'd put this show out on DVD, not because I'd expect to get any bucks off it but because it deserved a lot wider audience than it ever got.