Curious George, Educator.
Yawn.
Not to worry. I got it from the monkey’s mouth that the simian bad boy of the children’s books will remain the same mischievous fellow he’s always been.
“Curious George,” the new animated series based on the stories by Margret and H.A. Rey, debuts at 6:30 a.m. Monday on KRMA-Channel 6. It’s pitched to early-rising 3-to-5-year-olds, and it wouldn’t be public television if it didn’t have a lesson in there somewhere.
Denver-born-and-bred Frank Welker, a 1964 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School who is the voice of George, promises it will be fun too.
“When we do these shows, I haven’t noticed the educational value because I’m so busy being silly. The shows, once you see them, it’s in there but I don’t find it as being a problem. He’s just having fun. He definitely gets into trouble.”
Curious George is the latest in a long line of voices Welker has done for TV and movies, including three, Bill Cosby, President Clinton and Elvis Presley, that he dropped casually while we chatted on the phone.
Welker’s face may be virtually unknown in Hollywood but he’s the voice behind animated characters like Fred Jones on “Scooby-Do,” Nibbler on “Futurama” and “Santa’s Little Helper” on “The Simpsons.” And that doesn’t begin to cover hundreds of sound effects he’s re-created.
Welker, who launched his show-biz career as “a floor man and trouble causer” at Denver’s Channel 7, admits, “I didn’t know there was a voiceover business. It’s been nice. If I need a table at a restaurant, I just call and imitate Bill Cosby, which I know is on the edge of semi-legal.”
That’s naughtier than Curious George, a character he’s come to love. “George is so much fun because I have great directors and producers that encourage me to be silly.”
Weekend highlights
Today
Newsman Dan Rather’s career had a rather shabby ending but his life as a tenacious reporter is recalled by his old network in “Dan Rather: A Reporter Remembered” (8 p.m., KCNC-Channel 4).
Saturday
Sam Neill reprises his role as the magical wizard in “Merlin’s Apprentice” (6 p.m., Hallmark).
Sunday
“Three Moons Over Milford” is an oddball tale of a small town after a lunar disaster threatens Earth (6 p.m., ABC Family).
Around the dial
Same-sex unions take the spotlight on “Colorado State of Mind,” featuring representatives from the Gay and Lesbian Fund of Colorado and Focus on the Family (7:30 tonight, KRMA-Channel 6) … Staying in the game: Former CU football coach Gary Barnett has signed on as a college and pro football analyst for the Sports USA Radio Network … Quotable: “Can you believe what we do for a living?” Frank Welker.
Dick Kreck’s column appears Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. He may be reached at 303-954-1456 or dkreck@denverpost.com.
