Chapman/Dial

Background

This is the vanity plate of Richard Chapman and Bill Dial (who would go on to form Mike + Bill Productions with Michael Piller).

(August 16, 1986-September 29, 1990)

• 

Nicknames: "The Ostrich", "OH NO!", "Civil Defense Ostrich", "Elijah the Ostrich"

Logo: On a city skyline at night, a cartoon ostrich with blue feathers and wearing an army helmet and binoculars is seen as it briefly looking at us before searchlights appear in the background and the ostrich looks at them. The ostrich then yells "OH NO!", and then puts his head into the ground and a blue metallic Civil Defense logo circle drops down from the sky, shaking the entire screen. The circle has a white triangle and inside the triangle is the red abbreviation letters "CD" (standing for "civil defense"). At the beginning, the "CHAPMAN/DIAL" text in white fades in below.

FX/SFX: The ostrich, and the Civil Defense logo falling down.

Variants:

• On E.A.R.T.H. Force, the logo is enhanced.
• The last episode of E.A.R.T.H. Force that aired has "in association with" fading in below the company name.

Music/Sounds: An air raid siren is heard when the searchlights appear, the ostrich says his line (as mentioned in the logo's nicknames and the description), and then a crashing sound is heard when the Civil Defense circle drops down.

Availability: Extremely rare. It's seen on the failed ABC pilot, titled The Rowdies and the short-lived CBS series E.A.R.T.H. Force. It could be seen on websites such as YouTube.

Legacy: The ostrich has a pretty fine, albeit not-so-well voice due to the voice acting. However, the Civil Defense logo dropping down so suddenly and the siren may scare some, but it's a funny (yet obscure) logo.