3-2-1 Contact (1980–1992)

A children's show explaining various principles of science and their applications.

Stars:

David Quinn, Debra Shapiro, Todd A. Rolle

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 13 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
David Quinn	...	Himself (78 episodes, 1986-1988)
Debra Shapiro	...	Herself (36 episodes, 1986-1988)
Todd A. Rolle	...	Himself (33 episodes, 1986-1988)

Storyline

In this series, we follow the explorations of kids as they explore science in its various fields with experiments, films, cartoons and demonstrations. To highlight these principles application in an entertaining way, we also watch the cases of the Bloodhound Gang, a group of kids who are junior detectives for a private detective agency who use simple scientific knowledge, research and deduction to solve the crimes they encounter.

---

Plot Keywords:

science | children | math | educational program | number in title

---

Genres:

Family

---

Certificate:

TV-Y7

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 January 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

3-2-1 Kompass

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Children's Television Workshop (CTW), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (225 episodes and 8 specials)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Bloodhound Gang" segments were discontinued in 1986 due to the death of Marcelino Sánchez.

---

Connections

Referenced in South Park: Kenny Dies (2001)

User Reviews

Mr. Bloodhound Isn't Here

Like the rest of the users, I watched the entire first season (probably while killing time, waiting for "Battlestar Galactica '80" to start) and then more or less lost interest. Even at 7 I remember thinking it was cool that Marc had this cool apartment/clubhouse that he got to share with two chicks. The fact that they mostly just hung out, doing strange science experiments, didn't phase me a bit. I guess that's just what a guy does with two chicks in their clubhouse. Unlike some of the other users, I really liked the Bloodhound Gang. I remember one episode in particular where they investigate a ghost at some old lady's house. Turns out her creepy son was doing it in order to get her to sell the place so he could pay off his gambling debts - not bad for a kids show. Plus, the ghost itself was really friggin' scary - it cackled and wiggled and, to be honest, scared the crap out of me. Turns out the son created the ghost by - and here comes the sciency aspect of the mystery - catching moths using pheromones and then illuminating the wriggling moths with a spotlight, creating the illusion of this amoeba-like squirming ghost. He also played creepy cackling music on his tape player for added effect. All in all the whole process seemed a little laborious, but then I guess it wouldn't have fit the show if they didn't get a chance to discuss moth pheramones. I also remember another bloodhound episode where this guy claimed someone had stolen his priceless grandfather clock. In reality, he wrapped it in plastic and dumped it in his well with the intention of using bags of salt to float it to the top so he could retrieve it after he collected the insurance money. Like one person said, very Encyclopedia Brown. Anyhow, great show and don't kid, that theme song rocked. Although the frog and baby were, admittedly, a bit gross.