The Purr-fect Voice

When MGM-UA’s “Pink Panther” series debuts next year on CBS--mixing animation and live action--don’t expect the quality of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” MGM-UA TV chief David Gerber tells us the animation will be several cuts above typical Saturday morning fare, “but I don’t think any TV show could emulate the technique of ‘Roger Rabbit’ . . . without going bankrupt. We’re going to concentrate on the character.”

The series had been in the planning stages for nearly two years, without a green light. Then “Roger Rabbit” hit the big screen, said co-producer George Schenck, and its blockbuster success “helped make this possible. Before, no one thought it could be done.”

The comic series about a feline that helps out a young reporter (Charlie Schlatter) could be a late-season replacement.

But first, Gerber said, the producers must find a vocal talent who can provide a sound for the clever cat. After hundreds of taped auditions, they’re still waiting to hear “the voice with the right texture.”