Release Message:  Martin (R. D. Robb) and Bridget, two farm children in Maryland, are hurled back in time to get the truth about an ancestor.

Description:  Two children are transported back in time to solve a mystery involving their ancestors, and return to the present to a startling surprise. Back when TV portrayed kids as kids should be, this is a refreshing little TV movie about two children who are transported to the past to clear their great, great uncle's family name. An uncle who was always branded 'the black sheep' of the family. From the get go our young heroine, Bridget, is endeared to the heirlooms and handsome picture of Otto Fromer. In their adventure they realize the rumors about their great great uncle were misconstrued, he was a hero! Bridget and her brother endanger their lives to protect Otto from capture and hanging, and hopefully a terrible fate lost at sea. The script is solid and the story flows along, you wish it was more than 45 minutes! The performances are wonderful all around. If you are an Adam Baldwin fan, this is a real treat. His character Otto is very dashing and adorable. Amy Locane proved herself to be a real talent as a child actress. V REVIEW TV REVIEW; 'OUT OF TIME' ON NBC, A JOURNEY BACK TO 1851 By JOHN CORRY Published: January 29, 1985 ''OUT OF TIME'' is nice, and don't dismiss that, either. There is nothing wrong with nice television; niceness means civility and an observance of honorable standards. ''Out of Time,'' an NBC ''Special Treat,'' is an adventure story done with care. It will be seen on Channel 4 at 4 o'clock today. The story is about two farm children in Frederick County, Md. - Bridget, 13 years old, and her brother, Martin, 9. Through a time warp - and where would television be without time warps? - they are transported back to 1851 Baltimore. ''Where are we? What's going on?'' Martin (R. D. Robb) says. ''One thing I'm sure of,'' the sensible, pretty Bridget (Amy Locane) says. ''We've been brought here for a purpose.'' And indeed they were. They find that an ancestor (Adam Baldwin), maligned by their family as a ne'er- do-well and gambler, was really an abolitionist, working to free slaves. He helped run an underground railway. Thus ''Out of Time'' is not just an adventure story; it is an adventure story out of American history. The details are fine. Old Baltimore looks rich and layered: smoke, fog, barrels, horses, crinolines, homespun, top hats, parasols, sailors in stocking caps and striped shirts, whisky jugs and pewter mugs. Sometimes Baltimore looks like Dickens's London, but that's unavoidable. You get smoke, fog and hustle and bustle on busy streets and, like it or not, you'll get Dickens. Still, the program isn't a bad history lesson for young viewers, even if it does sometimes seem a little bland. Slavery was part of our social fabric, but some good people worked to erase it. Meanwhile, Dion Anderson gives a nicely modulated portrayal of a slave trader. He's a bully and a cheat, but not a monster. ''Out of Time'' may even be saying something here about the banality of evil, but not in a way that will frighten young children. And a word about the time warp: it's satisfying. It seems to reside in a chest in a hidden room in a barn. When Bridget and Martin look into it, thunder booms, lightning cracks and a wind arises fiercely. As time warps go, that's not bad at all. The kids also use it to return home. ''Out of Time'' was produced by WRC-TV, the NBC station in Washington, in association with EFC Productions and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was directed by Michael Schweitzer and written by Ruth Pollack, Ira H. Klugerman and Patrick Prentice.