The Archie Show
Adapted
from the comic book creation of cartoonist Bob Montana and John
Goldwater, Archie and the whole gang from Riverdale High came to
Saturday morning TV in the USA in the late 60s and stayed through
various incarnations for almost 10 years.
The Archie Show was the first of several TV incarnations
of the beloved comic book series, which began in the 1940s.
The popular show (which seemed to change titles every season)
focused on a group of teenagers who, despite their wildly
different personalities, still preferred to hang out together.
The main character in the group was the perpetually youthful
and red-headed all-American nice guy Archie Andrews. The object of
his affection was primarily the dark-haired beauty Veronica Lodge,
who was wealthy and too aware of her devastating looks. Competing
with Archie for Veronica's affection was the equally self-absorbed
Reggie Mantle.
Jughead Jones was Archie's eternally hungry (yet skinny!) best
friend, who had a pathological fear of girls and so played the
cynical bystander while the other boys actively pursued Veronica.
The other female in the cast was Betty Cooper, the blonde
girl-next-door, who was Veronica's best friend/ worst enemy in the
ongoing competition to be Archie's best girl.
Other key characters were Riverdale High School staff members
Miss Grundy (homeroom teacher), Mr Weatherbee (the Principal) and
Coach Kleats; and class-mates Big Moose (the school 'jock'),
Dilton Doily (the school 'brain') and Jughead’s pursuer, Big
Ethel. The gang were usually also accompanied by Hot Dog,
Jughead's big, white sheepdog.
When the kids weren't riding around in Archie's old car or
eating at Pop's Chock'lit shop, they were singing groovy tunes in
their rock band called, appropriately, The Archies.
In the real world, The Archies were a group of studio musicians
while the voices behind the singing cartoon characters were
vocalists Ron Dante, Toni Wine and Andy Kim, who were later called
upon for touring purposes. Everything's Archie (the theme song to
the show) is just one of the hits by the musical group that scored
5 top ten hits including the number one song, Sugar Sugar
which spent four weeks at the top of the US charts in
August/September 1969.
The Archie Show was followed by The Archie Comedy
Hour (1969 - 1970) and in various forms the show lasted
through the 1980s.
Not to be confused with The Archers!
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