THE ARCHIE ANDREWS LIVE-ACTION TOUR

Archie Andrews is one of the most well known comic book teenagers of the 20th century.  His popularity soared in the 1950s and 1960s thanks not only to the numerous comic books in which he appeared but also to the numerous radio serials and animated television series that grew from the comics. 

In 2017 the CW Network began airing a television series entitled Riverdale, featuring the Archie cast.  It proved to be a ratings success.  For many, this was believed to be the first live-action portrayal of Archie Andrews.  But that belief couldn't be less true!

He didn't have any major success before Riverdale, but Archie did indeed have several other live-action attempts through the years.  Let's jump on board the tour wagon and check them out!

Archie Andrews is an outgoing red-headed teenager who first appeared in the pages of Pep Comics #22 in December of 1941. His tales were originally published by MLJ Magazines.  Archie and his pals were so popular that their adventures and antics were published in many new Archie-related MLJ titles.  This eventually led MLJ Magazines to officially change its name to Archie Comics Publications. 

Archie and his pals had major success in radio serials and several animated television cartoon series.  One of their animated outings even led to a studio band, performing as a group called "The Archies", having a number one pop single titled Sugar Sugar that experienced immense popularity and was the #1 Billboard hit for four weeks in a row in 1969.  Attempts to translate Archie into live portrayals haven't been nearly as successful, but there have been attempts nonetheless.

The first venture to bring a live portrayal of Archie Andrews to the masses was in 1962.  Desilu Studios filmed Life With Archie. The role of Archie in Life With Archie was awarded to Frank Bank.  Frank was already known to television audiences thanks to his recurring role as Lumpy on Leave It to Beaver.  Bank's casting as Archie seems an odd one, and he is quoted on several TV-related websites as saying that while he thought the show was "funny and cool", ultimately his recognition as Lumpy led to sponsors passing on buying the show.
 

Two years later, another attempt to bring Archie to the live screen came in the TV-pilot, Archie, produced by Screen Gems.  Several actors in this production went on to have great success and popularity... but not due to this production!  It featured Harriet E. MacGibbon (Mrs. Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies) as Mrs. Finch, Jean Vander Pyl (the voice of Wilma on The Flintstones) as Archie's mom Mary Andrews, Mary Grace Canfield (Ralph Monroe on Green Acres) as Miss Grundy, and William Schallert (Martin Lane on The Patty Duke Show) as Archie's dad.  The pivotal role of Archie Andrews went to John Simpson.  

The pilot was a typical sitcom of the era, and were it not for the title, it could have been about any group of high school pals.  It also has one of the most terrible closing credits song in tv history!

(At the time this tour is being published, the 1962 pilot is available in full on YouTube.)

  

In 1976, another pilot, again titled simply Archie, was aired on the ABC network on Sunday, December 19th.  The show was also re-aired as an ABC Saturday Afternoon Comedy Special.  The actor originally cast to play Archie Andrews was CSI: Miami star David Caruso.  But at the last minute, the role was recast with Dennis Bowen.  

The pilot was a mix of variety show and sitcom.  It was composed of several self-contained smaller segments (similar to the way an Archie comic book would read) and some songs sung by an unknown pop music band (an attempt to cash in on the success of The Archies singing group that was born out of the animated The Archie Show cartoon series that debuted in 1968).

This pilot did not lead to an ongoing series, yet the entire cast was brought back again in 1978 for a re-tooled pilot titled The Archie Situation Comedy Musical Variety Show.  Following its debut, it too was passed over for any ongoing series. 

In 1990, the NBC television network aired the made-for-television film, Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again.  This movie features the core Archie gang (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Moose, and Midge) and pushes them into their early 30s (15 years after their high school graduation).  Some characters have married (and divorced) and some have children.  They gather for a reunion and commiserate the trappings of adult life.

The movie aired during May sweeps and was regarded as a pilot for a possible series.  The characters, though older, rang true to their comic book roots.  The movie was well-received and earned mixed reviews... but ultimately was not developed into an ongoing series.

Archie, now a successful lawyer, was played by Christopher Rich, perhaps best known as Reba's ex-husband on Reba (2001 - 2007).

Undoubtedly, Archie Andrew's most successful live-action portrayal was that on Riverdale.  The series was the brainchild of Greg Berlanti, a producer long associated with bringing comic book characters to television (Supergirl, Flash, Doom Patrol, Arrow, and Titans are among some others).

Riverdale was a different spin on the Archie universe.  It was often referred to as Archie meets Twin Peaks.  Riverdale is a town full of secrets, mysteries, murder, evil, and intrigue.  And thrown into the mix is a band of teenagers trying to make sense of it all.  The series was narrated from Jughead's (Cole Sprouse) point of view.  Archie was played by actor AJ Apa.  The series had great ratings and lasted seven seasons from 2017 through 2023.  

The series integrated Josie and the Pussycats and Cheryl Blossom, other characters published by Archie Comics, and it also served as the unofficial springboard for two other Archie Comics-related series, Katy Keene and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.  When seasons of Riverdale were posted on the streaming service Netflix, they instantly became the most popular shows watched worldwide.

To close out this tour, we have one more portrayal of Archie Andrews, this one being his first in a feature film.  The Archies is a Hindu-language feature film made in India.  It premiered at the 54th International Film Festival of India in November 2023.

The story is set in the fictional Anglo-Indian community of Riverdale in the year 1964.  The film itself is a teen musical comedy that centers around the efforts of Archie, Veronica, Betty, Reggie, Jughead, Dilton, Midge, and Moose to save a neighborhood park that is slated for destruction.  Archie is played by Agastya Nanda.

The movie was released on Netflix in December 2023, receiving mixed but mostly positive feedback from viewers.

So there you have it!  A quick little tour of the actors who have had the opportunity to depict a character originally described as "America's typical teenager!"  Archie Andrews.



Archie Andrews and all related characters, names, and elements and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Archie Comic Publications, Inc.