The U.S. of Archie
| The U.S. of Archie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy, Historical |
| Created by |
Bob Montana (characters) John Goldwater (comic) |
| Directed by | Hal Sutherland |
| Starring |
Dallas McKennon Howard Morris Jane Webb John Erwin |
| Voices of |
Dallas McKennon Howard Morris Jane Webb John Erwin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
| Running time | 30 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production company(s) | Filmation |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | September 7, 1974 – September 1976 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Archie's TV Funnies |
| Followed by | The New Archie and Sabrina Hour |
The U.S. of Archie is a Saturday morning cartoon show on CBS from September 7, 1974 to September 1976. A spin-off of the popular Archie comic books and television show, it featured Archie, Jughead, and the other Riverdale High student regulars re-enacting famous scenes throughout American history, taking full advantage of the Bicentennial in the months leading up to it. These re-enactments were termed by Archie during the show to be historical accounts featuring the "ancestors" of the current Archie gang; surprisingly, these ancestors were nearly identical to Archie et. al. and were seemingly close friends of famous people in several eras of American history. It was produced by Filmation founders and producers Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott.
The musical segments appear after the episode ends, which are songs about the covered topic. The characters were slightly re-drawn with new clothing but some of the animations were recycled.
It ran for a total of sixteen episodes, but due to its educational agenda, lacked the music and comedy elements which had made the other Archie cartoons so successful. After spending its first four months on Saturday mornings, it was moved to the less-popular Sunday morning schedule in January 1975, where it remained in repeats until September 1976.
Jackie Mills, a Hollywood producer, produced all of the music for The U.S. of Archie. Jackie had also produced Bobby Sherman and the Brady Bunch Kids. The lead singer on The U.S. of Archie was Tom McKenzie, who earlier appeared on some of the Groovie Goolies's songs. Tom was a member of the Doodletown Pipers singing group, which also included Augie Johnson, Oren Waters, Mic "Michele" Bell, Teresa Graves, and Dean Chapman.
Beginning on March 29, 2010, U.S. of Archie started airing on the Retro Television Network.
Voices
- Dallas McKennon - Archie Andrews, Hot Dog, Mr. Weatherbee, Chuck Clayton
- John Erwin - Reggie Mantle
- Jane Webb - Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Miss Grundy
- Howard Morris - Jughead Jones, Big Moose Mason
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Underground Railroad" | 7 September 1974 |
| 2 | "Gold" | 14 September 1974 |
| 3 | "The Day of the Ladies" | 21 September 1974 |
| 4 | "The Star Spangled Banner" | 28 September 1974 |
| 5 | "The Wright Brothers" | 5 October 1974 |
| 6 | "The Roughrider" | 12 October 1974 |
| 7 | "The Golden Spike" | 19 October 1974 |
| 8 | "Flame of Freedom" | 26 October 1974 |
| 9 | "There She Blows" | 2 November 1974 |
| 10 | "Stay Not These Men" | 9 November 1974 |
| 11 | "The Giver" | 16 November 1974 |
| 12 | "Mr. Watson, Come Here" | 23 November 1974 |
| 13 | "The Crime of Ignorance" | 30 November 1974 |
| 14 | "The Great Divide" | 7 December 1974 |
| 15 | "Fulton's Folly" | 14 December 1974 |
| 16 | "Wizard of Menlo Park" | 21 December 1974 |