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{{Short description|Comic book character}}
'''Archie Andrews''' is the name of the main character in a ] comic book series, and the title of a long-run radio series about that character, created by Bob Montana.
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Archie Andrews
| series = {{no italic|]}}
| image = Archieandrwcmc.png
| alt =
| first = '']'' #22 (December 1941)
| last =
| creator = {{ubl|]|]|Vic Bloom}}
| lbl1 = Voiced by
| data1 = {{ubl|Charles Mullen (1943–1944)|] (1944)|] (1945)|] (1945–1953)|] (1968–1976)|J Michael Roncetti (1987)|] (1999–2002)}}
| lbl2 = Portrayed by
| data2 = {{ubl|] (2017–2023)|] (1990)|Brock Brown ('']''; young)|] ('']'')|] (1976)}}
| lbl3 = Hometown
| data3 = ]
| lbl4 = School
| data4 = Riverdale High School
| full_name = Archibald Andrews
| nickname = Archie
| significant_others = {{hlist|]|]|]|]| |]|]|Ginger Lopez|Tina Patel|]|]}}
| family = ] (father)<br>] (mother)
| relatives = {{ubl|] (grandfather)|Bernice Andrews (grandmother)|Alistair Andrews (cousin)|Frank Andrews (uncle)}}
| origin =
| home =
}}
'''Archibald''' "'''Archie'''" '''Andrews''', created in 1941 by publisher ] and artist ]<ref name=VanityFair>{{cite news |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/12/archie200612|title=American Idol |first=Jim |last=Windolf |work=]| date= December 2006| access-date= January 12, 2017 |archive-date=July 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713065417/http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2006/12/archie200612| url-status=live |quote=Since the settlement, every Archie product has listed John Goldwater as 'creator.' The name Bob Montana falls under a separate credit line that defines him as the 'creator' of 'the original characters' likenesses.'}}</ref> in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom,<ref name=gcd-pep22> at the ]. Retrieved January 9, 2017.</ref><ref> by ], ], April 24, 2003</ref> is the main character in the ] franchise, including the long-running ''Archie Andrews'' radio series, a syndicated comic strip, '']'', '']'', and '']''. With the creation of Archie Andrews, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the ] films starring ].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Offenberger |first=Rik |title=Publisher Profile: Archie Comics |journal=] |date=March 1, 2003 |issue=19 |url=http://www.mightycrusaders.net/history.htm |via=MightyCrusaders.net |access-date=January 9, 2017 |archive-date=October 28, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028070716/http://www.mightycrusaders.net/history.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Archie Andrews is the rhythm guitarist and one of the three singers of the fictional band ]. He is portrayed by ] on '']'' and Agastya Nanda in ]. For his physical appearance, he has ] hair, ]s on his cheeks, and light-colored skin. In '']'', he appears to be of ]-] descent, as shown in the episode "The Day the Earth Moved", when his father wanted to keep with their ] and wear a ] while ringing the bell of ].


==Fictional character biography==
It also is the name of a ]'s ] that appeared on ] and ]s in the ] during the ] and ].
Archie Andrews debuted in '']'' #22 (] Dec. 1941). He is the only child of Mary and Fred Andrews. His father works as a mid-level business executive. His mother, initially a homemaker, takes a job at a real estate agency in later years. His earlier life is revealed in the "Little Archie" stories when he had a dog named Spotty. Archie lives in ], where he attends Riverdale High School.


Archie is a typical small-town teenager. He is extremely clumsy and can be very stupid. His main crush is ], but he is also fond of ], forming the ] driving many of the comic's plot lines. He has the best intentions, but often comes into conflict with Veronica's rich father, ], and Riverdale High's principal, ]. As one of the three vocalists and the rhythm guitarist of '']'', Archie performs with Betty and Veronica, as well as his nemesis ], who battles him for Veronica and Betty's heart, and his best friend ].
==Bob Montana's characters==
'''Archibald "Archie" Andrews''' debuted in ''Pep Comics'' #22 ], ], and six decades later is still a redheaded 17-year-old. He lives in ], attends ], and is the only son of '''Fred and Mary Andrews'''. Archie has many ], drives an old ] and takes jobs to pay for dates.


Mary and Fred Andrews are of Scottish descent. Archie's paternal grandfather, Andy Andrews, immigrated to the United States from Scotland and befriended ]'s Russian ancestor, who had emigrated at the same time. Archie has been depicted wearing the traditional kilt of his ancestors and playing bagpipes (but not very well).
Archie's love is divided between the rich and refined ] and the middle-class and athletic ]; Betty is humble, and Veronica is a snob; the two girls often fight over him. Archie is the lead singer of '']'', performing with Betty, Veronica, ] and ].


The '']'' series, published from 1956 through the mid-1990s, chronicles the adventures of pre-teen Archie and his friends while in elementary school.
Archie is a good fellow, but also an accident waiting to happen and always gets involved in the funniest situations. Some of the many adults who to try be far away from this walking hurricane are ] and Riverdale High's principal, ].


The 2010 revival of the '']'' series chronicles two alternate, parallel story lines, with Archie marrying Veronica in one and Betty the other.
In the TV movie and subsequent comic book "To Riverdale and Back Again," which portrayed all the characters 15 years after their graduation from high school, Archie is a lawyer with a practice in Riverdale -- and still gets to ]'s Chock'lit Shoppe as much as possible.


He has ], a face with a set of three freckles on each cheek, and light skin.
The ] version of ''Archie Andrews'' is named '''Archie G&oacute;mez'''.


==Relationships==
Bob Montana's characters were adapted to radio in the early 1940s. ''Archie Andrews'' began on the Blue Network May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC until September 5, 1943. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings doing the title character during the NBC years. Harlan Stone portrayed Archie's pal, Jughead, known for the catchphrase, "Relax, Archie, reeelax!"
]


===Love life===
After four years in the Army Signal Corps, Bob Montana returned in 1946 to launch the ''Archie'' newspaper comic strip, which he drew until his death in 1975. Bob Montana's main characters
Archie and Betty have been best friends and love interests all their lives. When Veronica Lodge moved to Riverdale, however, he switched his attention to her, making Betty both angry and jealous. She began competing with Veronica for his affection.
were all based on real-life individuals he knew in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he went to high school from 1936 to 1939.


In the comics, he sometimes thinks of Betty more as a close friend and confidante. He likes that she is always available as a back-up when he does not have a date with Veronica.
==Ventriloquist's puppet==
Possibly derived from the comic character, '''Archie Andrews''' was the name of the ] used by ] ] in a ] and ] show in the ] in the ] and ], in its radio format it was called 'Educating Archie'. The bizarre concept of delivering a ventriloquist act, a visual humour, by radio, an audio media, never seemed to bother anyone at the time, however. Archie was invariably dressed in a broad-striped blazer, and addressed the ventriloquist as "Brough". The television scripts were written by ] and ].


He dislikes it when Betty dates other boys, wanting her to stay available as his second choice. Now that Betty sporadically dates ] and ], Archie shows a tinge of jealousy. Archie is married to Betty in Archie Marries Betty: Life With Archie series and is married to Veronica in Archie Marries Veronica: Life with Archie series. Both scenarios produce different outcomes for Archie's overall life, as well as Betty's and Veronica's.
The UK radio show attracted up to 15m listeners and had a children's fan club that at one time had 250,000 members. Among future stars who appeared on the show were ], ], ], ], ] and (as a 14-year-old) ].


Archie often competes for the attention of Betty and Veronica with his rival, ], and occasionally other boys. Veronica keeps Archie guessing, never letting him take her for granted. Betty, on the other hand, clearly lets Archie know she adores him. Archie chooses to keep fighting for Veronica.
Archie went missing several times.
*In ], he was in Peter Brough's car when it was stolen from ], ], but found two days in a garden at ].
*He was left in the rack of a railway carriage at ], but a ] sent him back by taxi in time for his show.
*In 1951, Brough was travelling to ] to compere the televised ] at the ], Leeds, with Archie in his suitcase. Brough wentfor dinner in the dining car, and whilst away the carriage in which he had been sitting was taken off the train and went on to ]. Unable to locate the puppet, at the venue Brough went through a revised script without the dummy. A £1000 reward was offered and he was returned.


A third love interest is a wealthy red-headed girl named ]. At first, she was deemed too sexual and a bit promiscuous and was taken out of the series, but due to her popularity, she was brought back in '']'', a four-part mini-series in which Archie attempts to make a decision between Cheryl, Betty, and Veronica.
There has only ever been one Archie, as the mould, made in ], was destroyed in the ].


On May 15, 2009, ] announced that Archie would finally pick one of the girls to marry, in a story arc in ''Archie'' #600–606 (Aug. 2009 – Feb. 2010).<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://archie-blogs.archiecomics.com/archie_news/2009/05/archie-andrews-is-getting-married.html |title=Archie Andrews Is Getting Married! |publisher=Archie Comics |via=Archie-blogs |date=May 15, 2009 |access-date=August 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826083028/http://archie-blogs.archiecomics.com/archie_news/2009/05/archie-andrews-is-getting-married.html |archive-date=August 26, 2009 }}</ref> However, Archie Comics publicly revealed this to be a dream sequence<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comicsworthreading.com/2009/10/08/media-discover-archieveronica-marriage-an-imaginary-story/ |title=Media Discover Archie/Veronica Marriage an Imaginary Story |date=October 8, 2009 |publisher=Comics Worth Reading |access-date=August 16, 2010}}</ref> to show two possible futures: one where Archie marries Veronica (issues 600–602), and the other Betty (603–605). In both, he has twins: a boy also named Archie who looks like him, and a girl named after and resembling whichever girl he married. Issue 606 was an epilogue to '']'' that returns to the comics' old format.
==Archie in the movies==
1n 1990, NBC decided to make a TV-movie that focused around Archie and the gang titled "Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again". Instead of having them stuck in Riverdale High, they were now adults and preparing for their fifteen year high school reunion. Archie was now a lawyer engaged to the image conscience, Pam. His best friend, Jughead, was a neurotic psychiatrist with a troublemaking son (Archie dubbed him "Jughead Junior").


In ''Archie'' No. 608 (May 2010), Archie began a relationship with ], making her Archie's first girlfriend of African descent. ] and ] were touring together and, while rehearsing, Archie and Valerie secretly fell in love as they co-wrote the song "More Than Words" that described their feelings. Issue No. 609 revealed that this relationship had seeped into common knowledge by the end of the tour. Archie and Valerie were forced apart when the Pussycats were touring Europe without the Archies, but hoped to keep their relationship going. In the comic ''Archie Marries Valerie'', Valerie is expecting a baby with Archie, whom they name Star.
Betty was an elementary school teacher and aspiring novelist engaged to a jerk named Robert who was jealous of Archie. Veronica was living in France and chartered a Concorde to Riverdale for the reunion. She was still tied down by her dad's money and still in love with Archie. Reggie worked for Mr. Lodge and owned several businesses. Moose and Midge were married and worked as chiropractors, while Big Ethel had turned into a beautiful model.


In ''Archie'' No. 700 (July 2019), which signifies the start of another soft reboot, it is revealed that Archie got into a relationship with ] over his summer break while everyone was on vacation after she had saved him from a pack of wolves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/books/2019/06/11/riverdale-reacts-archie-sabrinas-romance-new-comic-preview/|title=Archie and Sabrina's romance creates drama in new comic preview|date=June 11, 2019|website=EW.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-04}}</ref>
The film focused around the good times the gang had during the weekend reunion. Reggie planned to demolish Poptate's so he add could extra space for his gym. Archie decided to fight this in court. Meanwhile, Archie still wrestled with his feelings for Betty and Veronica.


===Friends===
In the end, Archie breaks up with Pam and decides to stay in Riverdale, Jughead moves back to Riverdale to open a practice, Betty decides to teach in Riverdale, Veronica decides to stay in Riverdale for a while before going back to Paris, and Reggie is forgiven for trying destroy the gang's local hangout.
]'' number 67 (May 1948), artwork by ].]]
] has been Archie's best friend ever since childhood. When Jughead first came to Riverdale, he was in a bad mood and tended to dismiss Archie. However, Archie, of good heart, tried to cheer up Jughead and the two have been inseparable ever since. Jughead wears a trademark ] (a Depression-era style of makeshift hatwear, crafted from an inverted fedora with a scallop-cut brim, and decorated with assorted pinbacks) and an inscrutable, closed-eyelid expression. Often Jughead has to help Archie out from a tricky situation. Jughead usually knows when Archie's ideas will not work, but is powerless to avoid getting involved.


] is Archie's constant romantic and athletic rival. Each often makes attempts to separate the other from Veronica, occasionally exhibiting physical violence, and both have won their fair share of scrapes with each other. Reggie takes every opportunity to play practical jokes on Archie and make cynical wisecracks. However, Reggie is often shown as a companion to and of Archie despite his arrogance and competitive nature, and they are often seen together practicing athletics or pursuing dates.
The film was a pilot for a possible series. It was panned by fans and critics alike, and never picked up for a series run.

Archie's other friends include ], the local genius who gets Archie into and out of trouble through his experiments and inventions; ], the dim-witted but likable star athlete of Riverdale High who is often Archie's teammate; ], another of Archie's teammates who was originally shy and reclusive but came out of his shell when Archie befriended him; Moose and Chuck's girlfriends ] and ], two of the very few attractive girls Archie does not fall for; and ], a girl with an enormous crush on Jughead, who often wins his heart with the use of fresh-baked cookies.

==Interests==
===Sports===
Outside of dating, Archie largely enjoys sports. He plays ], ], and ] for the Riverdale High teams. Though often not as good an athlete as Moose Mason, Chuck Clayton or Reggie Mantle, he proves a valuable member of the school team. Coaches ] and ] value him for both his athletic abilities and his team spirit. However, Archie's athletic abilities vary from story to story, due to his frequent clumsiness. He also has a tendency to pay more attention to cheerleaders than to his playing. For this reason, Coach Kleats often tries to avoid resorting to use Archie in a game.

===Cars===
]
Automobiles are one of Archie's hobbies, and he is passionate about his car. For decades, he was shown driving a 1916 ] jalopy called "Betsy". In Archie double digest No. 192, it is said to be a ]. In a story during which Archie tried to have his jalopy insured, he described it as being a "], ], ], ], ], ], ] ..." explaining that his jalopy was "a collection of replacement parts from several junkyards", some of which dated back to 1926.

Archie's jalopy was destroyed permanently in issue No. 238 of ''Life With Archie'', which was published in 1983.<ref>, The Grand Comics Database Project</ref>
In the newer comics, he drives a mid-1960s' ], which is more contemporary in appearance, but still unreliable and prone to breakdowns. ''Archie Digest'' 239, published in October 2007, included a new story in which the one and only Mr. Lodge owned an antique car that had a strong resemblance to Archie's jalopy. The story featured Archie's grandfather who, as a teenager, looked and dressed like Archie from the 1940s. It turned out that he owned the same jalopy that Mr. Lodge now owned.

===The Archies===
{{Main|The Archies}}
] is a garage band containing Archie (vocals and rhythm guitar), Reggie (bass), Veronica (vocals and keyboards), Betty (vocals, lead guitar and percussion), and Jughead (drums). Archie founded the group himself. Although not as famous as ], the band plays numerous gigs and has some notoriety.
In the Little Archies series, the band just starts to form, although Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie, and Veronica start to play different kind of songs.

==Death==
In April 2014, 72 years after the character's first appearance, Archie Comics announced that the adult Archie would die in the July 2014 issue (#36) of ''Life with Archie'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/archie-slated-die-pages-comic-book-article-1.1749348|title=Archie slated to die in pages of comic book|author= Ethan Sacks|date=April 8, 2014|work=NY Daily News}}</ref> while the teenage Archie would continue in the other Archie comic series titles. Archie dies when he is shot in the abdomen while saving his friend, Senator ].<ref name=death> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715152354/http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Archie%20Andrews%20shot%20saving%20friend%20Kevin%20Keller%20Life/10028232/story.html |date=July 15, 2014 }}. '']'', July 14, 2014.</ref> The story is written so as to terminate both storylines, without committing to which girl Archie married, and contains several flashbacks to the ''Little Archie'' days. The final issue (#37) is set one year after Archie's death. All his friends memorialize him, and Riverdale High School is officially renamed Archie Andrews High School in his honor. The story ends with Jughead, owner of Juggie's (formerly Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe), serving a sundae to three children who resemble Little Archie, Betty, and Veronica.

==In other media==

===Radio===
<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
]
Montana's characters were heard on radio in the early 1940s. ''Archie Andrews'' began on the ] on May 31, 1943, switched to ] in 1944, and then continued on ] from 1945 until September 5, 1953. The program's original announcer was Kenneth Banghart, later succeeded by Bob Shepard (during the 1947–48 season, when ] sponsored the program) and Dick Dudley. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen (1943–1944), ] (1944) and ] (1945), with ] (1945–1953) as the title character during the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by ], Cameron Andrews and later by ]. Stone later wrote about his radio career in his autobiography, ''{{Proper name|Relax... Archie! Re-laxx!}}'' (Bygone Days Press, 2003). During the NBC run, ] portrayed Betty, ] portrayed Veronica, Alice Yourman portrayed Archie's mother, Mary Andrews and Arthur "Art" Kohl was Archie's father, Fred Andrews.

===Television===
====Animation====
]''.]]
* Archie Andrews appeared in '']'', a 1968 cartoon series produced by ]. He also appeared in the various spin-offs produced in the same format from 1969 through 1977: '']'', '']'', and others. He was voiced by ].
* Archie Andrews appeared in '']'', a 1987 re-imagining of Archie and the gang. Archie was portrayed as a pre-teen in junior high. He was voiced by J. Michael Roncetti.
* Archie Andrews appeared in '']'', voiced by ]. This version is a reporter for the local school newspaper.
]'']]

====Live-action====
* In 1962, ] produced an unaired pilot with ] as Archie.<ref name="Issue 107">{{Cite book|last=Eury|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vst2DwAAQBAJ&q=archie+harry+ackerman&pg=PA38|title=Back Issue #107|date=August 8, 2018|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|language=en}}</ref>
* In 1964, ] filmed a ] unaired pilot, with unknown actor John Simpson in the title role.<ref name="Issue 107" />
* In 1976, ''Archie'', a pilot for a proposed sitcom aired on ABC with ] as Archie Andrews, ] as Mr. Andrews, ] as Betty, ] as Veronica, and ] as Mr. Lodge.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* In 1978, ''The Archie Situation Comedy Musical Variety Show'' with the same cast as the 1976 pilot, appeared on ABC, which, like the previous pilot, was not picked up.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}
* Archie was portrayed by ] in the 1990 television film (and subsequent comic book), '']''. In the film, he is depicted as a successful lawyer with a fiancé named Pam, poised to move out of Riverdale and into the big city. However, upon attending his fifteen-year high school reunion, his old feelings for both Veronica and Betty start to reemerge.
* Archie appears in '']'', a drama series for ] with ] starring as the character.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/10/archie-tv-pilot-riverdale-moves-cw|title='Archie' TV pilot 'Riverdale' moves to CW|website=ew.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/2015/11/05/riverdale-casting-breakdown-reveals-major-changes-for-archie-and/|title=Riverdale Casting Breakdown Reveals Major Changes for Archie Andrews and Friends|publisher=ComicBook.com|last=Siegel|first=Lucas|date=November 5, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/riverdale-archie-cast-kj-apa-cw-pilot-1201708847/|title='Riverdale' Finds Its Archie & Josie: KJ Apa To Topline CW Pilot|magazine=Deadline|last=Andreeva|first=Nellie|date=February 24, 2016}}</ref> Brock Brown plays the young Archie in the series' fourth season episode "Chapter Seventy-Five: Lynchian" and in some flashbacks shown in the sixth season.

===Film===
====Animation====
* Archie Andrews appeared in '']'', voiced by ]. The film was released direct-to-video and takes place after '']''.

====Live-action====
* Archie will make a film adaptation appearance in '']'' on ]. He is portrayed by Agastya Nanda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/news/hindi/the-archies-zoya-akhtars-musical-starring-suhana-khan-agastya-nanda-and-khushi-kapoor-officially-goes-on-floors/articleshow/90904770.cms|title='The Archies' : Zoya Akhtar's musical starring Shana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor officially goes on floors|work=]|date=April 18, 2022|access-date=April 24, 2022}}</ref>

===Games===
* Archie appears as a character in the mobile game '']''. {{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
* {{IMDb title|id=0099054|title=Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again}}
*
* by ]
*
*
*
* at ]. https://www.webcitation.org/66gXyCMvl?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/archie.htm from the original on April 4, 2012.
* at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. https://www.webcitation.org/66nzlrV1F?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/purheart.htm from the original on April 9, 2012.

=== Audio ===
*
* {{Internet Archive|ArchieAndrews}}

{{Archie Comics characters}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 20:07, 2 January 2025

Comic book character For other uses, see Archie Andrews (disambiguation).

Fictional character
Archie Andrews
Archie Comics character
First appearancePep Comics #22 (December 1941)
Created by
Voiced by
Portrayed by
HometownRiverdale
SchoolRiverdale High School
In-universe information
Full nameArchibald Andrews
NicknameArchie
FamilyFred Andrews (father)
Mary Andrews (mother)
Significant others
Relatives
  • Artie Andrews (grandfather)
  • Bernice Andrews (grandmother)
  • Alistair Andrews (cousin)
  • Frank Andrews (uncle)

Archibald "Archie" Andrews, created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom, is the main character in the Archie Comics franchise, including the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, Archie's Weird Mysteries, and Riverdale. With the creation of Archie Andrews, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. Archie Andrews is the rhythm guitarist and one of the three singers of the fictional band The Archies. He is portrayed by KJ Apa on Riverdale and Agastya Nanda in The Archies. For his physical appearance, he has red hair, freckles on his cheeks, and light-colored skin. In Archie's Weird Mysteries, he appears to be of Scottish-American descent, as shown in the episode "The Day the Earth Moved", when his father wanted to keep with their family tradition and wear a kilt while ringing the bell of Riverdale.

Fictional character biography

Archie Andrews debuted in Pep Comics #22 (cover-dated Dec. 1941). He is the only child of Mary and Fred Andrews. His father works as a mid-level business executive. His mother, initially a homemaker, takes a job at a real estate agency in later years. His earlier life is revealed in the "Little Archie" stories when he had a dog named Spotty. Archie lives in Riverdale, where he attends Riverdale High School.

Archie is a typical small-town teenager. He is extremely clumsy and can be very stupid. His main crush is Veronica Lodge, but he is also fond of Betty Cooper, forming the love triangle driving many of the comic's plot lines. He has the best intentions, but often comes into conflict with Veronica's rich father, Hiram Lodge, and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee. As one of the three vocalists and the rhythm guitarist of The Archies, Archie performs with Betty and Veronica, as well as his nemesis Reggie Mantle, who battles him for Veronica and Betty's heart, and his best friend Jughead Jones.

Mary and Fred Andrews are of Scottish descent. Archie's paternal grandfather, Andy Andrews, immigrated to the United States from Scotland and befriended Moose Mason's Russian ancestor, who had emigrated at the same time. Archie has been depicted wearing the traditional kilt of his ancestors and playing bagpipes (but not very well).

The Little Archie series, published from 1956 through the mid-1990s, chronicles the adventures of pre-teen Archie and his friends while in elementary school.

The 2010 revival of the Life with Archie series chronicles two alternate, parallel story lines, with Archie marrying Veronica in one and Betty the other.

He has orange hair, a face with a set of three freckles on each cheek, and light skin.

Relationships

Archie Andrews as he appears in Archie No. 1 (July 2015).

Love life

Archie and Betty have been best friends and love interests all their lives. When Veronica Lodge moved to Riverdale, however, he switched his attention to her, making Betty both angry and jealous. She began competing with Veronica for his affection.

In the comics, he sometimes thinks of Betty more as a close friend and confidante. He likes that she is always available as a back-up when he does not have a date with Veronica.

He dislikes it when Betty dates other boys, wanting her to stay available as his second choice. Now that Betty sporadically dates Jason Blossom and Adam Chisholm, Archie shows a tinge of jealousy. Archie is married to Betty in Archie Marries Betty: Life With Archie series and is married to Veronica in Archie Marries Veronica: Life with Archie series. Both scenarios produce different outcomes for Archie's overall life, as well as Betty's and Veronica's.

Archie often competes for the attention of Betty and Veronica with his rival, Reggie Mantle, and occasionally other boys. Veronica keeps Archie guessing, never letting him take her for granted. Betty, on the other hand, clearly lets Archie know she adores him. Archie chooses to keep fighting for Veronica.

A third love interest is a wealthy red-headed girl named Cheryl Blossom. At first, she was deemed too sexual and a bit promiscuous and was taken out of the series, but due to her popularity, she was brought back in Love Showdown, a four-part mini-series in which Archie attempts to make a decision between Cheryl, Betty, and Veronica.

On May 15, 2009, Archie Comics announced that Archie would finally pick one of the girls to marry, in a story arc in Archie #600–606 (Aug. 2009 – Feb. 2010). However, Archie Comics publicly revealed this to be a dream sequence to show two possible futures: one where Archie marries Veronica (issues 600–602), and the other Betty (603–605). In both, he has twins: a boy also named Archie who looks like him, and a girl named after and resembling whichever girl he married. Issue 606 was an epilogue to Archie Marries Veronica/Archie Marries Betty that returns to the comics' old format.

In Archie No. 608 (May 2010), Archie began a relationship with Valerie Brown, making her Archie's first girlfriend of African descent. The Archies and Josie and the Pussycats were touring together and, while rehearsing, Archie and Valerie secretly fell in love as they co-wrote the song "More Than Words" that described their feelings. Issue No. 609 revealed that this relationship had seeped into common knowledge by the end of the tour. Archie and Valerie were forced apart when the Pussycats were touring Europe without the Archies, but hoped to keep their relationship going. In the comic Archie Marries Valerie, Valerie is expecting a baby with Archie, whom they name Star.

In Archie No. 700 (July 2019), which signifies the start of another soft reboot, it is revealed that Archie got into a relationship with Sabrina Spellman over his summer break while everyone was on vacation after she had saved him from a pack of wolves.

Friends

Archie and the gang on the cover of Pep number 67 (May 1948), artwork by Al Fagaly.

Jughead Jones has been Archie's best friend ever since childhood. When Jughead first came to Riverdale, he was in a bad mood and tended to dismiss Archie. However, Archie, of good heart, tried to cheer up Jughead and the two have been inseparable ever since. Jughead wears a trademark clubhouse beanie (a Depression-era style of makeshift hatwear, crafted from an inverted fedora with a scallop-cut brim, and decorated with assorted pinbacks) and an inscrutable, closed-eyelid expression. Often Jughead has to help Archie out from a tricky situation. Jughead usually knows when Archie's ideas will not work, but is powerless to avoid getting involved.

Reggie Mantle is Archie's constant romantic and athletic rival. Each often makes attempts to separate the other from Veronica, occasionally exhibiting physical violence, and both have won their fair share of scrapes with each other. Reggie takes every opportunity to play practical jokes on Archie and make cynical wisecracks. However, Reggie is often shown as a companion to and of Archie despite his arrogance and competitive nature, and they are often seen together practicing athletics or pursuing dates.

Archie's other friends include Dilton Doiley, the local genius who gets Archie into and out of trouble through his experiments and inventions; Moose Mason, the dim-witted but likable star athlete of Riverdale High who is often Archie's teammate; Chuck Clayton, another of Archie's teammates who was originally shy and reclusive but came out of his shell when Archie befriended him; Moose and Chuck's girlfriends Midge Klump and Nancy Woods, two of the very few attractive girls Archie does not fall for; and Ethel Muggs, a girl with an enormous crush on Jughead, who often wins his heart with the use of fresh-baked cookies.

Interests

Sports

Outside of dating, Archie largely enjoys sports. He plays baseball, basketball, and football for the Riverdale High teams. Though often not as good an athlete as Moose Mason, Chuck Clayton or Reggie Mantle, he proves a valuable member of the school team. Coaches Kleats and Clayton value him for both his athletic abilities and his team spirit. However, Archie's athletic abilities vary from story to story, due to his frequent clumsiness. He also has a tendency to pay more attention to cheerleaders than to his playing. For this reason, Coach Kleats often tries to avoid resorting to use Archie in a game.

Cars

Issue 238 of Life With Archie from 1983, in which Archie's jalopy is destroyed

Automobiles are one of Archie's hobbies, and he is passionate about his car. For decades, he was shown driving a 1916 Ford Model T jalopy called "Betsy". In Archie double digest No. 192, it is said to be a Model A. In a story during which Archie tried to have his jalopy insured, he described it as being a "Ford, Chevy, Plymouth, Pierce-Arrow, Packard, DeSoto, Hudson ..." explaining that his jalopy was "a collection of replacement parts from several junkyards", some of which dated back to 1926.

Archie's jalopy was destroyed permanently in issue No. 238 of Life With Archie, which was published in 1983. In the newer comics, he drives a mid-1960s' Ford Mustang, which is more contemporary in appearance, but still unreliable and prone to breakdowns. Archie Digest 239, published in October 2007, included a new story in which the one and only Mr. Lodge owned an antique car that had a strong resemblance to Archie's jalopy. The story featured Archie's grandfather who, as a teenager, looked and dressed like Archie from the 1940s. It turned out that he owned the same jalopy that Mr. Lodge now owned.

The Archies

Main article: The Archies

The Archies is a garage band containing Archie (vocals and rhythm guitar), Reggie (bass), Veronica (vocals and keyboards), Betty (vocals, lead guitar and percussion), and Jughead (drums). Archie founded the group himself. Although not as famous as Josie and the Pussycats, the band plays numerous gigs and has some notoriety. In the Little Archies series, the band just starts to form, although Archie, Betty, Jughead, Reggie, and Veronica start to play different kind of songs.

Death

In April 2014, 72 years after the character's first appearance, Archie Comics announced that the adult Archie would die in the July 2014 issue (#36) of Life with Archie, while the teenage Archie would continue in the other Archie comic series titles. Archie dies when he is shot in the abdomen while saving his friend, Senator Kevin Keller. The story is written so as to terminate both storylines, without committing to which girl Archie married, and contains several flashbacks to the Little Archie days. The final issue (#37) is set one year after Archie's death. All his friends memorialize him, and Riverdale High School is officially renamed Archie Andrews High School in his honor. The story ends with Jughead, owner of Juggie's (formerly Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe), serving a sundae to three children who resemble Little Archie, Betty, and Veronica.

In other media

Radio

Archie and cast: The Adventures of Archie Andrews, 1947.

Montana's characters were heard on radio in the early 1940s. Archie Andrews began on the NBC Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC radio from 1945 until September 5, 1953. The program's original announcer was Kenneth Banghart, later succeeded by Bob Shepard (during the 1947–48 season, when Swift and Company sponsored the program) and Dick Dudley. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen (1943–1944), Jack Grimes (1944) and Burt Boyar (1945), with Bob Hastings (1945–1953) as the title character during the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by Hal Stone, Cameron Andrews and later by Arnold Stang. Stone later wrote about his radio career in his autobiography, Relax... Archie! Re-laxx! (Bygone Days Press, 2003). During the NBC run, Rosemary Rice portrayed Betty, Gloria Mann portrayed Veronica, Alice Yourman portrayed Archie's mother, Mary Andrews and Arthur "Art" Kohl was Archie's father, Fred Andrews.

Television

Animation

Archie Andrews in The Archie Show.
Archie Andrews in Archie's Weird Mysteries

Live-action

  • In 1962, Desilu produced an unaired pilot with Frank Bank as Archie.
  • In 1964, Screen Gems filmed a Harry Ackerman unaired pilot, with unknown actor John Simpson in the title role.
  • In 1976, Archie, a pilot for a proposed sitcom aired on ABC with Dennis Bowen as Archie Andrews, Gordon Jump as Mr. Andrews, Audrey Landers as Betty, Hilary Thompson as Veronica, and Whit Bissell as Mr. Lodge.
  • In 1978, The Archie Situation Comedy Musical Variety Show with the same cast as the 1976 pilot, appeared on ABC, which, like the previous pilot, was not picked up.
  • Archie was portrayed by Christopher Rich in the 1990 television film (and subsequent comic book), Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again. In the film, he is depicted as a successful lawyer with a fiancé named Pam, poised to move out of Riverdale and into the big city. However, upon attending his fifteen-year high school reunion, his old feelings for both Veronica and Betty start to reemerge.
  • Archie appears in Riverdale, a drama series for The CW with KJ Apa starring as the character. Brock Brown plays the young Archie in the series' fourth season episode "Chapter Seventy-Five: Lynchian" and in some flashbacks shown in the sixth season.

Film

Animation

Live-action

  • Archie will make a film adaptation appearance in The Archies on Netflix. He is portrayed by Agastya Nanda.

Games

  • Archie appears as a character in the mobile game Crossy Road.

References

  1. Windolf, Jim (December 2006). "American Idol". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017. Since the settlement, every Archie product has listed John Goldwater as 'creator.' The name Bob Montana falls under a separate credit line that defines him as the 'creator' of 'the original characters' likenesses.'
  2. Pep Comics #22 at the Grand Comics Database. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  3. "Profile: Archie Comics" by Rik Offenberger, First Comics News, April 24, 2003
  4. Offenberger, Rik (March 1, 2003). "Publisher Profile: Archie Comics". Borderline (19). Archived from the original on October 28, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2017 – via MightyCrusaders.net.
  5. "Archie Andrews Is Getting Married!" (Press release). Archie Comics. May 15, 2009. Archived from the original on August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2010 – via Archie-blogs.
  6. "Media Discover Archie/Veronica Marriage an Imaginary Story". Comics Worth Reading. October 8, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  7. "Archie and Sabrina's romance creates drama in new comic preview". EW.com. June 11, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  8. Life With Archie #238, The Grand Comics Database Project
  9. Ethan Sacks (April 8, 2014). "Archie slated to die in pages of comic book". NY Daily News.
  10. "For fans of Archie, comic book character's sacrifice to save gay friend makes an impact" Archived July 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. The Gazette, July 14, 2014.
  11. ^ Eury, Michael (August 8, 2018). Back Issue #107. TwoMorrows Publishing.
  12. "'Archie' TV pilot 'Riverdale' moves to CW". ew.com.
  13. Siegel, Lucas (November 5, 2015). "Riverdale Casting Breakdown Reveals Major Changes for Archie Andrews and Friends". ComicBook.com.
  14. Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2016). "'Riverdale' Finds Its Archie & Josie: KJ Apa To Topline CW Pilot". Deadline.
  15. "'The Archies' : Zoya Akhtar's musical starring Shana Khan, Agastya Nanda and Khushi Kapoor officially goes on floors". The Times of India. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.

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