United States
Archie: The First Fifty Years
November 18, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
(This entry is an abridged version of an article featuring Archie. For the expanded article, click here.)
He doesn’t have superpowers resulting from a yellow sun like Superman or a radioactive spider bite like Spiderman.
He’s not a quasi-vigilante hero avenging the death of loved ones like Batman or the Lone Ranger.
And he never saved the universe like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers.
In fact, his extraordinary characteristics appear to be his uncanny ability to get in trouble and his immense inability to choose between two extremely attractive girls.
Who is this mere mortal?
Archie Andrews, of course. The All-American Teenager and Riverdale’s favorite son.
As the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, Archie debuted in Pep #22 as a supporting feature. This initial Archie story also features Jughead and Betty.
MLJ Comics published Pep, the arena for its contribution to the superhero genre -- The Shield. Three publishing colleagues formed MLJ. They named the company after their initials -- Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater complemented each other with their experience as an accountant, publisher, and reporter/editor respectively.
Artist Bob Montana gave the Archie universe its center. He drew upon his own experiences growing up in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Bob Montana drew. Vic Bloom wrote. Harry Shorten edited.
Truth be told, though, Montana gave the Archie stories their heart, soul, and ultimate appeal.
In the retrospective book Archie: The First 50 Years, Charles Phillips credits Montana.
A rootless child who loved his high school years, Montana gave more than the statue of The Thinker, the hometown soda shop, and a number of his teenage pals to Riverdale. He gave the strip the emotional strength of his own nostalgia to create an idealized picture of teenage life that we all recognize but none of us quite lived.
Montana and the creative team behind Archie added new characters in the adventures of Riverdale’s red-headed Romeo. Waldo Weatherbee -- Riverdale High School’s beloved, bald, benign principal -- first appeared in Jackpot #5 (Spring 1942). The story contains the mainstay Archie elements of slapstick, Weatherbee’s rotund shape, and Archie’s penchant for getting in hot water with “the Bee.”
Jackpot #5 also introduces, albeit briefly, Reggie Mantle.
Pep #26 (April 1942) introduces rich girl Veronica Lodge and compares her to Egypt’s Cleopatra and Hollywood’s Hedy Lamarr. Although Pep #26 showcases Veronica’s first appearance, Archie #1 (Winter 1942) revisits the origin of Veronica in the story Prom Pranks.
Prom Pranks sets the foundation for a well-known Archie hallmark -- the Archie-Veronica-Betty love triangle.
Where familiar themes provide reliability, stability, and continuity, signs of the times reflect an ever-changing society. They continually challenge Archie writers to pace fads, norms, and popular culture.
In the 1950’s, Archie stories frequently paralleled benchmarks of the rock and roll decade -- hula hoops, sock hops, beatniks.
Celebrities, fictional and real, also enjoy depictions in Archie stories -- Elvis Presley, Fonzie, Tom Cruise.
Social conscience features prominently in one story from the 1970’s -- A Matter of Prejudice. The story sends a powerful message about the dangers of prejudging the views of others. When Veronica explains that some of Archie’s friends are not welcome at her party because they simply don’t fit in, Archie immediately thinks the reference points to Chuck Clayton, a black student at Riverdale High.
In fact, Veronica likes Chuck. She declares, He’s welcome at my house any time he pleases to come.
Jughead, on the other hand, needs to change his slovenly ways for the party. Chuck and Archie tell him that Veronica is prejudiced...against slobs!
Expanding into other media was inevitable for the Archieverse. It occurred almost from the beginning. Archie and the gang found success on a radio program in the 1940’s.
In the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s, Archie characters found success in Saturday morning animation.
In 1978, two live-action music and comedy specials on ABC featured the characters. Dennis Bowen plays Archie.
Riverdale High’s 15-year reunion served as the basis for the 1990 NBC tv-movie To Riverdale and Back. Archie returned to Riverdale, reunited with friends, and reignited passions for Betty and Veronica. This time, he’s in Riverdale to stay. But the choice between Veronica and Betty remains undecided.
Some things never change.
The best things never do.
(For an expanded article on Archie, click here.)
david@davidkrell.com
(This entry is an abridged version of an article featuring Archie. For the expanded article, click here.)
He doesn’t have superpowers resulting from a yellow sun like Superman or a radioactive spider bite like Spiderman.
He’s not a quasi-vigilante hero avenging the death of loved ones like Batman or the Lone Ranger.
And he never saved the universe like Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers.
In fact, his extraordinary characteristics appear to be his uncanny ability to get in trouble and his immense inability to choose between two extremely attractive girls.
Who is this mere mortal?
Archie Andrews, of course. The All-American Teenager and Riverdale’s favorite son.
As the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, Archie debuted in Pep #22 as a supporting feature. This initial Archie story also features Jughead and Betty.
MLJ Comics published Pep, the arena for its contribution to the superhero genre -- The Shield. Three publishing colleagues formed MLJ. They named the company after their initials -- Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater complemented each other with their experience as an accountant, publisher, and reporter/editor respectively.
Artist Bob Montana gave the Archie universe its center. He drew upon his own experiences growing up in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Bob Montana drew. Vic Bloom wrote. Harry Shorten edited.
Truth be told, though, Montana gave the Archie stories their heart, soul, and ultimate appeal.
In the retrospective book Archie: The First 50 Years, Charles Phillips credits Montana.
A rootless child who loved his high school years, Montana gave more than the statue of The Thinker, the hometown soda shop, and a number of his teenage pals to Riverdale. He gave the strip the emotional strength of his own nostalgia to create an idealized picture of teenage life that we all recognize but none of us quite lived.
Montana and the creative team behind Archie added new characters in the adventures of Riverdale’s red-headed Romeo. Waldo Weatherbee -- Riverdale High School’s beloved, bald, benign principal -- first appeared in Jackpot #5 (Spring 1942). The story contains the mainstay Archie elements of slapstick, Weatherbee’s rotund shape, and Archie’s penchant for getting in hot water with “the Bee.”
Jackpot #5 also introduces, albeit briefly, Reggie Mantle.
Pep #26 (April 1942) introduces rich girl Veronica Lodge and compares her to Egypt’s Cleopatra and Hollywood’s Hedy Lamarr. Although Pep #26 showcases Veronica’s first appearance, Archie #1 (Winter 1942) revisits the origin of Veronica in the story Prom Pranks.
Prom Pranks sets the foundation for a well-known Archie hallmark -- the Archie-Veronica-Betty love triangle.
Where familiar themes provide reliability, stability, and continuity, signs of the times reflect an ever-changing society. They continually challenge Archie writers to pace fads, norms, and popular culture.
In the 1950’s, Archie stories frequently paralleled benchmarks of the rock and roll decade -- hula hoops, sock hops, beatniks.
Celebrities, fictional and real, also enjoy depictions in Archie stories -- Elvis Presley, Fonzie, Tom Cruise.
Social conscience features prominently in one story from the 1970’s -- A Matter of Prejudice. The story sends a powerful message about the dangers of prejudging the views of others. When Veronica explains that some of Archie’s friends are not welcome at her party because they simply don’t fit in, Archie immediately thinks the reference points to Chuck Clayton, a black student at Riverdale High.
In fact, Veronica likes Chuck. She declares, He’s welcome at my house any time he pleases to come.
Jughead, on the other hand, needs to change his slovenly ways for the party. Chuck and Archie tell him that Veronica is prejudiced...against slobs!
Expanding into other media was inevitable for the Archieverse. It occurred almost from the beginning. Archie and the gang found success on a radio program in the 1940’s.
In the late 1960’s and throughout the 1970’s, Archie characters found success in Saturday morning animation.
In 1978, two live-action music and comedy specials on ABC featured the characters. Dennis Bowen plays Archie.
Riverdale High’s 15-year reunion served as the basis for the 1990 NBC tv-movie To Riverdale and Back. Archie returned to Riverdale, reunited with friends, and reignited passions for Betty and Veronica. This time, he’s in Riverdale to stay. But the choice between Veronica and Betty remains undecided.
Some things never change.
The best things never do.
(For an expanded article on Archie, click here.)
Baa Baa Black Sheep
September 30, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
After the United States pulled out of the Vietnam War in 1975, a war-weary country looked back to a simpler time for war heroes.
The Flying Misfits was a television pilot based on Baa Baa Black Sheep, the autobiography of World War II Marine pilot ace Greg “Pappy” Boyington.
Bruce Gamble wrote two authoritative books about Boyington and his pilots -- Black Sheep Squadron and Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington.
Gamble’s comprehensive research details the story of the real-life heroes of the VMF 214 squadron.
Known as the ‘black sheep,’ these pilots were the champions of the World War II Pacific Theatre.
In one chapter, Gamble nicely explains the genesis of The Flying Misfits and the subsequent television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, also known as Black Sheep Squadron.
Frank Price was the head of Universal Television in 1975.
He commissioned Stephen J. Cannell to write the script for Flying Misfits.
The tv auteur behind The A-Team, Hardcastle & McCormick, and The Rockford Files admitted that he took some pretty good liberties.
NBC aired The Flying Misfits in 1976 and picked up the series loosely based on Boyington and the VMF 214 pilots.
The liberties that Cannell mentioned are evident and sometimes necessary in writing a television series based on real people and real events.
Indeed, the premise of the show seems like The Dirty Dozen meets World War II Marine pilots.
In fact, pilots of VMF 214 were not misfits or screwballs.
They were fine pilots with sharp senses, killer instincts, and rare skills.
Their ability to confront, engage, and defeat the Japanese in the Pacific Theater was a key element to the Allies victory in World War II.
But the creative powers looked at the bigger picture -- the relationships, respect, and regard between Boyington and his men.
In Black Sheep One, Gamble quotes Robert Conrad, the tough guy actor who portrays Boyington.
His feeling about the show was that if the producers wanted to embellish it, if they wanted to Hollywood it, that was fine with him. Poignant moments between the commanding officer and his pilots were important to him. How his character related and played that part. Esprit de corps was very important to him. Anything that was fictionalized didn’t bother Boyington.
Inspired by the success of Charlie’s Angels, Price looked for sex appeal to attract more viewers. Four nurses known as Pappy’s Lambs became fixtures in the show’s later episodes.
Baa Baa Black Sheep left the airwaves in 1978. But the show about masters of the air laid the groundwork for a tremendous television legacy.
John Larroquette plays Lt. Bob Anderson. He later won several Emmys as Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding on Night Court.
Larry Manetti plays Lt. Bobby Boyle. He later moved to a Hawaii setting as Rick Wright -- friend, confidante, and information feeder to Thomas Magnum, Hawaii’s favorite private investigator, on Magnum, p.i.
And Donald Bellisario, a former Marine Corps sergeant, wrote and produced for Baa Baa Black Sheep. He became one of television’s most successful creators -- Magnum, p.i., JAG, Airwolf, NCIS, and Quantum Leap.
It might not have been true to detail.
It might not have been exact to history.
And it might not always have been recognizable to the actual participants and witnesses.
But Baa Baa Black Sheep deserves recognition as a show that honored the spirit of the Marine Corps.
david@davidkrell.com
After the United States pulled out of the Vietnam War in 1975, a war-weary country looked back to a simpler time for war heroes.
The Flying Misfits was a television pilot based on Baa Baa Black Sheep, the autobiography of World War II Marine pilot ace Greg “Pappy” Boyington.
Bruce Gamble wrote two authoritative books about Boyington and his pilots -- Black Sheep Squadron and Black Sheep One: The Life of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington.
Gamble’s comprehensive research details the story of the real-life heroes of the VMF 214 squadron.
Known as the ‘black sheep,’ these pilots were the champions of the World War II Pacific Theatre.
In one chapter, Gamble nicely explains the genesis of The Flying Misfits and the subsequent television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, also known as Black Sheep Squadron.
Frank Price was the head of Universal Television in 1975.
He commissioned Stephen J. Cannell to write the script for Flying Misfits.
The tv auteur behind The A-Team, Hardcastle & McCormick, and The Rockford Files admitted that he took some pretty good liberties.
NBC aired The Flying Misfits in 1976 and picked up the series loosely based on Boyington and the VMF 214 pilots.
The liberties that Cannell mentioned are evident and sometimes necessary in writing a television series based on real people and real events.
Indeed, the premise of the show seems like The Dirty Dozen meets World War II Marine pilots.
In fact, pilots of VMF 214 were not misfits or screwballs.
They were fine pilots with sharp senses, killer instincts, and rare skills.
Their ability to confront, engage, and defeat the Japanese in the Pacific Theater was a key element to the Allies victory in World War II.
But the creative powers looked at the bigger picture -- the relationships, respect, and regard between Boyington and his men.
In Black Sheep One, Gamble quotes Robert Conrad, the tough guy actor who portrays Boyington.
His feeling about the show was that if the producers wanted to embellish it, if they wanted to Hollywood it, that was fine with him. Poignant moments between the commanding officer and his pilots were important to him. How his character related and played that part. Esprit de corps was very important to him. Anything that was fictionalized didn’t bother Boyington.
Inspired by the success of Charlie’s Angels, Price looked for sex appeal to attract more viewers. Four nurses known as Pappy’s Lambs became fixtures in the show’s later episodes.
Baa Baa Black Sheep left the airwaves in 1978. But the show about masters of the air laid the groundwork for a tremendous television legacy.
John Larroquette plays Lt. Bob Anderson. He later won several Emmys as Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding on Night Court.
Larry Manetti plays Lt. Bobby Boyle. He later moved to a Hawaii setting as Rick Wright -- friend, confidante, and information feeder to Thomas Magnum, Hawaii’s favorite private investigator, on Magnum, p.i.
And Donald Bellisario, a former Marine Corps sergeant, wrote and produced for Baa Baa Black Sheep. He became one of television’s most successful creators -- Magnum, p.i., JAG, Airwolf, NCIS, and Quantum Leap.
It might not have been true to detail.
It might not have been exact to history.
And it might not always have been recognizable to the actual participants and witnesses.
But Baa Baa Black Sheep deserves recognition as a show that honored the spirit of the Marine Corps.