The New Archie and Sabrina Hour
The New Archie and Sabrina Hour (advertised as The Archie-Sabrina Show) is the seventh and final animated series featuring Archie Comics characters under the Filmation banner.[1] The series premiered on NBC in September 1977, rebroadcasting segments from The Archie Show, as well as brand-new segments featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch. The show's format featured three segments per episode: a 15-minute one, a 30-minute one, and another 15-minute one—with the segments separated by songs (two songs per episode) and the first segment invariably featuring and emphasizing Sabrina.[2]
| The New Archie and Sabrina Hour | |
|---|---|
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Bill Danch Jim Ryan |
| Written by | George Atkins Dale Kirby Kathleen Barnes J. Michael Reaves Don Glut Jerry Winnick Bill Danch Jim Ryan David Wise |
| Directed by | Don Towsley |
| Voices of | John Erwin José Flores Dallas McKennon Howard Morris Jane Webb |
| Ending theme | "Super Witch" (instrumental) |
| Composers | Ray Ellis Norm Prescott |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
| Producer | Don Christensen |
| Editor | Jim Blodgett |
| Running time | 1 hour |
| Production company | Filmation |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 10 – December 3, 1977 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The U.S. of Archie |
Filmation added two new characters into the show: a Latino teenager named Carlos and a robot that Dilton Doiley got from a space center and rebuilt named Q. Carlos only made a few appearances in the comics, beginning in Life with Archie #179 (March 1977). Q was Filmation's nod to Star Wars. At the time, robots were starting to appear everywhere, even on primetime shows.
Low ratings caused the hour-long format to be shelved by October.[3] The show was retooled, then divided into separate 30-minute shows: The Bang-Shang Lollapalooza Show featured Archie's Gang solving mysteries around Riverdale (each 30-minute segment), while Super Witch featured Sabrina solving mysteries using her powers (each pair of 15-minute segments); each show featured one song per episode. The low ratings continued, however, and all three shows were gone by the spring of 1978—thus ending the Archie Comics/Filmation partnership.
The new segments from this show are listed by Entertainment Rights as The Archie and Sabrina Surprise Package.
Voice cast
- Dallas McKennon as Archie Andrews, Hot Dog, Mr. Weatherbee, Chuck Clayton, Pop Tate, Mr. Lodge, Salem, Ronnie, Clyde, Goo, additional voices
- José Flores as Carlos
- Howard Morris- Jughead Jones, Moose Mason, Dilton Doiley, Cousin Ambrose, Frankie, Wolfie, Dr. Jekyll and Hyde, Mummy, Hauntleroy, Orville, additional voices
- John Erwin as Reggie Mantle, Hexter, Q, additional voices
- Jane Webb as Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Miss Grundy, Big Ethel, Sabrina Spellman, Aunt Hilda Spellman, Aunt Zelda Spellman, Miss Della, Bella La Ghostly, additional voices
- Larry D. Mann as Boneapart, additional voices
- Larry Storch as Drac, Hagatha, Ghoulihand, Batso, Ratso, Icky, additional voices
Episodes
| No. | Archie segment / Sabrina segment / Archie and Sabrina segment | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chief Archie / Alter Ego / French Deception" | September 10, 1977 |
| 2 | "Me and My Shadow / Goolie Sitter / Dilton's Invention" | September 17, 1977 |
| 3 | "There Is No Place Like Outer Space / Cliché Castle / Carlos' Cool Caper" | September 24, 1977 |
| 4 | "A Moving Experience / Witch Picnic / The Talent Show" | October 1, 1977 |
| 5 | "Robert Blueford / Moose on the Loose / Weatherbee-Fuddled" | October 8, 1977 |
| 6 | "Tops in Cops / Pot Luck / TV Witch Watchers" | October 15, 1977 |
| 7 | "Track and Field / Funny Paper Caper / Chimp Gone Ape" | October 22, 1977 |
| 8 | "Where There Is Smoke / Teenage Grundy / Talent Test" | October 29, 1977 |
| 9 | "Archie's Millions / Talking Bird / All Washed Up" | November 5, 1977 |
| 10 | "Career Day / Merlin's Story / A Colorful Experience" | November 12, 1977 |
| 11 | "The Quixote Caper / Teenie the Terror / The Last Windup" | November 19, 1977 |
| 12 | "Pirate Key / Cartoonie Loonie / Bon Appetite" | November 26, 1977 |
| 13 | "On the 'Q' Tee / Party Pooper / Funhouse" | December 3, 1977 |
Home media
In 2016, the complete series was released on Region 4 DVD in Australia and New Zealand as The Archie and Sabrina Surprise Package.
References
- Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 20–23. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
- Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 90–94. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- "1977 Saturday Mornings". Tvparty.com. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
Additional source
- Lenburg, Jeff, Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons, First Edition.