THE PERILS OF PENELOPE PITSTOP

THE PERILS OF PENELOPE PITSTOP

(CBS, September 13, 1969-January 17, 1970)

Hanna-Barbera Productions

MAIN CAST:

Janet Waldo – Penelope Pitstop

Paul Lynde – The Hooded Claw/Sylvester Sneakly

Paul Winchell – Clyde, Softie

Mel Blanc – Bully Brothers, Yak Yak, Chug-a-Boom

Don Messick – Dum Dum, Snoozy, Pockets, Zippy

Gary Owens - Narrator

            Although Wacky Races only ran for a season, it still did fairly well in the ratings and a few of its stars stood out from the pack with the audience. As a result, two spin-offs were produced to air in the following television season on CBS. One of them was The Perils of Penelope Pitstop.

Penelope at the mercy of The Hooded Claw.

            Perils was designed as a send-up of silent movie era melodrama serials; in particular, The Perils of Pauline. Penelope (Janet Waldo), the lone female racer from the prior series, was reimagined as the heiress to a vast fortune. However, her guardian, Sylvester Sneakly (Paul Lynde), wanted that fortune for himself and the only way to get it was to get rid of her. So, he adopted the masked guise of The Hooded Claw by donning a hat, cape and mask, and hired the identical Bully Brothers (Mel Blanc in unison) to help him get rid of her. Initially, Dick Dastardly (Paul Winchell) and his dog sidekick, Muttley (Don Messick), were going to be the villains of the series, but they were given their own show: Dastardly & Muttley in their Flying Machines. As in the serials, Claw and the Brothers would capture Penelope while she was going about her business and place her in an elaborate death trap, leaving her to her fate.

Penelope inside Chug-a-Boom with the Ant Hill Mob line-up.

             Assigned as Penelope’s guardians were the seven pint-sized members of the Ant Hill Mob. The Ant Hill Mob had also previously appeared in Wacky Races, but while they shared the same name, leader and general appearances, the two mobs were actually meant to be different. The Mob was led by Clyde (Winchell), who was comparatively the smartest of the group (although with that group, it wasn’t saying much). The other members included Dum Dum, who lived up to his name; Pockets, who had just about anything in his various and seemingly bottomless pockets; Snoozy, who was somehow functional despite being always asleep; Zippy (all Messick), who could move at incredible speeds and spoke quickly; Softy (Winchell), who was constantly crying; and Yak Yak (Blanc), who was constantly chuckling. They drove around in a semi-sentient 1920s-style car named Chug-A-Boom (Blanc, doing a variation of his Maxwell from his time on The Jack Benny Program to simulate the car’s talking). Exactly how The Mob, who were declared on the show to be wanted felons, ended up as Penelope’s guardians was never explained. As well-meaning as they were, they often tended to bungle their rescue attempts to the point that they would end up in peril themselves. Penelope, despite being the damsel in distress, was atypical in that most of the time she freed herself from the elaborate death trap and proceeded to rescue her would-be rescuers.

             The Perils of Penelope Pitstop debuted on CBS on September 13, 1969. In keeping with its serial inspiration, the show’s settings and character designs were heavily influenced by the early 20^th Century and a piano-heavy score directed by Ted Nichols. An alternate theme was also produced that was more in line with the soundtrack provided to a silent film (Japan, however, had their own completely original theme for their broadcasts). Narration by Gary Owens would begin each episode with “When we last left Penelope…”, making it seem like the next chapter in an ongoing saga. Joe Ruby and Ken Spears served as the show’s head writers, with Michael Maltese writing the actual scripts. Originally, each episode was going to feature an introduction to the story before Owens’ narration began, but these were cut out by the time the series was broadcast.

The Bully Brothers prepare to drop anchor.

             Like its parent show, Perils only ran for a single season of 17 episodes; however, it remained on the network until 1971. In 1976, it entered into syndicated reruns as part of the package show The Fun World of Hanna-Barbera (not to be confused with The FunTASTIC World), and was later seen on Cartoon Network and Boomerang. It would return to television on July 25, 2024 as part of the line-up for retro animation network MeTV Toons in rotation with Wacky Races and Dastardly & Muttley. In 1970, the series was adapted into comic form by Gold Key Comics for Golden Comics Digest issues 7 and 11, and as a starring feature of the anthology title Fun-in for the first four issues. In 1986, Worldvision Home Video released three VHS collections containing a number of episodes in North America and in the UK as part of their Kaleidoscope label. First International handled additional UK releases. In 2006, Warner Archive released the complete series to DVD as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classics Collection, and re-released it in 2017 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection.

The long-awaited series finale.

            While Penelope had made additional appearances in the following years as part of the Wacky Races franchise, her solo series wasn’t revisited until 2018’s Scooby-Doo Team-Up #41 by Sholly Fisch, Scott Jeralds, Silvana Brys and Saida Temofonte. The issue played out in a typical Perils fashion; however, it served as a “series finale” of sorts by having the Mystery, Inc. gang unmask The Hooded Claw once and for all.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Jungle Jeopardy” (9/13/69) – Penelope is about to complete an around-the-world flight when The Hooded Claw’s sabotage of her plane causes her to crash in the jungle.

 

“The Terrible Trolley Trap” (9/20/69) – Failing to have Penelope run over by a trolley, The Hooded Claw takes her out to sea on her ship to get rid of her.

 

“The Boardwalk Booby Trap” (9/27/69) – Having failed to finish her on the beach, the Bully Brothers capture Penelope during a scavenger hunt and take her to a fishing village.

 

“Wild West Peril” (10/4/69) – When Penelope doesn’t go splat off a canyon, she’s strapped into a miner’s car filled with explosives.

 

“Carnival Calamity” (10/11/69) – Unbeknownst to Penelope, her trip to the carnival has been booby trapped by The Hooded Claw.

 

“The Treacherous Movie Lot Plot” (10/18/69) – The Hooded Claw takes over directorial duties of the movie Penelope is set to star in to ensure she gets cut out of showbiz permanently.

 

“Arabian Desert Danger” (10/25/69) – Penelope is bringing a rare baby camel from Egypt to the children’s zoo but The Hooded Claw is set to ensure she doesn’t get there.

 

“The Diabolical Department Store Danger” (11/1/69) – Penelope heads to her department store to usher in the new Paris fashions, while The Hooded Claw waits to spring his traps for her.

 

“Hair Raising Harness Race” (11/8/69) – The Hooded Claw looks to sabotage Penelope during her big harness race.

 

“North Pole Peril” (11/15/69) – Penelope kayaks her way to the North Pole while The Hooded Claw pursues her in a lethal paddlewheel.

 

“Tall Timber Treachery” (11/22/69) – Penelope heads to the Pitstop Lumber Camp for their Indian Summer Festival but The Hooded Claw is determined to make sure she doesn’t get there.

 

“Cross Country Double Cross” (11/29/69) – Penelope is set to do a sunt for a statue unveiling, but The Hooded Claw is determined to make sure it’s a lethal one.

 

“Big Bagdad Danger” (12/6/69) – The Hooded Claw is there to disrupt Penelope’s plans to find Ali Baba’s cave.

 

“Bad Fortune in a Chinese Fortune Cookie” (12/13/69) – Claw uses the cover of the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade to capture Penelope in the mouth of a giant dragon.

 

“Big Top Trap” (12/20/69) – With Penelope performing in a circus, the Ant Hill Mob take jobs as clowns to ensure her safety.

 

“Game of Peril” (1/10/70) – Sylvester Sneakly sends Penelope on a scavenger hunt she’s sure not to complete.

 

“London Town Treachery” (1/17/70) – Penelope goes to London to deliver a painting, but The Hooded Claw intercepts her delivery.

Originally posted in 2020. Updated in 2024.

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: STAN LEE

STAN LEE

(December 28, 1922-November 12, 2018)

Notable Roles: Writer, editor, publisher, producer, Stan Lee, Willie Lumpkin, Mayor of Super Hero City, The Genralissimo, Papa Smurf, Future Tony Stark, Boss Awesome/Fred’s Dad, Stan the Janitor, Mr. Mystic

Born Stanley Lieber, Lee always dreamed about writing the “great American novel”. When he ended up working for Timely Comics (later Marvel), he adopted his pen name when he worked his way up to being a writer so as not to hurt his chances to be accepted as a legitimate writer. When Joe Simon and Jack Kirby left the company in 1941 due to creative differences with publisher Martin Goodman, Lee was promoted to interim editor at age 19 while also continuing to write. After serving in WWII, Lee returned to Timely, now called Atlas Comics, and wrote a variety of genres throughout the 1950s; becoming increasingly dissatisfied with his work. When rival DC Comics had reinvigorated the superhero genre in what became known as the Silver Age of Comics, Goodman tasked Lee with doing the same for Atlas. Since he was planning a career change, his wife, Joan, encouraged Lee to just do the kind of story he wanted. He decided to create heroes that weren’t gods, but instead flawed, real humans, and with Kirby made the Fantastic Four. Their popularity led to even more creations under the imperfect hero philosophy, such as Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men with Kirby, Daredevil with Bill Everett, and Dr. Strange and Spider-Man with Steve Ditko, which would culminate in the Avengers and revivals of Golden Age characters Sub-Mariner and Captain America. Lee introduced full credits for each issue, engaged readers directly in the “Bullpen Bulletins” found in every issue as well as with their fan club called the Merry Marvel Marching Society, and developed the “Marvel Method” of scripting to alleviate some of the pressure of writing and editing most of the company’s output. He also had some input in the productions of the first Marvel-based cartoons, including Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. Lee’s bombastic personality led to his becoming a figurehead and the public face of Marvel. In 1981, he moved to California to oversee the development of Marvel’s properties into other media; particularly as part of Marvel’s animation division: Marvel Productions. He would earn the title “The King of Cameos” as he came to be featured in some way in many of Marvel’s various TV shows and movies (as well as many outside of the company); sometimes as a narrator, sometimes as himself, other times as a minor character. At one point, Lee was named President of Marvel, but stepped back down to publisher in order to keep involved with the creative output. Lee moved away from Marvel in 1990, but remained a salaried employee as chairman emeritus. He went on to co-found several media companies, including Stan Lee Media and POW! Entertainment, and worked on a variety of comic and other media projects for them and others. Lee’s later life was full of great upheaval. His wife of 59 years died in 2017. At the same time, it was said he was the victim of elder abuse from his two businesses managers that wanted to get their hands on his assets. Lee sued POW! following their acquisition by Camsing International over a contract that granted them exclusive use of his likeness and that POW! took over his various social media accounts. The suit was dropped in 2018. Lee also retired from the grueling convention circuit in 2017, but told friend and colleague Roy Thomas he was still up for more cameos as long as he didn’t have to travel. Lee died in November of 2018 of cardiac arrest with respiratory failure and congestive heart failure. Tributes for Lee were added to the end of Once Upon A Deadpool, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Avengers: Endgame, and in the Marvel Studios logo for Captain Marvel.

Saturday Credits:

Fantastic Four (1967)

Spider-Man (1967)

The New Fantastic Four

Spider-Woman

Spider-Man (1981)

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

The Incredible Hulk (1982)

Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies

Pryde of the X-Men

X-Men: The Animated Series

Biker Mice from Mars (1993)

Spider-Man: The Animated Series

Silver Surfer

Avengers: United They Stand

Spider-Man Unlimited

X-Men: Evolution

The Spectacular Spider-Man

Wolverine and the X-Men

Big Hero 6: The Series

Marvel’s Spider-Man

SATURDAY MORNING MASTERS: JACK KIRBY

JACK KIRBY

(August 28, 1917-Feburary 6, 1994)

Notable Roles: Comic book artist, comic book writer, comic book publisher, storyboard artist, character designer

Born Jacob Kurtzberg, Kirby was a comic book artist, writer and editor regarded as one of the medium’s major innovators, the most prolific, and the most influential; which is why he was affectionately dubbed “The King”. He began in the 1930s, drawing under various pen names before settling on Kirby. He frequently partnered with writer-editor Joe Simon, which led to the creation of Captain America for Timely Comics (later Marvel) in 1941. After serving in WWII, Kirby worked for National Comics (later DC), Harvey Comics, Hillman Periodicals, Crestwood Publications (where he and Simon created the first romance comic, Young Romance) and started his own short-lived publishing company, Mainline Publications, with Simon. He returned to Timely, now known as Atlas Comics, and in the 1960s, with writer-editor Stan Lee, created the bulk of the company’s major characters: the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, the Avengers and more. As Marvel began licensing out their characters for adaptation, Kirby provided storyboards for the first Fantastic Four cartoon by Hanna-Barbera. In the 1970s, Kirby felt he wasn’t being treated fairly by Marvel; he felt publisher Martin Goodman made him numerous unfulfilled promises, had a lack of creative control, received no recognition for his story or character contributions, and was resentful over Lee’s prominence in the media. After getting an unfavorable contract, he left the company to return to DC where he created his Fourth World saga, OMAC, Kamandi, Etrigan and Kobra. Because DC kept putting him on books he didn’t want to work on, he returned to Marvel where he created The Eternals, Machine Man and Devil Dinosaur. Once again dissatisfied with his working conditions, Kirby left Marvel to work for Hanna-Barbera; designing characters for Turbo Teen, The New Shmoo, Thundarr and others. He also worked on the second Fantastic Four cartoon for DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. Kirby also branched out to storyboarding and designing for films; part of which led to his drawings being utilized in the CIA’s “Canadian Caper.” Kirby spent the 80s and 90s working for a variety of smaller publishers like Pacific Comics, Eclipse Comics and Topps Comics, doing a lot of creator-owned work. DC executives Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz had him re-design the Fourth World characters for the Super Powers toyline in order to get him some royalties for his creations, and he helped create The Centurions for Ruby-Spears Productions. Kirby also spent a great deal of time in a legal battle with Marvel over the return of his tens of thousands of original pages, which resulted in his only getting a fraction of his total output for the company back (many of them had been lost, stolen, or given away as gifts). The last comic Kirby worked on was Phantom Force for Image Comics before he died in 1994 from heart failure. An episode of Superman: The Animated Series, which made extensive use of his Fourth World and modeled the character of Dan Turpin after him, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), which adapted an original Mirage Studios story inspired by Kirby, were dedicated to his memory.

Saturday Credits:

Fantastic Four (1967)

The New Shmoo

The World’s Greatest Superfriends

The New Fantastic Four

Thundarr the Barbarian

Space Stars

Goldie Gold and Action Jack

Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show

Turbo Teen

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (characters)

The Incredible Hulk (1982, characters)

Mister T

Lazer Tag Academy

Pryde of the X-Men (characters)

X-Men: The Animated Series (characters)

Superman: The Animated Series (characters)

Silver Surfer (characters)

Avengers: United They Stand (characters)

X-Men: Evolution (characters)

Wolverine and the X-Men (characters)

Young Justice (characters)

Justice League Action (characters)

THE ARCHIE SHOW

THE ARCHIE SHOW

(CBS, September 14, 1968-January 4, 1969)

Filmation Associates

MAIN CAST:

Dallas McKennon – Archie Andrews, Hot Dog, Mr. Weatherbee, Pop Tate, Hiram Lodge, Coach Kleats, various

Ron Dante – Archie Andrews (singing)

Jane Webb – Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Miss Grundy, Big Ethel, various

Toni Wine – Betty Cooper (singing), Veronica Lodge (singing)

John Erwin – Reggie Mantle

Howard Morris – Jughead Jones, Moose Mason, Dilton Doiley, various

For the history of Archie, check out the post here.

            After spending two years working on action-oriented shows for DC Comics, and with growing concerns over violence in children’s shows, Filmation was about ready to switch gears and tackle another genre. Fortunately, their agent, Irv Wilson, had just the thing for them. Wilson had approached Archie Comics publisher John Goldwater about licensing out his comics for adaptation to other media. Upon receiving the license, Wilson presented the concept to producer Lou Scheimer, who had never heard of Archie or was aware of their popularity with the younger readers. However, he realized that doing a show about teenagers doing teenaged things could potentially attract a slightly older audience than their other offerings had. After meeting with Goldwater and securing a deal, Scheimer presented the idea to Fred Silverman, the head of daytime programming at CBS. Reportedly, the entire series pitch consisted of a stack of Archie comics that got Silverman to laugh; something he rarely did at pitch meetings. Silverman bought the show and The Archie Show was greenlit.

Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead hanging out at the Chok'lit Shoppe.

            Much like the comics, The Archie Show was going to focus on Archie Andrews (Dallas McKennon) and his core group of friends: Jughead (Howard Morris), Reggie (John Erwin), Betty and Veronica (both Jane Webb). They would go on dates, participate in races, work various jobs for money, and hang out at Pop’s Chok'lit Shoppe. Although Riverdale High was sparsely populated due to animation limitations (which prevented Archie from having his iconic hair markings), other Archie characters did make appearances as the story dictated: including principal Mr. Weatherbee, restaurateur Pop Tate, Veronica’s wealthy father (all McKennon), school genius Dilton Doiley (Morris) and others. Newly created for the show was Hot Dog (McKennon), Jughead’s dog who would “speak” to the audience and offer commentary about the characters and the situations (because of the different production times, Hot Dog actually appeared first in comic form in Pep Comics #224, originally as Archie’s dog).

Initially, Filmation intended to duplicate the success they found with The New Adventures of Superman by hiring the cast from the radio show, Archie Andrews. They even had one of the cast members, Bob Hastings, on staff already as the voice of their Superboy. But they never used Hastings and were unable to find the rest of the cast, so they turned to the then-49-year-old McKennon to voice “America’s teenager”, Filmation regular Webb to do as many of the female roles as legally allowed, Hanna-Barbera regular Morris, and Filmation newcomer Erwin. Notably, the Lodges were portrayed as having a southern accent. This was likely due to the radio show’s Gloria Mann use of one when voicing Veronica as in the comics she was said to have hailed from either Boston or New York City (or a lifelong resident of Riverdale—continuity was never steadfast in the world of Archie).

The Archies with Hot Dog conducting.

            While The Archie Show was already shaping up into something unique on Saturday mornings, Filmation wanted to take it a step further: they decided to bring music into it by making the Archie characters have a band that would play during the show called The Archies. Archie would play rhythm guitar and sing lead, Reggie would play bass, Betty played lead guitar or percussion (usually a tambourine), Veronica would play the keyboard, and Jughead played the drums. Jughead was also the only one who wasn’t a regular vocalist. The notion of Archie having a band was presented in Life With Archie #60 (1967), but was a one-time thing at that point.

The Archies meet Don Kirshner in Archie #189.

The idea was partially inspired by The Monkees, so Filmation approached music producer Don Kirschner about handling the music for their show. Kirschner, who had been responsible for some of The Monkees’ early hits, was ousted by the band as they wanted more creative control over what they recorded and performed, as well as for releasing the single “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” without Columbia Pictures’ consent. He saw The Archie Show as a chance to prove that he didn’t need The Monkees or Columbia. As the songs wouldn’t be directly related to the content of the show or utilize the same voices, both were allowed to be produced independently and simultaneously. Filmation would just give Kirschner a general idea of the stories they were doing.

The first single from The Archies.

            Kirschner assembled a set of studio musicians including Gary Chester on drums, Dave Appell on guitars, Joey Macho on bass, and Ron Frangipane on keyboards. Ron Dante provided Archie’s vocals, and sometimes Reggie’s, and Toni Wine did Betty and Veronica’s. Jeff Barry, Ritchie Adams and Mark Barkan served as the song writers, with Barry also being the producer and providing vocals for Jughead occasionally. 17 songs were recorded for inclusion on the show, with 11 of them (not counting the show’s theme, “Everything’s Archie”) being released on the first album, The Archies, from Kirschner’s Calendar Records, plus 17 shorter tunes for the dance sequences. Two singles were also released: “Bang-Shang-A-Lang” with “Truck Driver”, and “Feelin’ So Good (S.K.O.O.B.Y.-D.O.O.)” with “Love Light”.

Reggie joins in for a jam session in Archie's jalopy.

            The Archie Show debuted on CBS on September 14, 1968. Although the series relied heavily on what was established in the comics, they didn’t use the comics’ writers as they had with Superman. The series was written by Bob Ogle, and featured additional music by Ray Ellis. Each episode started and ended with a standard 8-minute Archie story with the gang going about their everyday lives and dealing with trouble frequently caused by mischief-maker, Reggie. Each story would be given an introduction by one of the characters; usually Archie. In between, there would be a short “dance of the week” segment where a character—usually Jughead—would teach it to the audience (although, a number of them were impossible unless you were an animated character). Viewers were then encouraged to use their new dance move for the next segment, which was The Archies playing one of their songs in a music video-like format. With Filmation’s penchant for stock footage, most of the band’s movements were constantly reused. There was also one more brief segment where Jughead and Hot Dog would get involved in some kind of hijinks (only one episode skipped this segment). It became notable as the first Saturday morning cartoon to use a laugh track, which was added to make the audience feel involved as part of the show.

The Archies head to Filmation in Everything's Archie #1.

            Nobody was more surprised by the success of The Archie Show than Filmation themselves. The series landed an impressive 47% ratings share, which is equal to modern Super Bowl ratings. The album was also performing extremely well on the sales charts. The first single had sold over 500,000 copies by the end of November, and it reached #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Also, on November 17^th The Ed Sullivan Show played “The Bubblegum” and “Bang-Shang-A-Lang” from the first episode. “Seventeen Ain’t Young” became a top 40 hit in Australia when it was covered by Frankie Howson. To capitalize on this success, Archie Comics brought The Archies back in the comics and had Mr. Lodge introduce them to Kirschner in Archie #189 (1969). They also began a new title centered on the band, Everything’s Archie (named after the theme song). The first issue even had the Archie gang visit the Filmation studios.

Jughead overdid it on the celebratory sodas.

            The Archie Show became only the first entry in a decade-long partnership between Filmation and Archie Comics. CBS wanted more Archie, and Filmation was happy to give it to them. To keep the show fresh and interesting, Filmation constantly reinvented it for each new television season instead of just keeping it going as it was; making use of the malleability of the characters to put them in as many different situations as possible. It also kicked off a musical revolution on Saturday mornings, as not only Filmation but every studio at the time would try make their own musically-centered programs to try and duplicate The Archie Show’s success.

Ad for the complete series DVD.

At least one VHS of The Archie Show was released by Thorn EMI Video. In 2004, Nostalgia Ventures released three episodes to VHS and DVD as part of their Archie & Friends line, with an additional episode from the later incarnation U.S. of Archie. The complete series would be released to DVD by Classic Media in 2007. The YouTube channel DreamWorks TV by Peacock Kids posted numerous clips from the show beginning in 2014.  In 2018, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released a new 10-episode compilation DVD.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“The Added Distraction / Fetch / Disappearing Act” (9/14/68) – Reggie causes trouble when the gang goes out to sea for a treasure hunt. / Jughead teaches Hot Dog how to fetch and ends up all wet. / Jughead manages to invent invisible paint and Reggie steals it to make his competition for the talent show literally vanish.

Dance: The Bubblegum

Song: Bang-Shang-A-Lang

“A Hard Day’s Knight / Shadow Boxing / Beauty is Only Fur Deep” (9/21/68) – Reggie challenges Archie to a joust for the hand of Veronica. / Jughead ends up KO’d while shadow boxing. / Jughead decides to enter Hot Dog into the dog show to show up Reggie’s dog.

Dance: The Jughead

Song: Boys and Girls

“Anchors Away / Double Duty / Jughead’s Double” (9/28/68) – Without his glasses, Mr. Weatherbee thinks Hot Dog is a commodore who missed his ship and unknowingly enlists the boys to help get him there. / Hot Dog helps Jughead water ski while he waters the yard. / Reggie unknowingly picks on a Jughead duplicate who happens to be a karate champ.

Dance: The Beanie

Song: Truck Driver

“The Circus / Painting / The Prize Winner” (10/5/68) – Reggie convinces the guys to join the circus. / Jughead paints Hot Dog’s portrait. / Reggie tries to get rid of Jughead by making him think he won an airplane he’ll spend all his time fixing up.

Dance: The Hamburger Hop

Song: Catching Up on Fun

“Flying Saucers / Homework / Field Trip” (10/12/68) – The gang goes to a costume party as a group of aliens and Reggie alerts the authorities for a gag. / Hot Dog unwittingly helps Jughead with his homework. / Reggie causes mischief on the school field trip to the mountain.

Dance: The Stick Shift

Song: Ride Ride Ride

“The Marathon Runner / Pole Vaulting / Way Out West” (10/19/68) – It looks like Reggie is a cinch to win the marathon, unless his ego wins out instead. / Jughead breaks a few records while pole vaulting. / While the gang helps out at Mr. Lodge’s new dude ranch, Reggie disguises himself as a guest to get out of doing any work.

Dance: The Veronica Walk

Song: La Dee Doo Down Down

“Hot Rod Drag / Research / Snow Business” (10/26/68) – The gang helps Archie get his car ready for the big drag race. / Jughead learns that the world is flat. / The gang goes to work at Mr. Lodge’s ski lodge and Reggie plots trouble to get some alone time with Veronica.

Dance: The Betty

Song: You Make Me Wanna Dance

“Chimp off the Old Block / Skiing / Who’s Afraid of Reggie Wolf” (11/2/68) – A gorilla follows Jughead from the zoo and ends up in the Riverdale High football tryouts. / Hot Dog helps Jughead go over his skiing checklist. / Reggie tricks the gang into going into a haunted mine.

Dance: The Banana Split

Song: Time For Love

“Kids Day / Jughead ‘Sampson’ Jones” (11/9/68) – Archie is named mayor for a day. / Jughead drinks Dilton’s super-strength formula.

Dance: The Drag

Song: Hide and Seek

“Rocket Rock / Retrieval / Par One” (11/16/68) – Believing it a missile they lost, the Army takes Jughead’s rocket—with the gang inside. / Jughead returns a bag that falls out of an armored car. / The boys get jobs as caddies and Reggie attempts to sabotage Archie when Mr. Lodge picks him to be his.

Dance: The Angel

Song: You Little Angel You

“Groovy Ghosts / Dancing / PFC Hot Dog” (11/23/68) – Reggie decides to frighten the gang in their creepy new clubhouse. / Jughead and Hot Dog cut a rug. / Reggie insulting Hot Dog leads to his running away and inadvertently joining the army.

Dance: The Weatherbee

Song: I’m In Love

“Surf Bored / Searching / The Computer” (11/30/68) – The surf contest is interrupted by a menacing swordfish. / Jughead looks for a quarter he lost. / Reggie sneaks into Dilton’s lab to use his computer to do his homework.

Dance: The Surfer

Song: Love Light

“The Old Sea Dog / Late / Jughead’s Girl” (12/6/68) – Reggie volunteers the gang to star in Jughead’s movie and proceeds to upstage everyone. / Hot Dog and Jughead are late to pick up Reggie. / Jughead and Hot Dog are in unrequited love with a girl and her poodle.

Dance: The Grundy

Song: Rock ‘n Roll Music

“Dilton’s Folly / Fishing / Lodge Department Stores” (12/13/68) – Jughead and Reggie spy on Dilton’s latest invention and watch as he turns himself into a monster. / Jughead goes fishing and lands a whopper. / Reggie does whatever it takes to secure a bonus while working at Lodge’s Department Store.

Dance: The Rocket Ship

Song: Don’t Touch My Guitar

“Private Eye Jughead / Ice Cream / Reggie’s Cousin” (12/20/68) – Jughead gets a new detective kit and plays investigator. / Jughead wants some ice cream, but he’s broke. / Reggie tricks the gang into helping watch his annoying cousin.

Dance: The Indian

Song: Seventeen Ain’t Young

“Strike Three / Magic / Cat Next Door” (12/27/68) – Reggie’s hand gets injured, resulting in Jughead having to pitch in the big game. / Jughead puts on a magic show for burgers. / Hot Dog gets into it with the new neighbors’ cat.

Dance: The Milkshake

Song: Circle of Blue

“Jones Farm / Housepaint / Veronica’s Veil” (1/4/69) – The gang goes to help out at the Jones farm and Reggie tries to get his hands on Grandma Jones’ pies. / Jughead paints himself out of a corner. / Jealous of the attention Betty is getting from the boys, Veronica pretends to be an exotic exchange student.

Dance: The Touchdown

Song: Kissin’