Don Ameche was an Academy Award winning American actor and a major
radio star, achieving memorable success during the late 1940s playing
opposite Frances Langford in The Bickersons (below), a radio comedy
series about a combative married couple. It began on NBC in 1946 and 
moved to CBS the following year where it continued until 1951. Don 
Ameche also enjoyed a substantial Broadway career.

Don Ameche and Francis Langford during a Bickersons
radio show

Don Ameche won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role (above)
in the Ron Howard film Cocoon, 1985. 

Ameche in Harry and The Hendersons, 1987

Archie Andrews, based on the comic book series, was also a long-running radio
show that began on the NBC Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual
in 1944, and then continued on NBC 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, Jack
Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings (below) as the title character during 
the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by Hal Stone and Cameron Andrews. For 
the NBC run, Betty was portrayed by Rosemary Rice (below), and Veronica by
Gloria Mann.

                  
Bob Hastings                                              Rosemary Rice

                                                                                                                                                        SEPTEMBER 1963

The recording Along Comes Mary went to #7 on the Billboard charts, and
led to the group’s first album, and then…along comes the Association.