Apple's Way

Last updated

Apple's Way
Ronny Cox Lee McCain Malcolm Atterbury Apples Way 1974.JPG
Ronny Cox, Lee McCain and Malcolm Atterbury in a 1974 episode
Genre Drama
Created by Earl Hamner Jr.
Starring
Composer Morton Stevens
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes28
Production
Executive producers
Running time60 minutes
Production company Lorimar Productions
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseFebruary 10, 1974 (1974-02-10) 
January 12, 1975 (1975-01-12)

Apple's Way is an American drama television series that aired on CBS from February 10, 1974, to January 12, 1975. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr.

Contents

Premise

The Apples of Los Angeles—architect George, his wife Barbara, their children Paul, Cathy, Steven, and Patricia; and Grandfather Aldon—seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to George's hometown of Appleton, Iowa, [1] which was founded by his ancestors. The family had to adjust to a different culture and climate and to a slower pace of life. They lived in a working grist mill that served as a backdrop for the situations depicted in each episode. Well-meaning George would often get involved in causes that increased his family's tensions.

Apple's Way was a mid-season replacement for The New Perry Mason . The series did not gain the ratings CBS had hoped for, partly because it had to compete with NBC's long-running Top 20 hit The Wonderful World of Disney and ABC's popular crime drama The F.B.I. . The concept was "re-booted" in the second season to focus on plots that dealt more with such issues (such as freedom of speech, drug use, terminal illness) as opposed to the more rural-specific plots of the first season. The second season was produced by successful veteran producer-writer John Furia Jr. Furia hired Worley Thorne as story editor. The series was canceled during its second season and replaced with Cher .

Cast

Episode list

Season 1: 1974

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected by:Written by:Original air dateProd.
code
11"The Tree" Harry Harris T: A. J. Carothers February 10, 1974 (1974-02-10)438204
22"The Musician"Harry Harris William Bast February 17, 1974 (1974-02-17)438205
33"The Zoo" Nicholas Webster Peter S. Beagle February 24, 1974 (1974-02-24)438209
44"The Teacher" Jack Shea Dale EunsonMarch 3, 1974 (1974-03-03)438203
55"The Miller"Jack Shea Max Hodge March 10, 1974 (1974-03-10)438201
66"The Coach" Murray Golden George Kirgo March 24, 1974 (1974-03-24)438212
77"The Witness" Herschel Daugherty S. A. LongMarch 31, 1974 (1974-03-31)438213
88"The Temptation"Herschel DaughertyIrv PearlbergApril 7, 1974 (1974-04-07)438208
99"The Applicant"Harry Harris John McGreevey April 21, 1974 (1974-04-21)438214
1010"The Pen Pal"Murray GoldenIrv PearlbergApril 28, 1974 (1974-04-28)438215
1111"The Accident"Harry HarrisEmily ShoemakerMay 5, 1974 (1974-05-05)438218
1212"The Fair" Philip Leacock Mathilde Ferro,
Theodore Ferro
May 12, 1974 (1974-05-12)438216
1313"The Lamb"Harry Harris Kathleen Hite May 19, 1974 (1974-05-19)438217

Season 2: 1974–75

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected by:Written by:Original air dateProd.
code
141"The Tornado" Marc Daniels T: Joseph Bonaduce;
S/T: John T. Dugan
September 15, 1974 (1974-09-15)438210
152"The Circus"Marc DanielsAustin Kalish,
Irma Kalish
September 22, 1974 (1974-09-22)438222
163"The Friend" Hal Cooper Lan O'KunSeptember 29, 1974 (1974-09-29)438227
174"The Returning"David MoessingerDavid MoessingerOctober 6, 1974 (1974-10-06)438230
185"The First Love" James Sheldon Don AppellOctober 13, 1974 (1974-10-13)438229
196"The Engagement"James SheldonWilliam BastOctober 20, 1974 (1974-10-20)438221
207"The Candy Drive"Marc DanielsHindi BrooksOctober 27, 1974 (1974-10-27)438231
218"The Winning Season" Alexander Singer Jim McGinnNovember 10, 1974 (1974-11-10)438232
229"The Flag"David MoessingerJoseph BonaduceNovember 17, 1974 (1974-11-17)438235
2310"The Real Thanksgiving"Jack SheaJoseph Bonaduce,
Worley Thorne
November 24, 1974 (1974-11-24)438245
2411"The Apprentice"David MoessingerGene ThompsonDecember 1, 1974 (1974-12-01)438224
2512"The Outsider" Ivan Dixon Joseph BonaduceDecember 15, 1974 (1974-12-15)438211
2613"The Christmas Party"Richard C. BennettLan O'KunDecember 22, 1974 (1974-12-22)438226
2714"The Outing" Edward M. Abroms S: Richard Fielder;
S/T: Worley Thorne
January 5, 1975 (1975-01-05)438206
2815"The Price"UnknownUnknownJanuary 12, 1975 (1975-01-12)438234

Syndication

Both TV Land and AmericanLife TV aired the series in reruns during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Two decades after this series left the air, lead actors Ronny Cox and Frances Lee McCain were reunited in the short lived 19931994 television prime time soap Second Chances .

Related Research Articles

<i>Cop Rock</i> 1990 American crime drama musical television series

Cop Rock is an American police procedural musical television series created by Steven Bochco and William M. Finkelstein for the American Broadcasting Company. It premiered on September 26, 1990, and broadcast eleven episodes before concluding on December 26. It was both a critical and commercial failure when it originally aired.

<i>The Waltons</i> American 1972–1981 television series

The Waltons is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book Spencer's Mountain and the 1963 film of the same name. The series aired from 1972 to 1981.

<i>My Three Sons</i> American television sitcom (1960–1972)

My Three Sons is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seven seasons. My Three Sons chronicles the life of widower and aeronautical engineer Steven Douglas as he raises his three sons.

<i>Falcon Crest</i> American television series

Falcon Crest is an American prime time television soap opera created by Earl Hamner Jr. that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California wine industry set in the fictitious Tuscany Valley, located northeast of San Francisco and modeled after the real Napa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Hamner Jr.</span> American actor, writer (1923–2016)

Earl Henry Hamner Jr. was an American television writer and producer, best known for his work in the 1970s and 1980s as the creator of two long-running series, The Waltons and Falcon Crest. As a novelist, he is best known for Spencer's Mountain, which was inspired by his own childhood and formed the basis for both the film of the same name and the television series The Waltons, for which he provided voice-over narration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronny Cox</span> American actor and musician

Daniel Ronald "Ronny" Cox is an American actor, singer and songwriter. His best-known roles include Drew Ballinger in Deliverance (1972), George Apple in Apple's Way (1974–75), Ozark Bule in Bound for Glory (1976), Colonel Kerby in Taps (1981), Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil in Beverly Hills Cop (1984) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Dick Jones in RoboCop (1987), Franklin Reed in Family Ties (1986), Vilos Cohaagen in Total Recall (1990), The President in Captain America (1990), Justin in Age of Dinosaurs (2013), Vice President Kinsey in several episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Captain Edward Jellico in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) as well as in an episode of Star Trek: Prodigy (2022). Cox is also active as a musician, performing over 100 times per year at festivals and theaters each year as of 2012.

The Agency is an American action-spy television series that followed the inner-workings of the CIA. The series was aired on CBS from September 27, 2001 until May 17, 2003, lasting two seasons.

<i>The Rifleman</i> American Western television program

The Rifleman is an American Western television series starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show was filmed in black and white, in half-hour episodes. The Rifleman aired on ABC from September 30, 1958, to April 8, 1963, as a production of Four Star Television. It was one of the first primetime series on US television to show a single parent raising a child.

<i>Hello, Larry</i> American television series

Hello, Larry is an American sitcom television series created by Dick Bensfield and Perry Grant, starring McLean Stevenson. It aired on NBC from January 26, 1979, to April 30, 1980. Its broadcast run consisted of 38 episodes over two seasons.

<i>CBS Summer Playhouse</i> American TV series or program

CBS Summer Playhouse is an American anthology series that ran from June 12, 1987 to August 22, 1989 on CBS. It aired unsold television pilots during the summer season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Lee McCain</span> American actress (born 1943)

Frances Lee McCain is an American actress.

<i>Alfred Hitchcock Presents</i> (1985 TV series) American anthology series which started airing in 1985

Alfred Hitchcock Presents, sometimes called The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents, is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1985 to 1986 and on the USA Network from 1987 to 1989. The series is an updated version of the 1955 eponymous series.

<i>Return to Peyton Place</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Return to Peyton Place is an American daytime serial which aired on NBC from April 3, 1972 to January 4, 1974. The series was a spin-off of the prime time drama series Peyton Place rather than an adaptation of the 1959 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.

Second Chances is an American drama television series created and written by producers Bernard Lechowick and Lynn Marie Latham. The two-hour pilot episode was directed by Sharron Miller. Its cast includes Connie Sellecca, Matt Salinger, Megan Porter Follows, Jennifer Lopez, and Michelle Phillips. The series premiered December 2, 1993, on CBS, and aired its final episode on February 19, 1994. Hotel Malibu, which was touted as a spinoff of this series, debuted in August 1994.

<i>Griff</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Griff is an American crime drama starring Lorne Greene and Ben Murphy, which aired on ABC from September 29, 1973, to January 4, 1974.

<i>S.W.A.T.</i> (1975 TV series) American television series (1975-1976)

S.W.A.T. is an American police procedural action crime drama television series created by Robert Hamner, developed by Rick Husky, and produced by Hamner, Aaron Spelling, and Leonard Goldberg under Spelling-Goldberg Productions. The series aired for two seasons on ABC from February 1975 to April 1976. A spin-off of The Rookies, developed from a two-part pilot aired on February 17, 1975, S.W.A.T. follows a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in an unnamed Californian city. The series stars Steve Forrest, Robert Urich, Rod Perry, Mark Shera, and James Coleman as the titular team's officers.

Spencer, later titled Under One Roof, is an American sitcom television series created by Sy Rosen, that was broadcast on NBC for one season from December 1, 1984 until May 11, 1985.

<i>Dallas</i> (1978 TV series) season 13 Season of television series

The thirteenth season of the television series Dallas aired on CBS during the 1989–90 TV season.

Robert Weverka was an American novel writer, and scriptwriter in collaboration with S. L. Stebel.

Two of a Kind is a 1982 TV movie featuring George Burns as the grandfather of a 21-year-old man with an intellectual disability played by Robby Benson.

References

  1. "50 TV Shows Set in All 50 States". PopSugar. Retrieved January 2, 2022.