The short-lived family drama series "Apple's Way",which ran for one season on CBS-TV from 1974 to 1975,was a very enjoyable show for the duration of several of the episodes until somewhere down the line the show really lost its touch with the audience and from there went into a quick decline sending it to the lost graveyard of family-oriented shows that was never to be heard from again. For one,"Apple's Way" was one those shows that instantly jumped on the bandwagon which was started by "The Waltons",two seasons earlier. Another family-oriented series,"Little House On The Prairie"(which was on another network)not only followed the same trend,but also premiered the same year as this show did. Other shows also followed suit as well since "Apple's Way" was basically related on the same family-oriented formula as "The Waltons",since this series was created by the same person responsible for this show,Earl Hamner(the creator of "The Waltons")who in fact was not only the creator of the show but instead the shows'executive producer and sometimes the writer on this show,along with producers Lee Rich and Edward Denault. Only 24 episodes were produced of this series.
For one,it was Earl Hamner,who had a great deal in the production of the series since he insisted that CBS endorsed this series since it was really a modern day version of "The Waltons". But what killed it so quickly was that the show was on Sunday Nights and it was on the dreaded "Deathslot" of shows,and unfortunately it had some very stiff competition as well,going up against "The Wonderful World Of Disney" and not to mention the newsmagazine "60 Minutes",which clobbered it. I saw an episode only once when TVLand show it a couple of years ago,and to me the episodes were not only pitiful but just plain awful.
It was in some aspects a series that defy the odds especially with family relationships which focused on the misadventures of the Apple Family,who left the Big City life in search of a slower pace and a better environment for their children in rural Iowa,circa,1974. The show struck a chord because at the time "Apple's Way premiered,the mood in America at the time was very "malaise",after the onslaught of the Vietnam War,not to mention,Watergate,Gas Lines,Inflation,Recession, Drugs and Alcohol,the resignation of President Nixon,the loss of faith in the government,and the erosion of family values,let alone the rotting away of family morals and standards. Even some of the liberalistic views that this show had,and I mean there were several that should have been never mentioned during a family-oriented show.
Even some of the political commentary and not to mention liberalistic views that were even worse then are even worst today. Talk about values in a house where everything is a liberalistic debate,and even for a family show,it wasn't perfect. It killed it. Some of the episodes involving the family protesting the removal of a tree;the father buys a zoo,with a half dozen animals,but he called it a zoo; and the episode where the youngest boy learns a lesson or two about selling and giving. Just about every episode on this show was about some family member who gets into a situation,gets his hippy protesting flower child parents to help out in the cause and from there would gather friends and neighbors to debate about the issue in the front of the authorities and would protest about something and of course would brake into song. The husband and wife always talking about some issue,in which this was suppose to be a happy loving couple who basically argue over whatever. Another is where the cantankerous grandfather,who was brought in to boost the show's ratings,was always into something and sometimes was a little annoying and repulsive. And by the way,where was the house?
As far as the acting credits were concern,the show may have sucked but,the main characters,especially the father(Ronny Cox)provided some support for the rest of them,which they were either acting from cue cards to being lost in transition. This can be said with the rest of the cast including Frances McCain,Vincent Van-Patten,and Frannie Michel and Kristy McNichol(Frannie Michel played the character of Patricia Apple for the first 12 episodes,then was replaced by Kristy McNichol who played the second Patricia Apple came on board during mid-season until the end of the series run who portray her in only 13 episodes).Out of this series,only two actors from this show went on to bigger and better things especially in there respective careers when the show left the airwaves. Ronny Cox would go on to greater glory as an Hollywood action-star in which he scored one of the biggest hits of 1984,opposite Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop" movies and from there would continued in two other sequels to "Beverly Hills Cop",opposite Eddie Murphy and into more films and onward in other shows as well. He also starred in another short-lived TV series. Kristy McNichol went on to star in another family-oriented show from the 1970's,"Family",and went on to star in the 1980's situation comedy "Empty Nest". Vincent Van Patten went on to other opportunities including being one of the guest stars opposite Dick Van Patten(his father)in the highly successful family-oriented show from the 1970's as well,"Eight Is Enough",which was also produced by Lee Rich and Edward Denault. The whereabouts of actresses Frances McCain and Frannie Michel is still a mystery to this day and why was Frances McCain or for that manner actress Frannie Michel were given another series to work with after this show ended is beyond me since both of them was never given the chance to showcase their special talents. However,Earl Hamner,after this show ended in 1975,he continued on with his most winningest show "The Waltons",which ran for nine seasons(1972-1981),and from there make the switch from family dramas to soap operas in prime time during the 1980's,in which Hamner was the creator of soap drama "Falcon Crest",as well that also ran for nine seasons too(1982-1991).
For one,it was Earl Hamner,who had a great deal in the production of the series since he insisted that CBS endorsed this series since it was really a modern day version of "The Waltons". But what killed it so quickly was that the show was on Sunday Nights and it was on the dreaded "Deathslot" of shows,and unfortunately it had some very stiff competition as well,going up against "The Wonderful World Of Disney" and not to mention the newsmagazine "60 Minutes",which clobbered it. I saw an episode only once when TVLand show it a couple of years ago,and to me the episodes were not only pitiful but just plain awful.
It was in some aspects a series that defy the odds especially with family relationships which focused on the misadventures of the Apple Family,who left the Big City life in search of a slower pace and a better environment for their children in rural Iowa,circa,1974. The show struck a chord because at the time "Apple's Way premiered,the mood in America at the time was very "malaise",after the onslaught of the Vietnam War,not to mention,Watergate,Gas Lines,Inflation,Recession, Drugs and Alcohol,the resignation of President Nixon,the loss of faith in the government,and the erosion of family values,let alone the rotting away of family morals and standards. Even some of the liberalistic views that this show had,and I mean there were several that should have been never mentioned during a family-oriented show.
Even some of the political commentary and not to mention liberalistic views that were even worse then are even worst today. Talk about values in a house where everything is a liberalistic debate,and even for a family show,it wasn't perfect. It killed it. Some of the episodes involving the family protesting the removal of a tree;the father buys a zoo,with a half dozen animals,but he called it a zoo; and the episode where the youngest boy learns a lesson or two about selling and giving. Just about every episode on this show was about some family member who gets into a situation,gets his hippy protesting flower child parents to help out in the cause and from there would gather friends and neighbors to debate about the issue in the front of the authorities and would protest about something and of course would brake into song. The husband and wife always talking about some issue,in which this was suppose to be a happy loving couple who basically argue over whatever. Another is where the cantankerous grandfather,who was brought in to boost the show's ratings,was always into something and sometimes was a little annoying and repulsive. And by the way,where was the house?
As far as the acting credits were concern,the show may have sucked but,the main characters,especially the father(Ronny Cox)provided some support for the rest of them,which they were either acting from cue cards to being lost in transition. This can be said with the rest of the cast including Frances McCain,Vincent Van-Patten,and Frannie Michel and Kristy McNichol(Frannie Michel played the character of Patricia Apple for the first 12 episodes,then was replaced by Kristy McNichol who played the second Patricia Apple came on board during mid-season until the end of the series run who portray her in only 13 episodes).Out of this series,only two actors from this show went on to bigger and better things especially in there respective careers when the show left the airwaves. Ronny Cox would go on to greater glory as an Hollywood action-star in which he scored one of the biggest hits of 1984,opposite Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop" movies and from there would continued in two other sequels to "Beverly Hills Cop",opposite Eddie Murphy and into more films and onward in other shows as well. He also starred in another short-lived TV series. Kristy McNichol went on to star in another family-oriented show from the 1970's,"Family",and went on to star in the 1980's situation comedy "Empty Nest". Vincent Van Patten went on to other opportunities including being one of the guest stars opposite Dick Van Patten(his father)in the highly successful family-oriented show from the 1970's as well,"Eight Is Enough",which was also produced by Lee Rich and Edward Denault. The whereabouts of actresses Frances McCain and Frannie Michel is still a mystery to this day and why was Frances McCain or for that manner actress Frannie Michel were given another series to work with after this show ended is beyond me since both of them was never given the chance to showcase their special talents. However,Earl Hamner,after this show ended in 1975,he continued on with his most winningest show "The Waltons",which ran for nine seasons(1972-1981),and from there make the switch from family dramas to soap operas in prime time during the 1980's,in which Hamner was the creator of soap drama "Falcon Crest",as well that also ran for nine seasons too(1982-1991).