The ultra-obscure 1978 sitcom "Apple Pie" was created by Norman Lear, the mastermind behind such shows as "All in the Family," "Maude," "One Day at a Time," and "The Jeffersons." His successes are legion and span many decades. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 101, leaving behind one of the largest legacies in the history of television. Every working comedian knows the legend of Norman Lear.
No one, however, remembers "Apple Pie," one of the master's greatest failures. "Apple Pie" was set in 1933,
right smack in the middle of the Great Depression, in Kansas City, Missouri. Rue McClanahan, who would go on to star in "The Golden Girls," played the protagonist, Ginger-Nell Hollyhock, a lovelorn hairdresser. She lived with a rogue's gallery of "relatives," a fake family she culled together from newspaper want ads. She hired a "Grandpa" (Jack Gilford), a "daughter" named Anna (Caitlin O'Heaney), and a "son" named Junior (Derrel Maury). They also roomed with a charming con-man named Fast Eddie Murtaugh posing as her husband, played by the irrepressible Dabney Coleman. The sitcom involved predictable adventures about living as a group, facing trials as a fake family, and Ginger-Nell looking for love.
Norman Lear liked McClanahan because of her performances on "Maude," on which she played the character Vivian. Lear, knowing she could lead a series, built "Apple Pie" around her. The Depression-era setting was a little odd, but surely a genius like Norman Lear, with veteran TV actor/director Peter Bonerz directing every episode, could make it work. He couldn't. "Apple Pie" was canceled after only two episodes, which ran on September 23 and September 30, 1978. Six additional episodes were produced, but they never aired. The two remaining only ever aired the once, never working their way into reruns. There have been no home video releases of "Apple Pie," and no full episodes have leaked online. The series is effectively lost.
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The 1978 Sitcom Apple Pie May Be Lost Forever
There is material proof that "Apple Pie" was real. According to lost media archivists, the only remaining ephemera from "Apple Pie" are scripts, publicity stills, and a few televised bumpers. Some TV enthusiasts have dug up old issues of TV Guide that include brief episode descriptions. Some clips of the series have also leaked online, including a scene featuring Rosalyn and Marilyn Borden, known as the Borden Twins. The clip features a large round of applause for the guests, so the Borden Twins were clearly the big "get" for the series. Dabney Coleman and Rue McClanahan style their hair for them, and do an exceptional job. A fellow named Cliff then picks them up to take them dancing, happy to have two ladies on his arms.
Even if I'm being generous, the series isn't terribly funny. The premise is novel, but the Depression-era setting doesn't appear to be a major part of the program. McClanahan is dazzling as always, and Coleman is a funny guy, but they would need great material in order to shine. From the looks of it, they didn't have great material.
The expediency with which "Apple Pie" was canceled makes it one of Norman Lear's greatest blunders, and Lear did have a few stinkers in his career. Few, for instance, remember the 1975 sitcom "Hot I Baltimore" [sic] that only ran for 13 episodes. His 1975 series "The Dumplings" left the air after only 10 episodes aired. His series "A Year at the Top," about musicians who make a pact with the Devil, left the airwaves after only five episodes. Few are fond of it, but even his short-lived Paul Rodriguez series "a.k.a. Pablo" ran for six episodes. "Apple Pie" is at the bottom of the barrel with its scant two half-hours that made their way to the public. It would be a miracle if the series is ever resurrected since there doesn't seem to be much of a market for it. Perhaps reruns of "Diff'rent Strokes" can do instead.
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