The Fugitive (TV Series) An Apple a Day (1965) User Reviews

Times really haven't changed all that much...

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 18 April 2017]

This episode of "The Fugitive" weighs in on a controversial subject, naturopathy and its practitioners. Naturopathy is the believe that scientific trials mean little and modern medicine is not the way to treat people, but instead through the use of various herbs and natural items they can treat all manner of ills. Dr. Kimble comes into contact with a nice naturopath who means well...but is likely killing his patients. Dr. Josephus Adams (Arthur O'Connell) and his wife, Marianne (Sheree North) treats Kimble when he's found unconscious and Kimble is torn between being grateful for this and horrified by Josephus' use of honey to treat all manner of things. When Dr. Adams' niece, Sharon (Kim Darby), passes out, he isn't so sure if his methods are of any use...and Kimble takes her and heads to the nearest medical doctor.

It's interesting that this show is over 50 years old and the same sort of arguments today are being made by many that medicine and its double-blind studies isn't as good as naturopathy and the anecdotal evidence that supports it. Because of this, I am pretty sure a lot of folks would be offended by the show's obvious bias AGAINST naturopathy...but I think it's doing a public service. Overall, a thought-provoking and excellent episode.

Plot summary

[ynot-16 · 8/10 · 4 April 2009]

Kimble is being chased by police in Colorado when he takes a tumble down a mountain and injures his ankle. An older couple, the Crandalls, finds him and takes him to Dr. Josephus Adams (actor Arthur O'Connell). Josephus is a naturopathic doctor, who uses natural remedies like honey and vinegar, and scorns allopathic medicine, the standard medicine practiced by other doctors like Dr. Kimble.

Kimble is distressed by the approach of Josephus to the illness of Mrs. Crandall, who has a chronic cough, and whom Josephus is treating with a honey-based cough syrup. Kimble's comments gain him the antagonism of Josephus' niece Sharon (actress Kim Darby) and his wife Marianne (actress Sheree North).

Police involvement, the discovery by Kimble of a serious illness of Sharon which Kimble cannot ignore, and the discovery of Kimble's identity by Marianne, all pose dangers for Kimble.

Doctor, this script needs help

[MissClassicTV · 6/10 · 27 October 2015]

David Janssen, as always, gives a credible, wonderful performance in "An Apple a Day." Even with a less-than-inspired script, he's able to rise above. In addition, Sheree North as Marianne Adams is really quite good. And Arthur O'Connell as Josephus is also pretty good in his role. It's just all kind of slow, with not much happening. But there are a few specific scenes I like in this episode, and they all come in quick succession.

There's a scene with Marianne and Kimble that's done very well - Marianne pours a scotch for Kimble after a couple of days of only honey-based drinks and foods. She's trying to soften him up.

Very soon after, Mrs. Crandall, the older woman played by the actress Amzie Strickland, is brought to the house unconscious. The director, Ralph Senensky, tells a story years later in his blog that during rehearsals, Amzie said to David Janssen, "Dr. Kimble, how about a little mouth to mouth resuscitation?" Now, whenever I think about this episode and that scene in particular, I have to laugh.

Later, Kimble finds the bottle of honey-based cough syrup that Mrs. Crandall had been taking and, in a fit of frustration, smashes it. It was good to see. Kimble's always so tightly wound, so in control, careful, and holding tight to his emotions that it was good to see him finally let go.

The ending with Josephus's niece Sharon (Kim Darby) becoming very ill is weird. There's no real explanation for it, except that it serves to wrap up the storyline of what happens to Josephus's medical practice before Kimble goes off to his next destination.

So, this isn't one of the great episodes, but I do like some parts of it very much.

11/2/65 "An Apple A Day"

[schappe1 · 8 August 2015]

Arthur O'Connell returns as a quack doctor whose kindly bedside manner has won over most of the patients in a rural area, to the consternation of a real doctor who couldn't maintains his practice. He gently but firmly preaches against doctors and hospitals because they have "the smell of death' while touting the benefits of honey, which he raises from the bees he keeps. He's even had success selling his remedies by mail order, which is why his avaricious wife, (Sheree North, in a wonderfully cold performance), sticks with him- she sees the dollar signs. Staying with them is their neurotic niece, (Kim Darby).

An injured Kimble is brought to the good "doctor" after falling down a hill in flight from the police, (the doctor doesn't know about that of it). He wraps his injured ankle and feeds him so much honey he gets sick of it. Kimble is grateful but worries about the doctor's patients, including an old woman who "just needs cough medicine" and then dies of congestive heart failure.

Kimble is all set to leave when Darby falls deathly ill. O'Connell realizes that his feeble "cures" aren't going to help her but his wife doesn't want Darby taken to a hospital because it would be bad publicity for their business, which she cares more about than her niece. She has an ace in the hole: she knows who Kimble is.

Not a great episode but another example of how the writers love to use Kimble's compassionate side and his professional ethics as a "hook" to get him involved in the story and keep him there.