- Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)
"Rich Man, Poor Man" was a 1976 American
television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginningFebruary 1 . It was produced by Universal Television and was the first time programming of this nature had been attempted. It proved to be a critical and ratings success and was the forerunner for similar projects based on literary works, such as "Roots" and "Brideshead Revisited".Based on the best-selling 1970 novel by
Irwin Shaw , it spanned the period from 1945 through the late 1960s and followed the divergent career courses of the impoverishedimmigrant Jordache brothers. Rudy was the rich man of the title, a well-educated and very ambitiousentrepreneur who triumphed over his background and constructed a corporate and political empire. Poor man Tom was a rebel who eventually turned toboxing to support himself. Axel and Mary were their parents, and Julie Prescott was Rudy's lifelong sweetheart who eventually married him.Dean Riesner wrote all twelve episodes, and direction was shared byBill Bixby , David Greene, andBoris Sagal . The musical score was composed byAlex North , who was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.It spawned the sequel "
Rich Man, Poor Man Book II ", which aired from September 1976 through March 1977. The network repeated the original series Tuesday night at 9:00pm in May and June 1977. It has been released onvideotape andDVD , but the latter only inRegion 2 (UK).Primary cast
*
Peter Strauss . . . Rudy Jordache
*Nick Nolte . . . Tom Jordache
*Susan Blakely . . . Julie Prescott
*Edward Asner . . . Axel Jordache
*Dorothy McGuire . . . Mary Jordache
*Robert Reed . . . Teddy Boylan
*Gloria Grahame . . . Sue Prescott
*Kim Darby . . . Virginia Calderwood
*Bill Bixby . . . Willie Abbott
*Fionnula Flanagan . . . Clothilde
*Tim McIntire . . . Brad Knight
*Ray Milland . . . Duncan Calderwood
*Lawrence Pressman . . . Bill Denton
*Talia Shire . . . Teresa Santoro
*Craig Stevens . . . Asher Berg
*Norman Fell . . . Smitty
*Lynda Day George . . . Linda Quales
*George Maharis . . . Joey Quales
*Murray Hamilton . . . Sid Gossett
*Van Johnson . . . Marsh Goodwin
*Dorothy Malone . . . Irene Goodwin
*Andrew Duggan . . . Col. Deiner
*Herbert Jefferson Jnr. . . . Roy Dwyer
*Kay Lenz . . . Kate
*Leigh McCloskey . . . Billy Abbott
*Gavan O'Herlihy . . . Phil McGee
*Josette Banzet . . . Miss Lenaut
*William Smith . . . Anthony Falconetti
*Dick Sargent . . . Eddie Heath
*Dennis Dugan . . . Claude Tinker
*Michael Morgan . . . Wesley JordacheAwards and nominations
Emmy Award wins
*Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Alex North)
*Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (David Greene)
*Outstanding Lead Actor for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series (Edward Asner)
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Series (Fionnula Flanagan)Emmy Award nominations
*Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design - Single Episode of a Comedy, Drama or Limited Series
*Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming for a Series
*Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama or Comedy Series
*Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming for a Series (February 2 episode)
*Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming for a Series (March 5 episode)
*Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Ray Milland)
*Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Robert Reed)
*Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Dorothy McGuire)
*Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (Boris Sagal)
*Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series (Nick Nolte)
*Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series (Peter Strauss)
*Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series (Susan Blakely)
*Outstanding Limited Series
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Series (Bill Bixby)
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Series (Norman Fell)
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in Comedy or Drama Series (Van Johnson)
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Series (Kim Darby)
*Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Series (Kay Lenz)
*Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (Dean Riesner)Golden Globe wins
*Best TV Series (Drama)
*Best TV Actress, Drama (Susan Blakely)
*Best Supporting Actor, Television (Edward Asner)
*Best Supporting Actress, Television (Josette Banzet)Gloden Globe nominations
*Best TV Actor, Drama (Nick Nolte)
*Best TV Actor, Drama (Peter Strauss)References
"The Complete Directory to Primetime Network TV Shows" by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, published by Ballantine Books, New York, 1988, pages 661-62 ISBN 0-345-34510-1
External links
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