Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)

Rich Man, Poor Man
Genre Drama
Written by Dean Riesner
Directed by Bill Bixby
David Greene
Boris Sagal
Starring Peter Strauss
Nick Nolte
Susan Blakely
Edward Asner
Dorothy McGuire
Robert Reed
Theme music composer Alex North
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 9
Production
Producer(s) Jon Epstein
Frank Price
Editor(s) Richard Bracken
Douglas Stewart
Production company(s) Harve Bennett Productions
Universal Television
Release
Original network ABC
Original release February 1 (1976-02-01) – March 15, 1976 (1976-03-15)
Chronology
Followed by Rich Man, Poor Man Book II

Rich Man, Poor Man is a 1976 American television miniseries based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw that aired on ABC in one- or two-hour episodes mostly on Monday nights over seven weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV miniseries, QB VII, had aired — also on ABC — in 1974. These projects proved to be a critical and ratings success and were the forerunner for similar projects based on literary works, such as Roots and Shōgun. The film stars Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte and Susan Blakely.

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 nights at 9:00pm from May to June 1977.[1]

Overview

Based on the best-selling 1969 novel by Irwin Shaw, it spanned the period from 1945 through the late 1960s and followed the divergent career courses of the impoverished German American Jordache brothers. Rudy (Peter Strauss) was the rich man of the title, a well-educated and very ambitious entrepreneur who triumphed over his background and constructed a corporate and political empire. Poor man Tom (Nick Nolte) was a rebel who eventually turned to boxing to support himself. Axel and Mary were their parents, and Julie Prescott was Rudy's lifelong sweetheart who eventually married him.

Later, another important character appears, the dangerous and eccentric Falconetti, lifelong nemesis of the Jordache Brothers, who is intent on killing them.

While the first series spans a twenty year period between 1945 and 1965, the second series begins in 1968. The series became a huge success in the countries that aired it.

Primary cast

Mary and Axel Jordache
Rudy Jordache and Julie Prescott
Tom Jordache

Production notes

Dean Riesner wrote all twelve episodes, and direction was shared by Bill Bixby, David Greene, and Boris Sagal. The musical score was composed by Alex North, who was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.

Awards and nominations

Emmy Award wins

Emmy Award nominations

Golden Globe wins

Golden Globe nominations

DVD release

On September 28, 2010, A&E Home Video released Rich Man, Poor Man: The Complete Collection on Region 1 DVD in the United States.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2007-10-17). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (9 ed.). Ballantine Books. p. 1152. ISBN 0-345-49773-2.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.