''Rich Man, Poor Man'' is a 1976 American television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

based on the 1969 novel of the same name by

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: '' The Young Lions'' (1 ...

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 Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a division of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#Universal Studio Group, Universal Studio Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which, in turn, is ...

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 A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

'' and ''

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

''. The miniseries stars Peter Strauss,

Nick Nolte Nicholas King Nolte (; born February 8, 1941) is an American actor. Known for his leading man roles in both dramas and romances, he has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. Nol ...

and

Susan Blakely Susan Blakely (born September 7, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for her leading role in the 1976 ABC miniseries '' Rich Man, Poor Man'', for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama a ...

. 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.

Plot

Based on the best-selling 1969 novel by

, it spans the period 1945 through the late 1960s and follows the divergent career courses of the impoverished

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

Jordache brothers. Rudy ( Peter Strauss) is the titular rich man, a well-educated and very ambitious

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

who triumphs over his background and constructs a corporate and political empire. Poor man Tom (

) is a rebel who eventually turns to

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

to support himself. Axel and Mary are their parents, and Julie Prescott is Rudy's lifelong sweetheart who eventually marries him. Later, another important character appears: the dangerous and eccentric Falconetti, lifelong nemesis of the Jordache Brothers, who is intent on killing them. 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.

Cast

Nick Nolte Tom Jordache Rich Man Poor Man 1976

Susan Blakely Peter Strauss Rich Man Poor Man

Dorothy McGuire Ed Asner Rich Man Poor Man 1976

Episode list

Production notes

Dean Riesner wrote all twelve episodes, and direction was shared by David Greene and

Boris Sagal Boris Sagal (October 18, 1923 – May 22, 1981) was an American television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather t ...

. The musical score was composed by

Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer; December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), '' Viva Zapata!'', ''Spartac ...

Awards and nominations

Home media

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

References

External links

* {{GoldenGlobeTVDrama 1969-1989 1976 American television series debuts 1976 American television series endings 1970s American television miniseries Best Drama Series Golden Globe winners Television shows based on American novels Television series by Universal Television American Broadcasting Company television dramas