Rich Man, Poor Man Book II

Rich Man, Poor Man Book II

The main cast. Standing: Maggie Porter and Rudy Jordache. Seated: Wesley Jordache and Billy Abbott.
Format Miniseries
Directed by Lou Antonio
Bill Bixby
Jules Irving
Written by Millard Lampell
Ann Beckett
Irwin Shaw
Starring Peter Strauss
Gregg Henry
James Carroll Jordan
Music by Alex North
Michael Isaacson
Country United States
Language English
Original channel ABC
Original run September 21, 1976 – March 8, 1977
Running time 60 mins. (per episode)
No. of episodes 21
Preceded by

Rich Man, Poor Man Book II is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 9:00pm ET/PT on Tuesday nights between September 21, 1976 and March 8, 1977. A sequel to Rich Man, Poor Man that had aired the previous season, it focused on the further exploits and conflicts of the Jordache family.

Synopsis

The series began shortly after the death of Tom Jordache. His son Wesley (Gregg Henry) is now in the care of Tom's brother Rudy (Peter Strauss), who was seeking a seat in the United States Senate. Also living in the household was Billy, Rudy's stepson, and much of the ongoing storyline concentrated on the tension between the two ambitious boys. Also crucial to the plot was Rudy's protracted battle with Charles Estep, the mysterious billionaire owner of Tricorp. Returning from the original series was Anthony Falconetti, who had served time for the murder of Tom Jordache and was now free and intent on disposing of Rudy as well.

Primary cast

Reception

Las Vegas and Aspen, playgrounds of the rich and famous and powerful, were two of the settings for the series. Filled with soap opera-like touches, it was far more melodramatic than the original and not as successful critically or in the ratings ). The series always maintained a popular following in the UK and Europe and was released on a 6-Disc DVD set by Universal-Playback on June 18th, 2007. The US DVD set contained both the original mini-series and the weekly series and was released for the first time by A & E Home Video on September 28th, 2010.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Recipient
1977 Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series Jerrold L. Ludwig
(For chapter 3)
Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series Susan Blakely
(For chapter 1)
1977 Directors Guild of America Nominated Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series - Night Bill Bixby
(For chapter 3)
1977 Writers Guild of America Nominated Episodic Drama Millard Lampell
1978 American Cinema Editors Nominated Best Edited Episode from a Television Series Jerrold L. Ludwig
(For episode 15)
1990 TP de Oro Won Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero) Peter Strauss

References

The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, published by Ballantine Books, New York, 1988, page 662 ISBN 0-345-35610-1

External links