Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2017) |
| Rich Man, Poor Man Book II | |
|---|---|
 The main characters. Standing: Maggie Porter and Rudy Jordache. Seated: Wesley Jordache and Billy Abbott. | |
| Based on | Characters created by Irwin Shaw |
| Written by | Ann Beckett Michael Gleason Robert Hamilton Millard Lampell Robert Presnell, Jr. Elizabeth Wilson |
| Directed by | Lou Antonio Karen Arthur Bill Bixby Joan Darling Harry Falk David Friedkin Jules Irving Ted Post Alex Segal James Sheldon Paul Stanley |
| Starring | Peter Strauss Gregg Henry James Carroll Jordan |
| Theme music composer | Alex North Michael Isaacson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Michael Gleason |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 21, 1976 – March 8, 1977 |
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 (Peter Haskell), the mysterious billionaire owner of Tricorp. Returning from the original series was Anthony Falconetti (William Smith), who had served time for the murder of Tom Jordache and was now free and intent on disposing of Rudy as well.
At the same time, Falconetti firmly intends to eliminate Rudy, Wesley and all the friends of the Jordache family and this time it will not be enough to ignore it to escape him.
Primary cast
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Episode list
| Nº | Title | Directed By | Written By | Runtime | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chapter I" | Lou Antonio | Millard Lampell | 2 h | September 21, 1976 |
| 2 | "Chapter II" | Alex Segal | Ann Beckett | 1 h | September 28, 1976 |
| 3 | "Chapter III" | Bill Bixby | Robert Presnell, Jr. | 1 h | October 5, 1976 |
| 4 | "Chapter IV" | David Friedkin | Millard Lampell | 1 h | October 19, 1976 |
| 5 | "Chapter V" | Harry Falk | Ann Beckett | 1 h | October 26, 1976 |
| 6 | "Chapter VI" | James Sheldon | Millard Lampell | 1 h | November 9, 1976 |
| 7 | "Chapter VII" | Harry Falk | Robert Presnell, Jr. | 1 h | November 16, 1976 |
| 8 | "Chapter VIII" | Joan Darling | Elizabeth Wilson | 1 h | November 23, 1976 |
| 9 | "Chapter IX" | Jules Irving | Millard Lampell | 1 h | November 30, 1976 |
| 10 | "Chapter X" | Karen Arthur | Elizabeth Wilson | 1 h | December 7, 1976 |
| 11 | "Chapter XI" | Jules Irving | Ann Beckett | 1 h | December 21, 1976 |
| 12 | "Chapter XII" | Ted Post | Millard Lampell | 1 h | December 28, 1976 |
| 13 | "Chapter XIII" | Jules Irving | Michael Gleason | 1 h | January 4, 1977 |
| 14 | "Chapter XIV" | Ted Post | Elizabeth Wilson & Ann Beckett | 1 h | January 11, 1977 |
| 15 | "Chapter XV" | Jules Irving | Michael Gleason | 1 h | January 18, 1977 |
| 16 | "Chapter XVI" | Paul Stanley | Michael Gleason | 1 h | February 1, 1977 |
| 17 | "Chapter XVII" | Jules Irving | Ann Beckett | 1 h | February 8, 1977 |
| 18 | "Chapter XVIII" | Bill Bixby | Michael Gleason | 1 h | February 15, 1977 |
| 19 | "Chapter XIX" | Jules Irving | Robert Hamilton | 1 h | February 22, 1977 |
| 20 | "Chapter XX" | James Sheldon | Ann Beckett | 1 h | March 1, 1977 |
| 21 | "Chapter XXI" | Jules Irving | Michael Gleason | 1 h | March 8, 1977 |
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 maintained a popular following in the UK and Europe and was released on a 6-Disc DVD set by Universal-Playback on June 18, 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 28, 2010.
Gregg Henry, as Wesley Jordache, the son of slain Tom Jorache (Nick Nolte) replaced Nick Nolte's character-type, being content with having nothing but still trying to survive while Bill Bixby and Susan Blakely's son Billy, played by James Carroll Jordan, the son-in-law of Peter Strauss's Rudy Jordache, is desperately trying to become rich, like Rudy did in the original (but without much success).
William Smith as the infamous Anthony Falconetti, who appeared in the last four episodes of the original miniseries' 12 total, is not only one of two (including corporate tycoon Peter Haskell) primary antagonists, but is one of the main characters this time.
Susan Blakely, the ingenue in the original series, dies early in this sequel, and her leading lady role is shared by Wesley's working class girlfriend Romana, played by Penny Peyser, and Cassie Yates as Annie Adams, a Janis Joplin type up-and-coming singer who Billy is involved with (while he's also secretly involved with Ramona).
Meanwhile Peter Strauss's Rudy has two love interests: assertive, progressive lawyer Maggie Porter, played by Susan Sullivan (whose underage daughter Jenny Beck becomes involved with Wesley), and, returning from the original, Nick Nolte's widow Kate, played by Kay Lenz.
So while Peter Strauss as Rudy Jordache is the central character, the titular "Rich Man Poor Man" premise has him overseeing the new young characters, somewhat filling in the shoes of wealthy Strauss and struggling Nolte.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Episode from a Television Series | Jerrold L. Ludwig (for "Chapter XV") | Nominated | [1] |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series – Night | Bill Bixby (for "Chapter III") | Nominated | [2] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series | Susan Blakely (for "Chapter I") | Nominated | [3] |
| Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series | Jerrold L. Ludwig (for "Chapter III") | Nominated | ||
| TP de Oro | Best Foreign Series | 3rd Place | [4] | |
| Best Foreign Actor | Peter Strauss | Won | ||
| Most Popular Personage | William Smith | 2nd Place | ||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Episodic Drama | Millard Lampell | Nominated | [5] |
References
- ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
- ^ "29th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Rich Man, Poor Man Book II". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- ^ Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh (1988). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. New York City: Ballantine Books. p. 662. ISBN 0-345-35610-1.
- ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2010-06-06.