Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
Encyclopedia
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.
) 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. The series ended ambiguously, with the two men lying bleeding in the street following a shootout, their fates left to be determined by the viewers.
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.
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
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
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, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...
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 HenryGregg Henry
Gregg Lee Henry is an American theatre, film and television character actor and rock, blues and country musician.-Biography:...
) is now in the care of Tom's brother Rudy (Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss
Peter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
), who was seeking a seat in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. 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
Billionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
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. The series ended ambiguously, with the two men lying bleeding in the street following a shootout, their fates left to be determined by the viewers.
Primary cast
- Peter StraussPeter StraussPeter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
. . . Rudy Jordache - Gregg HenryGregg HenryGregg Lee Henry is an American theatre, film and television character actor and rock, blues and country musician.-Biography:...
. . . Wesley Jordache - James Carroll Jordan . . . Billy Abbott
- Susan BlakelySusan BlakelySusan Blakely is an American film actress who has mainly played supporting roles.-Early life:Blakely was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1948. She is the daughter of Weezie, a former art teacher, and Colonel Lawrence Blakely, a career Army officer. Her first career break came while she was living...
. . . Julie Prescott → Abbott → Jordache - Herbert Jefferson, Jr. . . . Roy Dwyer
- Kay LenzKay LenzKay Ann Lenz is an American actress.A former child performer, Lenz has worked primarily in television and has won two Emmy Awards.-Background:...
. . . Kate Jordache - Peter HaskellPeter HaskellPeter Abraham Haskell was an American actor who worked primarily in television.-Early years:Haskell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Rose Veronica Golden and geophysicist Norman Abraham Haskell...
. . . Charles Estep - William SmithWilliam Smith (actor)William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
. . . Anthony Falconetti - Susan SullivanSusan SullivanSusan Michaela Sullivan is an American actress, known for several notable roles on various television programs. Sullivan played the role of Lenore Curtin Delaney on the daytime soap opera, Another World ; waitress Lois Adams during the first season of the comedy It's a Living, Maggie Gioberti...
. . . Maggie Porter - Kimberly BeckKimberly BeckKimberly Beck is an American actress with over sixty television and film roles to her credit.-Biography:...
. . . Diane Porter - Barry SullivanBarry Sullivan (actor)Barry Sullivan was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.Born in New York City, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football...
. . . Senator Paxton - Laraine Stephens . . . Claire Estep
- John AndersonJohn Anderson (actor)-Biography:Born in Clayton, John Anderson grew up in Quincy and Adams County, Illinois.Prior to a prolific acting career, Anderson served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II where he met artist Orazio Fumagalli who became one of his best lifelong friends.He was known for several...
. . . John Scott - Penny PeyserPenny PeyserPenny Peyser is an actress. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1973.-Career:Peyser is best known for her role as Cindy in the 1980s series Crazy Like a Fox...
. . . Ramona Scott - Van JohnsonVan JohnsonVan Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
. . . Marsh Goodwin - Ray MillandRay MillandRay Milland was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award–winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend , a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind , the murder-plotting...
. . . Duncan Calderwood - Brad Knight . . . Tim McIntire
- Dick SargentDick SargentRichard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched...
. . . Eddie Heath - Dimitra ArlissDimitra ArlissDimitra Arliss , sometimes credited as Dimitra Arlys, is an American actress.Arliss became noticed after appearing in Arthur L. Kopit's Broadway play Indians in the 1960s in which she played a Native American character who spoke with an Italian accent...
. . . Marie Falconetti - Cassie YatesCassie YatesCassie Yates , born in Macon, Georgia, United States, is an American actress best known for her performances on television.Her most high-profile role was probably in Dynasty as Sarah Curtis...
. . . Annie Adams - Sorrell BookeSorrell BookeSorrell Booke was an American actor who performed on stage, screen, and television. He is best known for his role as the heavyset, corrupt politician "Boss" Hogg in the television show The Dukes of Hazzard....
. . . Phil Greenberg - Colleen CampColleen CampColleen Celeste Camp is an American actress and film producer, known for her performances in two installments of the Police Academy series and as Yvette the Maid in the 1985 black comedy Clue. She was also the first actress to play Kristin Shepard in U.S. prime time soap opera Dallas in 1979.Camp...
. . . Vickie St. John - Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
. . . Himself - Leigh McCloskeyLeigh McCloskeyLeigh Joseph McCloskey is an American film and television actor.-Career:McCloskey was classically trained as an actor at the Juilliard School in Lincoln Center, New York. As an actor, he is perhaps most widely known for his role as Mitch Cooper on the CBS soap opera Dallas...
. . . Billy Abbott
Reception
Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
, playgrounds of the rich and famous and powerful, were two of the settings for the series. Filled with soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
-like touches, it was far more melodramatic than the original and not as successful critically or in the ratings.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
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 2) |
|||
| 1990 | TP de Oro TP de Oro The TP de Oro is a Spanish award given since 1973, to honour, mostly, Spanish, but also foreign television series. The TP de Oro is considered to be the most prestigious Spanish awards for television.-External links:* *... |
Won | Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero) | Peter Strauss |