Rich Man, Poor Man Book II
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Rich Man, Poor Man Book II was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 9:00pm ET/PT on Tuesday night for twenty weeks between September 21 and March 8, 1977. A sequel to the highly successful Rich Man, Poor Man that had aired the previous season, it focused on the further exploits and conflicts of the Jordache Family.
The series began shortly after the death of Tom Jordache. His son Wesley was now in the care of Tom's brother Rudy, 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.
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. Nor did it garner the huge number of Emmy Award nominations its predecessor had, earning only two, for Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series (Susan Blakely) and Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series for Jerrold L. Ludwig for Episode 3, and a Directors Guild of America nomination in Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night for Bill Bixby for Episode 3. However, Peter Strauss did achieve a TP de Oro Award for Best Foreign Actor for his portrayal of Senator Rudy Jordache in both 'Book 1 & 2' series. "Rich Man, Poor Man - Book Two" does appear to maintain a strong following and was Playback UK's most requested TV series to be released on DVD in 2007. The twenty-two episode serial does hold-up fairly well when viewed today and is quite engrossing entertainment, even though it didn't achieve the prestigious accolades of the original 12-part mini-series. The storyline interacts with real historical events of the time such as the Vietnam War, the Chicago riots, the election of President Nixon and the ever-changing trends in the music business.
[edit] Primary cast
- Peter Strauss . . . Rudy Jordache
- Gregg Henry . . . Wesley Jordache
- James Carroll Jordan . . . Billy Abbott
- Susan Blakely . . . Julie Prescott Abbott Jordache
- Herbert Jefferson Jnr. . . . Roy Dwyer
- Kay Lenz . . . Kate Jordache
- Peter Haskell . . . Charles Estep
- William Smith . . . Anthony Falconetti
- Susan Sullivan . . . Maggie Porter
- Kimberly Beck . . . Diane Porter
- Barry Sullivan . . . Senator Paxton
- Laraine Stephens . . . Claire Estep
- John Anderson . . . John Scott
- Penny Peyser . . . Ramona Scott
- Van Johnson . . . Marsh Goodwin
- Ray Milland . . . Duncan Calderwood
- Brad Knight . . . Tim McIntire
- Dick Sargent . . . Eddie Heath
- Dimitra Arliss . . . Marie Falconetti
- Cassie Yates . . . Annie Adams
- Sorrell Booke . . . Phil Greenberg
- Colleen Camp . . . Vickie St. John
- Arlo Guthrie . . . Himself
- Willie Aames . . . young Wesley Jordache
[edit] References
The Complete Directory to Primetime Network TV Shows by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, published by Ballantine Books, New York, 1988, page 662 ISBN 0-345-34510-1
