Rich Man, Poor Man Book II

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 producers	Harve Bennett Michael Gleason
Producers	Jon Epstein [1] Carl Vitale
Running time	46–49 mins.
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	September 21, 1976 (1976-09-21) – March 8, 1977 (1977-03-08)
Related
Rich Man, Poor Man

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.

Due to the popularity of the first series this was rushed out as the sequel before the author Irwin Shaw had even written a "Book 2" sequel.

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.

Cast

Davey Davison replaces Kim Darby as Virginia Calderwood. Peter Strauss, Susan Blakely, Herbert Jefferson Jr., Van Johnson, Kay Lenz, Tim McIntire, Ray Milland, Dick Sargent and William Smith reprise their roles from the original series.

Actor	Role	ref
Starring
Peter Strauss	Rudy Jordache	[2]
Special guest star
Susan Blakely	Julie Prescott
Introducing
Gregg Henry	Wesley Jordache	[3]
James Carroll Jordan	Billy Abbott	[4]
Guest stars
Peter Haskell	Charles Estep	[5]
Penny Peyser	Ramona Scott	[6]
Susan Sullivan	Maggie Porter	[7]
William Smith	Anthony Falconetti	[8]
Kimberly Beck	Diane Porter	[9]
Cassie Yates	Annie Adams	[10]
Kay Lenz	Kate Jordache	[11]
Laraine Stephens	Claire Estep	[12]
Peter Donat	Arthur Raymond	[13]
John Anderson	John "Scotty" Scott	[14] [15]
Dimitra Arliss	Maria Falconetti	[16]
Barry Sullivan	Senator Paxton	[17] [18] [19]
Ken Swofford	Al Barber	[20]
Colleen Camp	Vicki St. John	[21]
Jason Kincaid	Ken Catani
Philip Abbott	John Franklin	[22]
Sorrell Booke	Phil Greenberg	[23]
George Gaynes	Max Vincent
G. D. Spradlin	Senator Dillon	[24]
Herbert Jefferson Jr.	Roy Dwyer	[25]
Stanley Kamel	Eddie Flannery
Lynne Randall	Lucy/Cocktail Waitress
Ryan MacDonald	Sen. Brendell
Bill Quinn	Sen. McInerney
John Zaremba	Sen. Zukvosky
Dick Sargent	Eddie Heath
Russell Johnson	Detective
Larry Kert	Danny Miller
Van Johnson	Marsh Goodwin	[26]
Madeleine Thornton-Sherwood	Mrs. Hunt
Joan Tompkins	Mrs. Rowe	[27]
Joey Forman	Manager
James B. Sikking	Mathew Downey
William Bogert	Joe Galen
Arthur Franz	Sen. Jones
Ernest Sarracino	Martinelli
Richard Derr	Eric Rasmussen
John Dewey Carter	Highway Patrolman/Policeman
Susan Blakely	Julie Prescott
Davey Davison	Virginia Calderwood
Lynn Carlin	Sarah Hunt
Arlo Guthrie	Himself	[28]
Dennis James	Telethon Host
Nehemiah Persoff	Charles Dietrich	[29]
Richard McKenzie
Tim McIntire	Brad Knight
David Sheiner
Ray Milland	Duncan Calderwood
Fred Holliday	Devore
Claudette Nevins	Mrs. Martindale
Richard X. Slattery	Jake Logan
Regis Cordic	Dr. Lassiter
Morgan Jones	Federal Marshal
David Lewis	Ambassador Haviland
William Redfield	Mr. Martindale
Ed Peck	Engineer
Jenny Sherman	Waitress
Topo Swope	Collie
William Bronder	Bartender
Walter David	Martin
Willie Aames	Young Wesley Jordache	[30]

Episode list

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Chapter I"	Lou Antonio [31]	Millard Lampell	September 21, 1976 (1976-09-21)
2	"Chapter II"	Alex Segal [32]	Ann Beckett	September 28, 1976 (1976-09-28)
3	"Chapter III"	Bill Bixby [33]	Robert Presnell, Jr. [34]	October 5, 1976 (1976-10-05)
4	"Chapter IV"	David Friedkin	Irwin Shaw & Millard Lampell [28]	October 19, 1976 (1976-10-19)
5	"Chapter V"	Harry Falk	Ann Beckett	October 26, 1976 (1976-10-26)
6	"Chapter VI"	James Sheldon	Millard Lampell	November 9, 1976 (1976-11-09)
7	"Chapter VII"	Harry Falk	Robert Presnell, Jr. [34]	November 16, 1976 (1976-11-16)
8	"Chapter VIII"	Joan Darling [35]	Elizabeth Wilson	November 23, 1976 (1976-11-23)
9	"Chapter IX"	Jules Irving	Millard Lampell	November 30, 1976 (1976-11-30)
10	"Chapter X"	Karen Arthur [36] [37]	Elizabeth Wilson	December 7, 1976 (1976-12-07)
11	"Chapter XI"	Jules Irving	Ann Beckett	December 21, 1976 (1976-12-21)
12	"Chapter XII"	Ted Post	Millard Lampell	December 28, 1976 (1976-12-28)
13	"Chapter XIII"	Jules Irving	Michael Gleason	January 4, 1977 (1977-01-04)
14	"Chapter XIV"	Ted Post	Elizabeth Wilson & Ann Beckett	January 11, 1977 (1977-01-11)
15	"Chapter XV"	Jules Irving	Michael Gleason	January 18, 1977 (1977-01-18)
16	"Chapter XVI"	Paul Stanley [38]	Michael Gleason	February 1, 1977 (1977-02-01)
17	"Chapter XVII"	Jules Irving	Ann Beckett	February 8, 1977 (1977-02-08)
18	"Chapter XVIII"	Bill Bixby [33]	Michael Gleason	February 15, 1977 (1977-02-15)
19	"Chapter XIX"	Jules Irving	Robert Hamilton	February 22, 1977 (1977-02-22)
20	"Chapter XX"	James Sheldon	Ann Beckett	March 1, 1977 (1977-03-01)
21	"Chapter XXI"	Jules Irving	Michael Gleason	March 8, 1977 (1977-03-08)

Production

Arlo Guthrie performed part of Alice's Restaurant in episode 4 airing October 19, 1976. ^[28]

Critical response

Rich Man, Poor Man Book II Neilson ratings saw an average of 21.6 million viewers for the season placing it 21st. ^[39]

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.

Gary Deeb of the Chicago Tribune wrote that ABC was taking a gamble with the series after Nick Nolte refused to appear in the sequel as Tom Jordache. ^[40]

Douglas M. Snauffer wrote in his book Prime Time Soap Operas that Rich Man, Poor Man Book II failed as a TV series. ^[41]

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	[42]
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series – Night	Bill Bixby (for "Chapter III")	Nominated	[43]
Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress for a Single Appearance in a Drama or Comedy Series	Susan Blakely (for "Chapter I")	Nominated	[44]
	Outstanding Film Editing in a Drama Series	Jerrold L. Ludwig (for "Chapter III")	Nominated
TP de Oro	Best Foreign Series		3rd Place	[45]
	Best Foreign Actor	Peter Strauss	Won
	Most Popular Personage	William Smith	2nd Place
Writers Guild of America Awards	Episodic Drama	Millard Lampell	Nominated	[46]

References

1. Terrace 1986, p. 417.
2. Terrace 1986, p. 353.
3. Terrace 1986, p. 175.
4. Terrace 1986, p. 199.
5. Terrace 1986, p. 170.
6. Terrace 1986, p. 299.
7. Terrace 1986, pp. 353–354.
8. Terrace 1986, p. 344.
9. Terrace 1986, p. 33.
10. Terrace 1986, p. 389.
11. Terrace 1986, p. 225.
12. Terrace 1986, p. 349.
13. Terrace 1986, p. 110.
14. Terrace 1986, p. 15.
15. Aaker 2024, pp. 11–12.
16. Terrace 1986, p. 19.
17. Terrace 1986, p. 354.
18. Aaker 2017, p. 403.
19. Monush 2003, pp. 713–714.
20. Terrace 1986, p. 356.
21. Terrace 1986, p. 63.
22. Terrace 1986, p. 7.
23. Terrace 1986, p. 45.
24. Terrace 1986, p. 347.
25. Terrace 1986, p. 194.
26. Terrace 1986, p. 197.
27. Terrace 1986, p. 362.
28. Reineke 2012, p. 191.
29. Terrace 1986, p. 297.
30. Aames et al. 2007, p. 282. sfn error: no target: CITEREFAamespton-AamesUptonGoss2007 (help)
31. Terrace 1986, p. 493.
32. Terrace 1986, p. 549.
33. Terrace 1986, p. 498.
34. Rubin 2017, p. 595.
35. Terrace 1986, p. 506.
36. Terrace 1986, p. 494.
37. Kozma et al. 2020, p. 255.
38. Terrace 1986, pp. 552–553.
39. Brooks & Marsh 2009, p. 1688.
40. Deeb, Gary (September 3, 1976). "Another Rich Man, Poor Man Ready To Begin Weekly Series". The Blade . Block Communications. Chicago Tribune. OCLC   12962717 . Retrieved August 24, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
41. Snauffer 2009, p. 84.
42. "Nominees/Winners". IMDb . Retrieved April 3, 2019.
43. "29th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
44. "Rich Man, Poor Man Book II". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 13, 2021.
45. 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.
46. "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.

Sources

• Terrace, Vincent (1986). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials (Hardcover). Vol. 3. New York City: New York Zoetrope. ISBN   978-0918432612.
• Reineke, Hank (2012). Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years (eBook). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0810883321.
• Aaker, Everett (2017). Television Western Players, 1960-1975: A Biographical Dictionary (Paperback). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-1476662503.
• Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present (eBook). New York City: Random House. ISBN   978-0307483201.
• Snauffer, Douglas M. (2009). Prime Time Soap Operas (eBook). London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   979-8216132363.
• Monush, Barry (2003). The Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors From the Silent Era to 1965 (eBook). Vol. 3. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. ISBN   978-1480329980.
• Kozma, Alicia; Heller-Nicholas, Alexandra; Shearer, Martha; Houde, Katia; Taylor, Tosha R.; Schweitzer, Dahlia; Mee, Laura; Paszkiewicz, Katarzyna; McGillvray, Maddison; Kim, Molly; McRae, Donna; Harrington, Erin; Decker, Lindsey; Lindvall, Valeria Villegas; Loreck, Janice; Chambers, Amy C.; Lupher, Sonia (2020). Women Make Horror Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre (eBook). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN   978-1978805132.
• Rubin, Steven Jay (2017). The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia (eBook). Chicago: Chicago Review Press. ISBN   978-1613738917.
• Aames, Willie; Upton-Aames, Maylo; Upton, Maylo; Goss, Carolyn Stanford (2007). Grace is Enough (Hardcover). Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing Group. p. 282. ISBN   978-0805443790.
• Aaker, Everett (2024). Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959 (eBook). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-1476606354.

External links

• Rich Man, Poor Man Book II at IMDb
• Rich Man, Poor Man Book II at epguides.com