Rich Man, Poor Man
Chapter 1
TV Flash files “Chapter 1” as a desk essential hour — Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) on ABC, season 1, episode 1, aired 1976-02-01, 50 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E01: listed hour 1 of 34 in the Rich Man, Poor Man guide, first listed hour of season 1. It aired 1976-02-01 (50 min). No earlier hour is listed in this guide. Next is “Chapter 2” (S01E02).
Essential hour: “Chapter 1”. Chapter 1 opens Irwin Shaw as appointment television. The Jordache brothers already splitting class war into climb and brawl: ABC's 1976 miniseries asking America to clear the calendar.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
As World War II ends, a 20 year odyssey begins for brothers Rudy and Tom Jordache. Two brothers couldn't be more opposite as they compete for the attention of their bitter, embattled immigrant parents. Rudy is hard at work at the family bakery trying to figure a way to pay for college, while Tom gets caught in pranks and fights. As Rudy prepares for graduation from high school, events begin to set each on a path of his own. It's the beginning of an unforgettable tale of two destinies that although quite different, can never be separated.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Chapter 1 sit in the Rich Man, Poor Man guide?
S01E01 is listed hour 1 of 34 — first listed hour of season 1, season 1 episode 1.
When did Rich Man, Poor Man S01E01 air?
Chapter 1 aired 1976-02-01 and is listed at 50 minutes.
Is this a series or a miniseries?
A 1976 ABC Novel for Television — multi-night chapters, not an open-ended weekly grind. Clear the calendar like an event.
In the series
Why this series still plays
The Jordache brothers turn an Irwin Shaw novel into appointment chapters: Peter Strauss climbing, Nick Nolte brawling, class war as family plot. ABC's 1976 miniseries proved America would clear the calendar for a multi-night novel. Breakout swagger plus the glamorous misery of made-for-TV epic.
Open on a split: two brothers, opposite paths, postwar America as a novel that asked the country to clear the calendar. ABC's Rich Man, Poor Man (1976), a Novel for Television from Dean Riesner after Irwin Shaw's bestseller, makes Peter Strauss's Rudy the climber and Nick Nolte's Tom the brawler. Susan Blakely's Julie Prescott and Edward Asner's Axel Jordache complete the family weather. Hugely rated chapters. Class war as family plot. Glamorous misery as made-for-TV epic. If you came for an open-ended soap, you…
Filed against
- Peter Strauss as Rudy Jordache
Peter Strauss played Rudy Jordache on Rich Man, Poor Man, ABC’s 1976 miniseries that turned an Irwin Shaw novel into appointment chapters — climbing versus Nick Nolte brawling, class war as family plot. America cleared the calendar for a…
- Nick Nolte as Tom Jordache
Nick Nolte’s Tom Jordache brawled Rich Man, Poor Man into appointment chapters — 1970s Irwin Shaw novel as ABC miniseries, Peter Strauss climbing, class war as family plot, America clearing the calendar for a multi-night novel. TV Flash…
- Susan Blakely as Julie Prescott
Susan Blakely glamour-miseried Rich Man, Poor Man as Julie Prescott — Irwin Shaw as appointment chapters, Jordache brothers climbing and brawling, ABC's 1976 miniseries proving America would clear the calendar for a multi-night novel. TV…
- Edward Asner as Axel Jordache
Edward Asner bruised through Rich Man, Poor Man as Axel Jordache — Irwin Shaw's class war as family plot, ABC's 1976 miniseries that cleared the national calendar, and a father who made the brothers' climb look inherited. TV Flash files…