Rich Man, Poor Man (1976)

Covering the years from 1945 to 1965, this is the saga of two brothers, one "bad" (Nick Nolte) and one "good" (Peter Strauss) and a girl (Susan Blakely) from a small town in upstate New York. From their days in high school as they venture forth into the world seeking their fortunes. Based on the best selling novel by Irwin Shaw and directed by David Greene and Boris Sagal, the 600 page novel is spread out over 12 hours in one of the earliest examples of the mini series form. The film simplifies the subtleties and complexities of Shaw's novel turning it into an engrossing potboiler. In a bizarre change, the sister in the novel is eliminated and turned into the character played by Susan Blakely thus allowing her to have a romantic relationship with Strauss. With one exception (William Smith overdoing the sleazy thug), the acting is decent and often more than that. Russell Metty (ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS) did the cinematography while the score is by Alex North (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE). The impressive cast includes Dorothy McGuire, Ray Milland, Gloria Grahame, Van Johnson, Dorothy Malone, George Maharis, Kim Darby, Edward Asner (Emmy winner for his performance), Talia Shire, Bill Bixby, Fionnula Flanagan (Emmy winner for her performance), Craig Stevens, Lynda Day George, Murray Hamilton, Kay Lenz, Robert Reed, Norman Fell, Andrew Duggan and Julius Harris.