Rich Man, Poor Man: The Complete Collection

One of the All-Time GREAT TV Miniseries
I met Peter Strauss for the first time after a staged reading at the Westport Playhouse, in which he, along with several other wonderful actors, gave a superb reading of a new play. Speaking to him, briefly, afterwards, I mentioned the absence of "Rich Man" on DVD - and he agreed. He told me he is asked this a lot and does not understand why a terrific DVD edition of this classic miniseries is not available. My God, it should be! This was one of the first real TV "events" - must see TV before it really existed - with a superb, involving story of two brothers growing up in turbulent times, their lives and loves, and their ultimate search for happiness. The acting could not be better. Peter Strauss has always been an underrated actor, in my opinion. In "The Jericho Mile" he gives a landmark performance. Here, in "Rich Man," he believably ages from a high school student to an older, forlorn Senator trying to reclaim his humanity. It was an honor to speak to Mr. Strauss, who could...

The Best of the Best!
I would have to rate this as the best mini-series ever produced. I recently got to see it again after about 25 years. I borrowed it from the library, which seems like the only place that still might have a copy. I recall when it was first on TV, I think it was an ABC Movie Event. Sitting each week enthralled in the storyline and then waiting for the next episode. This was the most thrilling thing to ever have been on television and it has stayed with me all these years. I became a life long Nick Nolte fan after seeing 'Rich Man, Poor Man'. I only wish this was on DVD! With all the junk that is put on DVD, why not something this ground breaking???

Rich Man, Poor Man DVD Review
Although it involves none of the same characters, you could call Irwin Shaw's Rich Man, Poor Man a sequel of sorts to his masterpiece The Young Lions, as he again undertakes an epic story crossing continents and decades, the tale of the two Jordache brothers, and occasionally their sister as they traverse the panorama of turbulent times. The story picks up where The Young Lions left off with the end of the Second World War, chronicling the years from 1946 to the late 1960s in the lives of the lower class Jordache family. At the time of the novel's release, the critics ravaged the piece calling Shaw out of touch with America as he had spent most of the past two decades living in Europe. But the public loved it, turning it into a best seller. Shaw, had as always, crafted a character driven piece, using his immense skills as a writer to pull the reader into the story even if it really didn't go anywhere original.

ABC TV bought the book after the success of turning Leon Uris'...

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