Rich Man, Poor Man (miniseries)

[1] Based on the best-selling 1969 novel by Irwin Shaw, it spans the period 1945 through the late 1960s and follows the divergent career courses of the impoverished German American Jordache brothers.

Rudy (Peter Strauss) is the titular rich man, a well-educated and very ambitious entrepreneur who triumphs over his background and constructs a corporate and political empire.

Poor man Tom (Nick Nolte) is a rebel who eventually turns to boxing to support himself.

Later, another important character appears: the dangerous and eccentric Falconetti, lifelong nemesis of the Jordache Brothers, who is intent on killing them.

Dean Riesner wrote all twelve episodes, and direction was shared by David Greene and Boris Sagal.