jarrodmcdonald-1 First, I have to say that Dorothy McGuire is somewhat miscast in this classic 1970s miniseries as Mary Jordache. She is too elegant and fine-featured to be playing a working class mother. But that doesn't stop McGuire from doing an exemplary job. She digs deep and captures the scratch-your-eyes-out nature of a woman who ruins one son to push another son ahead. I think because she doesn't look the part, she is even more shocking when she conveys the shrewish, uglier aspects of the character. Her death scene in one of the later episodes should not be missed. It's the best death scene ever played on television. McGuire was nominated for an Emmy and should have been given it on the spot.

edwagreen Superb drama about the fact that wealth can't buy happiness and that a hard life, when filled with compassion can bring satisfying results.Nick Nolte and Peter Strauss were absolutely superb in their roles as the Jordache brothers. Under the thumb, of a violent, German immigrant father, played with tremendous force by Ed Asner, both sons chose different paths of lives to follow, and with it success and constant trouble dominate only to show that in the end we may have to vary our very definition of success.As the mother, Dorothy McGuire had the best role she ever had since her 1947 Oscar nominated film "Gentleman's Agreement." Her part what that of a tormented woman who felt she had married beneath her. (Axel Jordache-Asner) Furthermore, she never let him forget his missed opportunities for economic success.This series proves that success may be achieved by hard work, but that work will take its toll as it very well defines a person.Many social issues are discussed in the film, wealth versus poverty, blacklisting, The Rosenberg Case, anti-black attitudes, etc. We see a changing society in a very good mini-series.

parky36 Give me a break, the father owns a business and saves a whopping $3 grand over a lifetime; and next to a supermarket?! I would have walked in, and bargained with the best of my bread. But no this author needs a Valium and get over his stinky thoughts. One thing learned in business never be upset about Guitar Center opening next to your music store. For all the products they don't carry, you carry and their advertising dollar brings in the clients into your store as well at no cost to you. That Supermarket could have been the best thing for him had he negotiated with the landlord instead of whining about it. What was the matter with the wife, lazy perhaps? Get in there, wake up early, and start baking the bread. That is life.The kids a loser never making a dime either, and statutory rape is a stretch, the girl being 17 and I am guessing him 18 or 19 is not statutory rape if she consented. A legal blunder if there ever was one. All the assault as well this author likes living in an age of violence gets it all redeemed. Right, that is what I call a screw loose.This author advocating slavery no one is paying anyone. Stinky thoughts as well. I bet the rich brother never paid his "servants" social security so really he is the one breaking the law. Her fear of being an illegal alien obviously has zero founding. Fear and greed I hope we are over that today. It is time for hope and generosity.My mother was German and never behaved like this. Now I did have Jewish friends growing up who did have parents complaining about everything. Sorry but this one is a loser with pessimistic intent.Here is a wonderful tale of good and evil with an elder telling his son a war he is waging: "My son it is between two wolves. One is an evil wolf: anger, envy, sorrow, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is the good wolf: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The boy took this in for a few minutes and then asked, "Which wolf won?" His grandfather answered, "The one I feed." The writer has nothing but the evil wolf.This also reminds me of a story called "McTeague: A Story of San Francisco" (1899)by Frank Norris later made into one of the last silent films called "Greed" by MGM. If you can sit through it, it obviously is where this writer got most of his ideas. No charity from anywhere here leads me to believe either the writer is obsessively negative, or he is riding on the back of "McTeague".Frank Norris wrote another story called "The Octopus: A Story of California" (1901)if you really want a look at historical basis for some of the worst robber barons. In fact it was on the heels of a famous case in the 1886 of Santa Clara County v Southern Pacific Railroad where the issue was over taxing of fencing, and the result was a robber baron in charge of writing up the headers for the Supreme Court (the court abstract), and lied about the case and claimed this was a case of corporate rights to freedom of speech. When the Chief Justice asked about the writeup he was huckstered into thinking that was argued. That Chief Justice died before he could ever straighten out that evil record. Nothing was further from the truth and we are living today with that corporate lie that the 14th amendment is also for corporations. If I were African American I would be very upset.On those heals came the robber barons which Frank Norris wrote his famous unfinished trilogy of Wheat, The Chicago Board of Trade, and the railroads infiltrating all aspects of life. The results were moral stories and good endings with people redeemed and those evil, damned. Bottom line is it was in part Frank Norris's writings that were the inspiration for the Sherman Anti Trust Act and the end to the robber barons trusts.Unfortunately the Bush years did further damage to all of this repealing just about everything which resulted in the financial collapse starting in 2007. This author did not hit any of those points and is to me a obsessive pessimist.Now ask yourself what is the writer's intent. I would like to see another Frank Norris come into our world, but I do not find him anywhere. Too bad too in his day the publisher couldn't keep the copies printed fast enough. This author is far from that. Wonder what his take is on Apple Computer or Microsoft. Missed those completely.

writers_reign I'm a great admirer of Irwin Shaw and mindful of how badly he had been adapted - The Young Lions, Tip On A Dead Jockey, Two Weeks In Another Town - I wasn't bending over backwards to catch up with one of his fine late novels, Rich Man, Poor Man. Finally I bought it on DVD and have just enjoyed watching it in two long sessions. Frankly I was delighted at the quality despite the liberties taken - the elimination of Gretchen, the third Jordache sibling, for example, who emerges as Tom's first girlfriend and eventually his wife. Acting, writing, direction, were all up to snuff and the whole worked beautifully. One to be seen again and again.