On this night 45 years ago, after dispensing with an episode of Swiss Family Robinson, ABC presents a night of spectaculars. First up, part 1 of The Six Million Dollar Man's fabled Bigfoot episode. "The Secret of Bigfoot" features Stefanie Powers, Severn Darden, and even a cameo by Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers. Of course the incomparable Andre the Giant plays Bigfoot, who returns in several other episodes in the series' run.
After Bigfoot, it's a big event as ABC debuts epic miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. The 12-parter with Peter Strauss, Nick Nolte, and Ed Asner is an adaptation of a 1969 Irwin Shaw novel. The series goes on to be a smash for the network, picking up awards as well as viewers and paving the way for the miniseries boom that included Roots. A sequel titled Book II premieres in September of that same year:
Other BOTNS favorites in the huge cast: Robert Reed, Norman Fell, and Bill Bixby. Dick Sargent has a role, but not Dick York (see last week's Mailbag episode)..
