I've read them more times than I can count in the near half century since publication and each and every time I find something new to enlighten the experience of Wolk's wonderful writing. Now to the television mini-series, while both were excellent productions in both detail and production values, the casting and acting were, IMHO, below par as noted below:
Robert Mitchum played Victor "Pug" Henry and while Bob Mitchum is without doubt one of the best film actors of all time, he was 65-years old when "Winds" was filmed and pushing 70 when "Remembrance" went before the cameras. Mitchum, I am sorry to say, was just too old for the part and while he did not phone it in, his acting was not up to the standards of his past work. PLUS he was too damn tall as will be explained in the following.
Polly Bergen played Rhoda Henry and she drove the nail in perfectly for an acting role that required tremendous skills to give balance Rhoda 'the Good Wife' as opposed to Rhoda 'the Bitch' as she goes from one to the other. As to her downfall, it was the novelty of looking up for a kiss from Fred Kirby that sealed the deal.
While I detest Ed Asner's liberal politics, he would have been the perfect "Pug" Henry in both stature, age (54 when filming began) and, giving the devil his due, acting chops.
Ali MacGraw played Natalie Jastrow in "Winds" and to my mind, did the part justice as the character was written yet she was replaced by Jane Seymour in "Remembrance." Jane was just too pretty for the part and did not have that touch of ethnic Jewish look that Ali brought to the role.
Jan-Michael Vincent played Byron "Briny" Henry in "Winds" and while he looked the part, his wooden acting did not fill the bill. Hart Bochner replaced him as Byron Henry in "Remembrance" but was yet neither were the "Briny" Wolk created in the novels.
Ben Murphy played Warren Henry in "Winds" and Michael Woods as Warren Henry in "Remembrance" as here was the sin of the mini-series. Warren was the hero's hero in the whole damn plot of the novels but was relayed to a minor character in the teleplays. Both actors did what they could with the material given.
Okay, I'll get off my I know better sthick and say that every year or so, I re-watch the mini-series as even with my bitching above, they are most enjoyable entertainment.
I always thought Robert Duval would have been perfect for Pug Henry. He even comes from a Navy family! Mitchum was okay but yes, he was too tall, too old, and as one critic said, somnambulent ha!
I thought the only characters perfectly cast were Barry Bostwick as 'Lady' Aster and Topol as Beryl Jastrow.
I thought Barry Bostwick was great as "Lady".