Peyton Place
Tags: murder, melodrama

Plot synopsis:
In April 1941, in the seemingly idyllic New England town of Peyton Place, drunkard Lucas Cross (Arthur Kennedy) stumbles out of his house as his step-son Paul - fed up with Lucas' alcoholism - leaves town. Lucas's downtrodden wife, Nellie (Betty Field) goes to work as the housekeeper for Constance "Connie" MacKenzie (Lana Turner), a rather prim-acting local dress shop owner. The daughters of the two families, Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi) and Selena Cross (Hope Lange) are best friends and are about to graduate high school.
Following an argument about the merits of a good education, a stranger to the town, Michael Rossi (Lee Philips), is hired to be the new principal of the high school by the president of the school board, Leslie Harrington (Leon Ames), the owner of the local woolen mill; the students' choice for the position is long-time teacher, Miss Elsie Thornton (Mildred Dunnock). The board is composed of Dr. Matthew Swain (Lloyd Nolan), the town's main physician; town attorney, Charles Partridge (Staats Cotsworth); his snobbish and gossipy wife, Marion (Peg Hillias) and Seth Bushwell (Robert H. Harris) the editor in chief of The Peyton Place Times, the town's local newspaper. Dr. Swain and Seth become friends with the newcomer.
Arriving at the school, Rossi wins over Ms. Thornton by telling her that he wants to work with her. She is pleased with the newcomer and they get on well.
Later, while picking out dresses for Allison's birthday party, Connie encourages her daughter not to invite Betty Anderson (Terry Moore) to the party, due to Betty's overtly sexual style; ultimately, Constance reconsiders and allows Allison to invite anyone to her party. Betty arrives at Allison's party with Leslie Harrington's son Rodney (Barry Coe), who swiftly turns the affair into a make-out party and kisses Allison; the party is ended, however, when Connie walks in, embarrassing Allison by making a scene.
Later on, Allison becomes a witness to Lucas beating and abusing Selena.
Later that week, Rossi arrives at the MacKenzie house to announce that Allison has been named valedictorian, and he asks Connie to chaperone Allison's graduation dance, and the two slowly develop a romance. Meanwhile, Harrington tells his son, Rodney, that he will not accept his going to the graduation dance with a girl with such a bad reputation as Betty Anderson, and forces Rodney to call Betty and uninvite her to the dance.
Instead, Rodney goes with Allison, though Allison is in love with another classmate, the shy Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn) who has an overprotective, widowed mother, Evelyn Page (Erin O'Brien-Moore). When they get to the dance, Rodney splits off to make out with Betty in his car, but she is angry at him for dumping her and refuses to have sex with him. She hits him with her purse and storms away from the car.
During the traditional singing of "Auld Lang Syne", Rossi, realizing he is still new and not part of the town's traditions yet, asks Elsie Thornton to lead the singing, to the dismay and horror of Marion, who never liked Elsie, even going so far as to call her a drug addict. Outside, after dancing with her, he kisses Connie, but she again rejects his advances. Selena is escorted home by her boyfriend Ted Carter (David Nelson), and is later raped that night by her drunken step-father, Lucas.
Selena becomes pregnant, and when she goes to Dr. Swain for an abortion he refuses, and she confides in him that her step-father raped her. Swain confronts Lucas, and he is forced by Swain to promise to leave town after signing a confession, all of which Nellie accidentally witnesses. Lucas chases Selena out of revenge when she returns home, and although she escapes, she trips, falls and injures herself. After treating her, Swain enters the operation as an "appendectomy," though in fact she has had a miscarriage, blackmailing his nurse into cooperating. Nellie then becomes morosely despondent in response to what has happened.
At a Labor Day picnic that same year, Rodney and Betty reunite and go skinny dipping while Allison and Norman go swimming, in proper suits, nearby. Marion sees the nude couple and falsely making an assumption, tells Connie it was Allison and Norman, whom she had earlier seen on their way to the lake. This disgusts her husband, Charles.
Connie explodes at Allison for causing rumors. They fight, and Connie tells her that Allison's father was actually married to another woman when she became pregnant with her. Allison runs upstairs and finds that Nellie Cross has committed suicide by hanging herself in a closet. This puts Allison into a state of shock, and she is confined to a bed for a time. Sometime after, Rodney and Betty elope, infuriating Rodney's father Leslie. Allison tells her mother that when she is well enough she is going to leave Peyton Place for New York City, even if she is forced to do the same things her mother did. After saying a tearful goodbye to Selena, Allison makes good on her promise to leave town.
World War II erupts during December 1941, and the men of Peyton Place go off to war. However, when Rodney is killed in action the next autumn, his now-chastened father offers to take care of his widow, Betty, and she is at last welcomed into the family. Meanwhile, during Christmas of 1942 Connie visits Rossi to apologize for being so dismissive of him, and, when she confesses that she was a married man's mistress, Rossi decides to stay in Peyton Place and promises her his offer for marriage is still open. During the same time, a drunken Lucas returns from the Navy and tries to rape Selena again, but this time she bludgeons him to death in self-defense.
Shortly after Easter of 1943, Selena tearfully confesses the killing to Connie and is later arrested and tried by the District Attorney (Lorne Greene) for murder. Allison, still estranged from Connie, returns for the trial, as does Norman, and the truth about Selena's self-defense, her step-father's abuse and her miscarriage - as well as Dr. Swain's false report and Connie's failure as a mother - all come to light. Dr. Swain also admonishes the town for their gossipy nature, and their failure to offer help to Selena when she needed it, to the disgust and fury of Marion. Ultimately, Selena is acquitted, and she and Ted are free to marry.
Allison, after seeing her mother's emotional breakdown, has a change of heart, and approaches Connie at the steps of their home with a hope of reconciliation. Norman is also welcomed into the house.

Review: Before "Dynasty" and "Dallas" there was "Peyton Place" the 50th Anniversary.
This show was without a doubt one of the first prime time soap operas in the history of television.
The series upon its original broadcast was the first to aired twice a week during its entire five-year run.
Every 514 telecasts were original episodes in which 182 episodes of its first two seasons were telecast in black and white from September 15,1964 until September 7,1966.
332 episodes for Seasons 3 thru 6 were in color from September 12,1966 until June 2,1969.
The series aired on Monday and Wednesday nights in prime- time for ABC-TV from September 15, 1964 until the final episode on June 2, 1969.
The executive producers were Paul Monash, along with Ben Brady and Irma Phillips along with Everett Chambers and Richard Goldstone for Twentieth Century-Fox Television.
William Self was in charge of production.
The show's sponsors throughout it's run was the Chrysler Corporation, The R.J. Reynolds Corporation and General Foods Company.This show was a must see because for one you'll never what is about to occur or happened the next and it was always left viewers in a cliffhanger until either tomorrow or next week for the continuation of the story.
When the show aired on ABC-TV on September 15, 1964,viewers got the chance to recognized some of the characters who were in fact behind the drama and scandal that was in fact Peyton Place,but in other words,the series picked up where the first two installments of the movie versions,"Peyton Place"(1957),and its sequel,"Return To Peyton Place" (1961)left off.
In the TV series though,it was in two parts where one part would play on one night,and the next night it would have the conclusion and so forth.
On November 5,1965 the series expanded its format to three times a week (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights)a run that would continue until the end of Season 2.
A selected who's who of top-list Hollywood's best got top billing within this series which included Dorothy Malone, Leslie Nielsen, Ryan O' Neal, Gena Rowlands,and an unknown actress named Mia Farrow who got her start on this series.
Mia Farrow was with the series during it's first two seasons(1964-1966)and after her stint went on to become a huge Hollywood star.
As the series went along more guest stars would make weekly appearances.
This was a series that tackled some the issues of the day and had viewers coming back for more.During its entire run only actors Ed Nelson, Barbara Parkins, and Christopher Connelly along with Tim O'Connor were with the series throughout its entire run.
All of that change when the show made the transition to color for Season 3 on September 12,1966.
In the fall of 1968(Season 4), African-American actors and writers were hired for the series and for the first time the show would have its first black family moving into Peyton Place which were played by Percy Rodriguez and Ruby Dee and their college bound son played by a youthful Glynn Truman.
The show had it all....blackmail,murder,jealously,envy,and prejudices all within a half hour which went to airing twice a week for Seasons 2 thru 4 but during its final season was cut back to a once a week format due to its ratings that were beginning to declined until the show's final episode and the last episode in the series on June 2, 1969 after more than five seasons and 514 episodes.
The series that eventually replaced "Peyton Place" original prime-time run was another prime-time soap that ABC would bring in steady ratings was also based on a 1964 theatrical picture titled " Harold Robbins' The Carpetbaggers" that lasted 15 episodes when it premiered in the "Peyton Place" time slot on September 22, 1969 until January 12, 1970.
*This commentary was revised on August 15, 2014 to commemorate the show's 50th anniversary..
Peyton Place TV Series.
I have just seen episode 514 of this remarkable series.
I first started watching in 1968 when it was on daily at a time when I was making my way home from college.
If I got on the right bus I would sometimes get to see the second half of the programme on two days of the week and on Fridays when we finished early I saw a full programme!
During my summer and other holidays I could get to see a full weeks worth if I had the right temping jobs - I became a real groupie!
It has always been my favourite series and I always rated other soaps against it, the only two coming close were "Dallas" before it became silly and "Falcon Crest." Then when we got cable TV [30 years after the original screening] I saw the series again from about half-way through - missing again, Constances' wedding!
Then at the end of the run the series was restarted again and after the first episode the channel was pulled!
That was about 10 years ago - finally I have bought the set on DVD and have just watched it all again!
At a rate of about 4 episodes a night and 10 a day at weekends, it was a most satisfying experience!
Rubbish ending, but at least the mop-up film tidied up the areas that had never been resolved in the series and the series, although left up in the air had obvious story-lines that did not need a conclusion - other than who killed Fred Russell - my money's on the blonde kid!.
This Is The Continuing Story Of Peyton Place.
First aired on TV in the Fall of 1964, this scandal-ridden, prime-time soap opera was notable for pushing the boundaries of what was considered morally acceptable in the pre-sexual revolution of the early 1960s.Set in the quaint, picture-perfect, little, New England town of Peyton Place, what went on behind closed doors was enough to shock many delighted viewers right out of their socks and keep them coming back for more.From adultery, to teen pregnancy, to mental illness, and, yes, to even murder, Peyton Place delivered the dirt in spades.Filmed in b&w, Peyton Place's episodes have a running time of approx.
25 minutes and feature such a good looking cast of actors as - Mia Farrow, Ryan O'Neal, Dorothy Malone, Ed Nelson and Barbara Parkins..
those were the days..
at last i found the pages about Peyton place series .I used to see it in my country in white and black when i was about 12-13 years,i will never forget it,alway hopped to get this long blond hair of Mia FARO(which she shaved it completely later on as a protest to Vietnam war).when it was published in a book here (translated to my language i bought it at once.in brief Peyton place as TV serial make a part of my beautiful memories.
one day may i will be able to by the DVD of it ,if it comes available here.
I advise young persons to see it if they can ,insted of many series presented now.I cannot also foreget the Sweet love story of Alison makansy and Rodney Harrington..
Arguably the Best Prime Time Soap Ever.
PEYTON PLACE is the first and has remained to this day (arguably) the best-written prime time soap opera with consistent quality across its 5-year run and 514 episodes.Many people have utter contempt for prime time soaps and rightly so - it is a very difficult genre to get right and TV history is littered with a long list of instant flops or serials that got their magic formula right for a while, only to quickly succumb to contrived plot-driven storytelling, that many erroneously believe is the expected standard for prime time soap opera.But PEYTON PLACE sets the bar much higher, which is remarkable given its pioneer status.
It is a beautifully filmed unusually cinematic gem of a TV series that combines the slick glamour of the original movies with edgy B-movie grittiness, especially in its somewhat more compelling first black-and-white half (the first 267 episodes).The original book and the movies are used as a starting point the 1960s series wonderfully expands on with certain changes, depicting a fictional New England small-town world with deliciously knotty almost incestuous relationships among its many characters, where a chance meeting among any two people is invariably fascinating.The stories begin with leisurely-paced character-driven approach, but they are all ultimately built to riveting and therefore satisfying twists and conclusions.
The characterizations are rounded and non-judgmental.As it is always the case with shows that succeed, the casting is the key - Mia Farrow is perfectly cast as a shy and dreamy Alison Mackenzie as are Ryan O'Neal as a cool yet sensitive Rodney Harrington or Barbara Perkins as an ambitious and semi-trashy Betty Anderson.
Movie star Dorothy Malone with her fluttery eyelashes and breathy delivery is a great choice as the town's glamorous, but humble bookstore owner Constance Mackanzie.PEYTON PLACE also demonstrates the ability to successfully expand its fictional world and include previously unseen characters and places, folding them seamlessly into its rich back story as well as the ongoing present day narrative.
There is a cast shake-up every 30 or so episodes and many fascinating new arrivals such as the town's bitter young man Stephen Cord, the 19th century-style tyrant Martin Peyton (who literally owns the town) or his glamorous sharp-tongued housekeeper Hannah Cord.
A number of actors who went on to achieve great success later on - for instance, Leslie Nielsen or Richard Dreyfuss - can be seen in early stages of their careers.Unlike many TV series, PEYTON PLACE and its coastal setting have a strong awareness of seasons - it begins during a sultry Indian summer, moves forward in time to an eventful winter (during which it snows for a solid three months), before we suddenly jump forward to spring, to an unexpected wedding.
The switch to color midway through the series alters the tone somewhat as we enter the groovy late 60s.Only the first 64 episodes have been released on DVD, so those who wish to watch this brilliant series in its entirety will not find all of its 514 episodes in legitimate places.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend it..
Interesting series!.
Mia Farrow (September) "Allison MacKenzie," a young woman who worked in a cute bookstore owned by Dorothy Malone (Basic Instinct) "Constance MacKenzie Carson," who was her mother.
Allison started dating Ryan O'Neal (Zero Effect) "Rodney Harrington" and I used to love the series.
Allison had really long beautiful hair and was innocent.
I watched the series, dubbed and in black and white.
There were people in the series that became very famous, and others some somewhat famous,  such as:  Gena Rowlands (Hope Floats) Mia Farrow, Ryan O'Neal (The Thief Who Came to Dinner)  Ed Nelson(There's Something About Mary), Mariette Hartley (TV commercials for Polaroid cameras with James Garner, Marnie), Leslie Nielsen (Mr. Magoo),  Barbara Parkins (Valley of the Dolls).
The series and the actors were nominated for several awards such as Golden Globe, Emmy..
It was the only one soap opera I really loved..
I do not know if Soap Opera is inappropriate.
In Spanish it's not.
My favorites characters were Betty Anderson and Steven Cort.
I really fall in love with this beautiful woman.
I hope that one day I could get all the chapters and the final TV Movie in a DVD or whatever.
I recommend it.
I keep this serial in the deep of my heart and soul.
I want to say Thank You to all the people responsible for this great TV Show.
Sincerely Yours.
César Romero (My real Name).
Not as good as the FILM.
I understand the pilot followed the film and book somewhat.
The Cross family disappeared when the series arrived in 1964.
Rodney did not have a brother in the book.
Norman and Evelyn Page and Evelyn were eliminated.
Michael Rossi became a Dr. instead of a Principal of a high school.
Norman became Rodneys brother in the series.
Constance didn't have a husband and she ran a dress shop not a bookstore.
The series does not follow the films, the only resemblance to the films are SOME of the characters names.
I will take the films over the series any day !!!!!!!!
Dorothy Malone and Mia Farrow made the series, when they left "PEYTON PLACE", it went really down hill quick !!!!!!.
A doctors' saga.
To be frank, I am not well positioned to review the TV series Peyton Place.
For Peyton Place has been a part of my upbringing.
I was about ten years old, when the series started to be broad-casted in the Netherlands.
Our family had owned a black-and-white TV for not more than a couple of years.
I remember how the whole family looked in amazement at the unfolding events on the egg-shaped gray screen.
The community of Peyton Place was the talk of the town in our little state.
I still wonder what lasting impression it must have made on my blank soul.
I do remember that I was deeply touched by the romance between Rodney and Allison.
And how I wondered why she had not picked Norman.
Forty-five years later, watching the DVDs is like meeting a very old friend.
And still, the story (the episodes 1-31) had been almost completely wiped out by time.
Even the killed baby of Betty had been forgotten, although it plays such a central role.
Or Eli Carson.
He had become a familiar face without a name (an old neighbor of mine?
A far relative?).
Of course there is an immense shift of judgment.
At the time, you simply took the characters at face value, for granted.
An adolescent (I don't know about my parents) can not yet see the psychological aspects in their behavior.
For instance, on second acquaintance the Rod-Allison romance looks ridiculous ("Oh Allison..." and "I want to teach you everything I know.
If you let me").
And the deep tragedy of Rod killing his child.
The immature characters of Norm and Judy.
Also I had not seen the probable war traumas of George and Elliot.
The beloved doctor Rossi is actually quite arrogant and aggressive, and not at all so different from George.
Nonetheliess, at the time he was extremely popular with the Dutch housewives.
Etcetera etcetera.
If you try to classify this piece of history, the label doctors' saga bubbles up.
We watch the mental deviations of the characters from the perspective of the rational analyst (usually a physician or sometimes a veterinary; in this series it could be Swain).
In Peyton Place, these deviations are generally ugly, which makes this series a rather depressing spectacle.
If you are fond of such stories, consider seeing the Dutch film "Dorp aan de rivier".
It contains an impressive scene, where the doctor crosses a river by jumping on the moving ice-floes, in order to do a delivery,.
Martin & Hannah Cord.
Started watching the show because it's available on YT.Then bought the series on DVD.My favorite character is Martin Peyton,esp Macready's episodes,and THE Best ones also feature Ruth Warrick alongside her cantankerous pal Martin Peyton-she said he was the same offscreen and went out of her way to crack him up.She did two beautiful attempts by dressing in a teddie and later jumping in bed with Macready,the two laughing hysterically,and the time Hannah lit the mansion on fire,chasing old George around,tackling him and the two rolling around on the ground laughing!The rest of the story lines are okay,but my favorites all include Nr Peyton.George Macready's acting may take a lot of flak,but he's class personified,as are Ed Nelson/Tom O'Connor/Frank Ferguson?Dan Duryea/Ruth Warrick!You can have Rodney & Allison.