Customer Reviews

Peyton Place: Part One

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Love, lust, backstabbing, murder and illicit secrets. Dallas, Dynasty, Knotts Landing - or maybe The Simpsons? Wrong! Those themes and many more touched the lives of those who inhabited Peyton Place, the first-ever TV primetime soap opera.

By today's standards those storielines may seem tame, but in 1964 when the show premiered they were risque and shocking, more so even than the two theatrical movies that had preceded it, because this WAS TV, gosh darn it!

Peyton Place ran on ABC in half-hour episodes from Sept. 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969, racking up a total 514 episodes. In a truly historic five-disc boxed set DVD release, Shout!Factor has collected the first two seasons that were broadcast in black and white. The remainder of the series was aired in color. (Note, this is only the second true TV soap opera to receive a DVD release - the first was the iconic daytime gothic series, `Dark Shadows.' It also ran on ABC for five years.)

Peyton Place boasted an almost unprecedented cast of talented actors, two of whom got their start on the show but ended as movie stars: Mia "Rosemary's Baby" Farrow and Ryan "Love Story" O'Neal. The stellar cast was lead by Academy Award winner Dorothy Malone.

Executive producer Paul Monash rejected the "soap opera" label for Peyton Place, referring to it instead as a "television novel." The series was, in fact, based on the Grace Metalious novel. Interestingly, it ended up as the ONLY primetime series that ran continuously, never repeating a single broadcast in summer reruns.

The series took place in the title town, which was founded by the Peyton family, whose members included the Harringtons. Like any good soap opera, the plots were deliciously complicated. A few early plots involved Rodney Harrington, the oldest son, choosing between the town's bad girl and the respectable girl. His brother took up with the working class girl, while Ms. Malone's character was keeping a very private secret of her own.

Thus, characters married, divorced, loved and lost. Secrets were the staples of the show, but there was also a healthy dose of illicit passion, murder, and insanity.

Episodes began by depicting a church steeple. The title "Peyton Place" overlays the image as the church bells tone. An uncredited voice proclaims: "This is the continuing story of `Peyton Place.'" The scene changes to the town square, a rolling brook, then a panoramic view of the town. It dissolves to photos of cast members, and a brief recap of previous episodes narrated by Warner Anderson, who also played Matthew Swain. (Anderson left the series after the first season, but continued to offer his voice talents until the final episode.) The memorable theme song, "Wonderful Season of Love," was composed by Franz Waxman, the lyrics written by Paul Francis Webster.

When the show premiered in 1964, Peyton Place aired twice a week. Both installments of the show were Top 20 hits in the Nielsen Ratings, inspiring ABC to air it three times a week in the fall of 1965. But, this move caused viewership to dip sharply and its popularity steadily declined. The series was cut back to two weekly episodes the following season, but it continued to lose its audience. In 1969 it was cut back to one weekly installment until it ended in June.

The core cast included: Ms. Malone as Constance MacKenzie Carson (1964-1968); Tim O'Connor as Elliot Carson (1965-1968); Ms. Farrow as Allison Mackenzie (1964-1966); O'Neal as Rodney Harrington; Christopher Connelly as Norman Harrington; Paul Langton as Leslie Harrington (1964-1968); Barbara Parkins as Betty Anderson Harrington Cord Harrington; Patricia Morrow as Rita Jacks Harrington (1965-1969); Evelyn Scott as Ada Jacks (1965-1969); Ed Nelson as Dr. Michael Rossi; George Macready as Martin Peyton (1965-1968); James Douglas as Steven Cord; and Ruth Warrick as Hannah Cord (1965-1967).

In the premiere episode, Dr. Rossi arrives in Peyton Place by train. He is picked up at the station by Rodney Harrington and his girlfriend Betty. When they drive him to the inn, Rossi catches his father kissing his secretary - Betty's mother!

The show was one of the first seen on network television to talk about sex and infidelity in a frank manner. As such, ABC brass would only allow the show to be aired at 9:30 p.m. Eastern/Pacific time, when children and teenagers were expected to be in bed. With the show in a ratings slump in 1968, the show was moved to 8:30 p.m. to draw in a larger audience - courting younger viewers they had once eschewed.

The series was revived briefly as a daytime serial `Return to Peyton Place' from April 3, 1972 to Jan. 4, 1974. Three of the actors from the primetime series reprised their roles - Frank Ferguson as Eli Carson, Patricia Morrow as Rita Harrington, and Evelyn Scott as Ada Jacks.

Peyton Place guest stars included a host of well-known actors: David Canary, who along with Ms. Warrick, is best known for their roles on ABC's popular daytime soap All My Children; James "Star Trek" Doohan; Mickey "The Monkey" Dolenze; Barbara Rush; Susan Oliver; Ruby Dee; Leslie Nielson; Greg "Mission:Impossible" Morris; Joan "Knotts Landing" Van Ark; Joyce Jillson; Diana Hyland; Gena Rowlands; Lana Wood; Erin O'Brien-Moore (who was in the original film,); Mariette Hartley; Frank Ferguson; John Kerr; Joan Blackman; Wilfred-Hyde White; Leigh Taylor-Young; and Dan Duryea.

Let's hope Shout!Factory follows this wonderful release with the remainder of this historic TV series.

Before "Desperate Housewives", before "Dallas", before "Knot's Landing", and before the granddaddy of them all "Dynasty" there was "Peyton Place", television's very first primetime soap opera.
By the end of 1963 networks saw the amount of ad revenue CBS was making off their daytime lineup of dramatic shows, and ABC felt there were potential ratings points waiting in the evening for a well written serial. "Peyton Place" debut on September 15, 1964 and became a smash hit. Airing twice a week, the series made stars out of Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal, who played star-crossed lovers Allison and Rodney. Oscar winner Dorothy Malone received top billing as Constance, Allison's mother who bore a terrible secret. Viewers couldn't get enough of the complicated stories, back stabbing, and romance that filled the airwaves when "Peyton Place" aired.
Airing 514 episodes "Peyton Place" still holds the record in 2009 as the only primetime series to air without reruns and without any hiatus period during the summer months. The show played just like a regular daytime serial. It became so popular that by June,1965 ABC aired it 3 times a week.
The DVD version of "Peyton Place-Part 1" features 31 half hour episodes filmed in glorious black and white. Thank you FOX and Shout! for bringing back a true classic from the 1960's. I for one cannot wait to view the series as I wasn't even born when the show started. Being a follower of soap opera my whole life I have heard nothing but great things about this classic sudser.
There is also more great news for "Peyton Place" fans; not only is this new DVD set coming out in May, but on July 14th, 2009 Shout! will be immediately releasing "Peyton Place-Part 2"! We soap fans are in Heaven!

Yes, there Is a Santa Clause !!!
I have been waiting for the DVD Release of this iconic TV Series for years and now PEYTON PLACE is promised! See the Discussions Board about the series and you will find other people wandering around in the DVD desert, searching for their PEYTON PLACE. I see Shout is releasing this box set, and although it is Part One, I hope they don't do what Fox Studios have done with the MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW ---- releasing early seasons individually and then releasing the remaining seasons only as part of a COMPLETE SERIES box set.......... Please don't do this to us Shout.......
Other reviewers have conjured up great memories of PEYTON PLACE TV Series, but nobody has mentioned the great performance by Lee Grant, who pulled out all the stops and delivered a sledgehammer performance in her role. She won an Emmy as Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series for her work .. and belive me, she certainly deserved it... Ms Grant was obviosuly determined to leave her mark after having been "blacklisted" for years after the McCarthy anti-communistic witchhunts of the latter 1950's...
Also nobody has mentioned the wonderful, haunting theme music-- taken from the 20th Century-Fox film, starring Lana Turner and Diane Varsi....
This will bring back 1960's memories ---look at the size and length of the cars they drive... everybody are taking medication for something, popping doctor's prescriptions all the time.... see the fashions change, and Barbara Perkins becoming increasingly more and more beautiful as the series progresses.
See too-- the famous HAIRCUT of Mia Farrow --the one that made headlines, ( no pun intended) right around the world....
Oh it;s going to be great to see all that shouting, screaming, murdering, plotting, lying and cheating --- all in a normal Peyton Place day ---- going on again.
To heck with the current economic downturn --- give me PEYTON PLACE and another plate of lobster dinner at the Inn. I'll then take a rest and sit awhile in the band rotunda in the Town Square and wonder who killed whom... and more importantly. will Dorothy Malone's eyelashes stay on, with all that fluttering.
I wanted this DVD set and now I'm a gonna get it.... It's a truly iconic TV Series--- the great granddaddy of all TV series and soaps --especially the medical servies and the soap operas we hate to love ....
And without giving anything away, just wait until the episodes burst into colour..it's such a wonderful shock !

While today's soap operas tend to focus on Mobs, tornadoes and event-driven storylines, Peyton Place is a classic example of what an excellent, character-driven drama can and should be. Peyton Place has long been the standard by which other soaps are measured: Life in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else... and secrets lurk behind every white picket fence. The focus of these first 31 episodes is on the young triangle of Alison/Rodney/Betty, and while the morality on display is wildly old fashioned, it's also incredibly refreshing. Longing glances and awkward dates reign supreme. Some reviewers have noted that the quality is not as high as they might have expected, and that dialogue or scenes are missing. As someone who never saw the original, it seems to have no impact on the viewing experience for the uninitiated.

Peyton Place the place they we were all talking about in the sixties when things were not to be talked about. There was so much controversy and hush-hush. Drawn from a real-life small town. For 5 seasons of secrets ,lies and sex we found ourselves wraped up and glued 3 nights a week until its final hour. At 9:30 pm on ABC for a half-hour of the best television could offer in the turbulent 60's. The first successful night time soap that paved the way for all the night time soaps that followed. Well here we are finally going to see Peyton Place in Glorious Black and White all over again in the 21st century on our 50inch TV screens it doesen't get better than that. Thank-you Shout Factory for giving Peyton Place another place in life back where it belongs. Now a new generation can see what we couldn't resist from talking about and looked forward to seeing week after week.

i have always heard about this show from my mother and grandmother since i was not born until the 80s. But i am so glad i am able to see this show now. Peyton place is a great show and i can't wait till part 2 comes out and the rest. But i really wish they would start to put alot of soaps on dvd like the first 20 years of days of our lives and bold and the beautiful, young and the restless, and other soaps. i mean that would be something people would buy. Soaps are my favorite thing and i would love to see how one life to live started and general hospital and all my children and what about all the soaps that are not even on tv that was on long ago i mean the way the young generation can watch old movies on dvd they should really put soaps on dvd. i would pay it is worth it so i hope the people that control what comes out think about it. and since young and the restless is the top soap it should be put on dvd because it is number one. My aunt has dark shadows on dvd and she continues to watch it year after year after year. i watched it with her and i hate it but im glad she enjoys it. But like i hope this really really get to people who could make this happen because i think it would be a cool thing i mean i love soaps. i watch 9 everyday and i keep them on tape. i have been recording days of ouir lives since 1994 until now i love that soap it is awesome and when i look at my old tapes from 1994 or 95,96, it is amazing how much things change from year to year. whoever reads this thanks and i hope things change when it comes to soaps on dvd

"Ever live in a small town? Some morning you're going to wake up and realize that every face you see is familiar. You're going to have a definite feeling about each person, and they're going to have a definite feeling about you. They may love you or hate you, but they won't be indifferent." So says Clarion newspaper publisher Matthew Swain to newly arrived Dr. Michael Rossi at the conclusion of the first episode. For the next five years, Dr. Rossi and millions of viewers worldwide spent 514 half-hours feeling little indifference toward the residents of Peyton Place, Massachusetts, the most infamous of fictional New England towns.

Although often cited as the progenitor of nighttime soaps such as Dallas, Dynasty, Melrose Place, and Desperate Housewives, Peyton Place has little in common with those programs other than its serialized format. With a strong emphasis on characterization, the series more closely resembles the earnest verisimilitude of Knots Landing than the camp-infested shenanigans found in contemporary soaps. For instance, in Peyton Place, there are no exploding apartment complexes, machine-gun massacres at fairytale weddings, or heroines disappearing into flying saucers at season's end. Instead, viewers are treated to good, old-fashioned drama rooted firmly in familial conflict and divided allegiances.

For a series whose output was unprecedented in prime-time television (and remains so to this day), Peyton Place is shockingly well-written and superbly directed throughout most of its run. It also boasts one of the best ensemble casts of any nighttime drama in TV history, led by the solid Ed Nelson as physician Mike Rossi, Oscar-winner Dorothy Malone as graceful but guarded Constance MacKenize, Mia Farrow as her ethereal daughter Allison, Ryan O'Neal as moody, confused Golden Boy Rodney Harrington, and the stunning Barbara Parkins as town "bad girl" Betty Anderson.

Like any good soap, Peyton Place also has countless supporting players drifting in and out of the narrative with their own story arcs, some lasting for weeks and others for years. Memorable supporting players from these early episodes include Christopher Connelly as Rodney's sensitive younger brother Norman, Paul Langton as manipulative Peyton Mill manager Leslie Harrington, Mary Anderson as his imperious wife Catherine Peyton Harrington, Kasey Rogers as Julie Anderson, Betty's victimized mother and secret love interest to Leslie, Kent Smith as Dr. Morton, who instantly clashes with Mike Rossi, Tim O'Connor as embittered ex-con Elliot Carson, and Patricia Breslin as Laura Brooks, Leslie's wry, lonely sister who acts as a one-woman Greek chorus for her brother's many machinations.

In the first 31 episodes issued by Shout Factory, two arrivals to the seemingly tranquil town of Peyton Place set events in motion. The first is big-city doctor Michael Rossi, who arrives to take over the practice of the recently deceased Dr. Donald Brooks and finds himself entangled in the lives of practically every citizen. Rossi's youth and affinity for cutting edge medical techniques immediately rubs his peers the wrong way, resulting in a short story arc involving a prominent character's death, blackmail, and the suspension of Rossi's hospital privileges. Rossi also has a strange effect on the beautiful, widowed bookstore proprietor Constance MacKenzie, with whom he shares a secret association. Constance's carefully concealed past includes convicted murderer Elliot Carson, poised for parole from prison at the end of the first 30 episodes. Elliot vows to return to Peyton Place after serving 18 years for killing his wife, a crime he insists he didn't commit. His arrival and subsequent attempts to prove his innocence opens a Pandora's Box of secrets involving the Peyton family, triggering almost four years of compelling, non-stop drama that affects all of the major characters in one way or another.

Unlike the novel and film from which it was adapted, the television version of Peyton Place focuses less on the hypocrisy of community values and more on the day to day life in a small town. With that 1960's small town milieu, emphasis on subtlety of characterization, and large cast of recurring players, Peyton Place seems more like a dramatic version of The Andy Griffith Show than a salacious soap opera. Mercifully, for its first 4 years, the setting exists in a sort of Never-neverland, eschewing such topical subjects as Vietnam and student protests, which often seriously date other programs from that era. Although some might find the pace glacial, viewers who enjoy literate scripts, top-notch acting, excellent production values, and a lush musical underscore (by Arthur Morton and Lionel Newman) will definitely love the continuing story of Peyton Place.

Episodes included in this 5 DVD set (minor spoilers):

Episode # 1: Aired 9/15/64: Michael Rossi arrives in Peyton Place. Rodney nixes taking Betty to Tucker's Pond after finding his father in the arms of Betty's mother Julie. Allison admits she's ready to fall in love.

Episode # 2: Aired 9/17/64: Betty worries about Rodney's sudden rejection. Connie warns Allison away from Rodney.

Episode # 3: Aired 9/22/64: Betty suspects her trips to Tucker's Pond with Rodney have left her pregnant. Rossi remembers how he knows Connie. Matt encourages Connie to tell Allison the truth about her birth.

Episode # 4: Aired 9/24/64: Rodney and Allison have their first date. Julie is terrified of husband George's arrival home.

Episode # 5: Aired 9/29/64: A fall down the stairs brings Dr. Rossi to the Anderson home. George pays a visit to the Harrington mansion to discuss Betty and Julie.

Episode # 6: Aired 10/1/64: Betty competes for Rodney's attention at The Shoreline club. Laura accepts a dinner date with Rossi. Matt insists Connie and Allison should both start living.

Episode # 7: Aired 10/6/64: Rodney takes Allison to Tucker's Pond, while Betty decides to give in to being a bad girl.

Episode # 8: Aired 10/8/64: Allison wonders why she can't be like other girls. Dr. Rossi reveals the results of Betty's pregnancy test. Rodney declares his love to Allison.

Episode # 9: Aired 10/13/64: Rossi is guest of honor at the Harrington Sunday brunch. Later, Connie's jealousy flares when she spots Rossi and Laura together at the Founder's Day festival.

Episode #10: Aired 10/15/64: Rossi suggests George receive psychiatric help. Julie tells Leslie she's quitting Peyton Mills. Betty tracks down Rodney at the Founder's Day festival, insisting she has important news.

Episode #11: Aired 10/20/64: At the Founder's Day festival, George rescues Allison from a tense situation. An argument between Rodney and Betty culminates in a horrific car crash.

Episode #12: Aired 10/22/64: Allison learns about Rodney and Betty's car accident, while Dr. Rossi performs emergency surgery to save two lives.

Episode #13: Aired 10/27/64: Rossi has bad news for Julie and George. Leslie devises his own solution to Rodney's problem.

Episode #14: Aired 10/29/64: Leslie's visit to the Anderson home ends in violence. Rodney and Betty elope to White River.

Episode #15: Aired 11/5/64: News of the elopement spreads through Peyton Place. Catherine wonders if she's being punished by Rodney's marriage to Betty.

Episode #16: Aired 11/10/64: Rossi learns that his beach house was once the scene of a gruesome crime. Betty faces her new mother-in-law.

Episode #17: Aired 11/12/64: Catherine presses Dr. Morton for medical information about Betty. Connie avoids Rossi's questions about the Carson beach house murder. Dr. Morton warns Rossi that he doesn't belong in Peyton Place.

Episode #18: Aired 11/17/64: Eli Carson learns that imprisoned son Elliot is up for parole soon. Rossi questions Connie about Elliot's past.

Episode #19: Aired 11/19/64: Dr. Rossi is called to tend to a medical crisis at the Harrington mansion.

Episode #20: Aired 11/24/64: Allison tries to dissuade a "friend" from leaving town. When the patient dies, Dr. Morton vows to drive Dr. Rossi out of Peyton Place.

Episode #21: Aired 11/26/64: An autopsy is performed to determine why a prominent citizen died. Allison admits to Connie she still wants Betty's husband. Betty reveals her darkest secret to a stunned Rodney.

Episode #22: Aired 12/1/64: The town turns against Dr. Rossi, who must face the medical review board.

Episode #23: Aired 12/3/64: Betty is offered money to free Rodney from a loveless marriage. The medical review board decides Dr. Rossi's fate.

Episode #24: Aired 12/8/64: Rossi questions the review board's procedures. The reading of a will at the Harrington mansion is interrupted with news that there's a surprise codicil.

Episode #25: Aired 12/10/64: Connie dreads the possibility of Elliot's return to Peyton Place, while in prison, Elliot attacks a cellmate.

Episode #26: Aired 12/15/64: Elliot vows that the man who murdered his wife Elizabeth is still in Peyton Place. Rossi becomes suspicious of Doctor's Hospital pathologist Dr. Joe Bradley.

Episode #27: Aired 12/17/64: Rossi is drawn deeper into the mystery surrounding Dr. Bradley. A drunken George attacks Julie, but this time she fights back violently.

Episode #28: Aired 12/22/64: Dr. Morton forbids Rossi to treat George's injuries. Rossi subtly threatens a panicked Dr. Bradley.

Episode #29: Aired 12/24/64: Rossi is given a confession and an apology. Dr. Morton is pressured into lying about Catherine's mental stability.

Episode #30: Aired 12/29/64: Elliot's parole hearing begins. Julie makes an important decision regarding her marriage to George.

Episode #31: Aired 12/31/64: Connie confesses a shocking secret to Rossi. Allison watches sadly as a resident boards a bus for a new life far away from Peyton Place.

I started watching "Peyton Place" back in 1964 when the very first episode
aired (yes, I'm old!) and was crazy about it. I have to admit that the big attraction for me was Barbara Parkins, an extremely beautiful woman and a fine, fine actress! The series was thoroughly enjoyable and featured a cast of sensational actors and actresses. I had pretty much
given up on the show ever coming to DVD, so I am especially thrilled that
it has! Ah, wonderful memories of my youth! Thank you for finally putting it out and please release the entire series!!

I was one of millions of viewers who were addicted to the Peyton Place TV series back in the '60s. ABC never repeated the telecasts, and none of the very few attempts by local affiliates to run them in syndication years later lasted more than a very brief while. So I was thrilled when I saw that the series was finally being released on DVD, and I bought the first two installments. (One can't really speak of a "season" of Peyton Place, since it ran all year without any repeats.) My first reactions were mixed. The quality of the image varies; there are far too many scenes where everything is so dark you can't even see the actors' facial features--I don't recall it looking that way originally; obviously there has been deterioration of the film. And, judging from the two sets that have been released, I had also not recalled how truly bizarre and banal much of the dialogue is. Non sequiturs follow each other in rapid succession, almost like a parody of soap operas. But it is still enormous fun to watch extremely young incarnations of Ryan O'Neal, Barbara Parkins and Mia Farrow--they're supposed to be in their teens, but at the start of the series were actually 23, 22 and 19, respectively--and you do find yourself getting drawn into the storyline. But, like those early syndication efforts, this is another case of being left hanging. There have been no further DVD releases, and I see no plans for any. The two five-disc sets released contain a total of 64 episodes, a drop in the bucket when you consider that the series ran for 514 episodes. So there's no point in investing your time and money to wind up in a dead end.

I waited years for this to be released! I got it a few days ago, and have watched several episodes. I like the secretiveness of all of the relationships. Every event in the plot is subtle, not so in-your-face, as today's shows, most of which I don't care for. I viewed it for the first time as a teenager, and now from an adult's perspective, I find the twists and turns of everyone's lives very addictive. I am already looking forward to the next set of shows.