Peyton Place (TV series)

Peyton Place was America's first long-running nighttime soap opera.

Plot

The first stories were a blueprint from the 1956 book and 1957 movie of the same name. The premise was gossip spreading in a small New England town. In its first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) came from New York to set up practice in town. The newspaper editor, Matthew Swain (Warner Anderson) told Rossi that people usually try to get away from towns like Peyton Place, not move to them. Matthew's niece Allison MacKenzie (Mia Farrow), a close friend of classmate Norman Harrington (Christopher Connelly), had begun to fall in love with his older brother Rodney (Ryan O'Neal); she was smitten as soon as she had been given her first kiss. At the end of the episode, Allison's mother, Constance (Dorothy Malone) made it very clear that she disapproved of her daughter's newfound relationship with Rodney.

Related Topics:
1956 - Book - 1957 - Movie - Ed Nelson - Mia Farrow - Ryan O'Neal - Dorothy Malone

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Rodney was distracted when he found his father in a passionate embrace with the mother of his girlfriend, Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins), who was also the elder Harrington's secretary. He started anew with Allison as soon as he made it clear to Betty that he couldn't date her anymore. Betty was confused and hurt as Rodney did not tell her why he was dumping her.

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In September 1965, Malone was rushed into emergency surgery, and producers were faced with a dilemma - what to do with Constance, who at that point was too deeply embroiled in the plot line to suddenly disappear? Lola Albright was hired to take over the role, and continued in the series until Malone returned in January 1966.

Related Topics:
1965 - Lola Albright - January - 1966

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For the next two years, Rodney could not decide whether to be with Allison or Betty. In 1966, Mia Farrow left the series to focus on an acting career, and her recent marriage to Frank Sinatra. With Allison's disappearance, Betty was more or less allowed to have Rodney, as her main competition had left town. (Betty eventually married and divorced Rodney, married attorney Steven Cord, then divorced him and re-married Rodney, in keeping with the convoluted lifestyles of these small town inhabitants.) Allison's presence was still felt heavily in storylines, as she continued to be mentioned in dialogue. First, a mysterious woman named Rachael Welles (Leigh Taylor-Young, who later married and divorced O'Neal), arrived with Allison's bracelet; then, in 1968, Jill Smith (Joyce Jillson, whose later claim to fame was as an astrologer) came to town claiming she was raising Allison's baby, although in these pre-DNA times the child's parentage was never proven. (Jill later married Joe Rossi, Michael's younger brother).

Related Topics:
Frank Sinatra - 1968

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As the show continued, new characters were shown, such as town patriarch Martin Peyton (George Macready), who was only referred to when the show began. (In an odd case of history repeating itself, Macready was sidelined by illness for a brief period and temporarily replaced by Wilfred Hyde-White.) Another principal character that entered Peyton Place in later seasons was Elliot Carson (Tim O'Connor), Allison's birth father, who had been falsely imprisoned for the murder of Rodney and Norman's father. He eventually cleared his name and married Constance MacKenzie. In a state of marital bliss, they decided to leave Peyton Place (which was in sync with Dorothy Malone's wish to leave the show).

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A number of big screen names joined the cast for extended intervals, among them Gena Rowlands, Dan Duryea, Susan Oliver, and Lee Grant, who won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama for her role of tough-as-nails Stella Chernak. The series also served as a springboard for the careers of Leslie Nielsen, Mariette Hartley, and Lana Wood (Natalie's sister).

Related Topics:
Gena Rowlands - Dan Duryea - Susan Oliver - Lee Grant - Emmy Award - Leslie Nielsen - Lana Wood

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In 1968, in order to keep pace with the changing times, the writers introduced integration to Peyton Place in the form of African-American Dr. Harry Miles (Percy Rodriguez) and his family (wife Alma was portrayed by Ruby Dee). Despite the noble effort, their inclusion rang a false note, and their story lines were never fully developed.

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In the final year, Ed Nelson became the lead actor on the series, and many of the stories revolved around him. In the final episode, his character, Michael Rossi, was put on trial for a murder he did not commit. The show ended with the audience unaware as to the outcome.

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