Peyton Place (1957)

A peaceful New England town hides secrets and scandals.

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

John Michael Hayes (screenplay), Grace Metalious (from the novel by)

Stars:

Lana Turner, Lee Philips, Lloyd Nolan

Nominated for 9 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lana Turner	...	Constance MacKenzie
Lee Philips	...	Michael Rossi
Lloyd Nolan	...	Dr. Swain
Arthur Kennedy	...	Lucas Cross
Russ Tamblyn	...	Norman Page
Terry Moore	...	Betty Anderson
Hope Lange	...	Selena Cross
Diane Varsi	...	Allison MacKenzie
David Nelson	...	Ted Carter
Barry Coe	...	Rodney Harrington
Betty Field	...	Nellie Cross
Mildred Dunnock	...	Miss Elsie Thornton
Leon Ames	...	Mr. Harrington
Lorne Greene	...	Prosecutor
Robert H. Harris	...	Seth Bushwell

Storyline

It's the pre-WWII era. Peyton Place is a small town in New England, whose leading adult citizens rule the town with their high moral standards, which they try to pass on to their offspring. The adults, especially those that wield power largely through their positions and/or through their wealth, will not tolerate anything they believe morally improper, even if there is a hint of impropriety without comprehensive evidence to back up the hints. As their offspring grow from teenagers to adults, the offspring learn that there is much hypocrisy by the adults lying underneath that façade of proper Christian morals. The offspring begin to rebel in different ways, which is brought to public scrutiny with the arrival into town of an "outsider", the new young high school principal Michael Rossi, and through a murder trial.

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Plot Keywords:

stepfather | secret | high school | village | coming of age | 

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Taglines:

Peyton Place will never forget what they went thru...and neither will you!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1958 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

A Caldeira do Diabo

Filming Locations:

Belfast, Maine, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$25,600,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Jerry Wald Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

157 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbara Eden tested for the role of Selena Cross.

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Goofs

When the army bus taking the Peyton Place draftees away drives off, the camera crew is briefly reflected on the two last windows of the bus.

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Quotes

Rodney Harrington: We were just playing a game called Photography. You turn off the lights and see what develops.

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Connections

Referenced in Remington Steele: Steele in the News (1983)

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Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(1788) (uncredited)
Music Traditional
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Sung by those at the graduation dance

User Reviews

Lana's best

For people who dismissd Lana as a plastic creation out of the MGM dramatic school,check out this fine film.The settings are beautiful,the acting first rate.Although Lee Phillips as Michael Rossi seems a bit bland.Jeff Chandler (who appears in the sequel) might have been a better choice).Possibly the flop teaming he did with Turner in The Lady Takes a Flier might have caused him to be passed by.The fine cast of character actors really makes this picture work,especially Lloyd Nolan as the town doctor and Arthur Kennedy as the town drunk.Passed over in comments was Mildred Dunnock as the devoted teacher who is passed over to be principal.Her words to Allison about it are very touching.Miss Dunnock usually played nagging mothers,so it's a treat to see her playing a nice,vulnerable person.Susan Hayward was supposedly set to play Constance but Lana was definitely the best choice.The pity is Diane Varsi never followed up her career and quit the business.Her Allyson was very good.