Murder in Peyton Place (TV 1977)

A former resident of the town of Peyton Place, now wealthy and powerful, secretly returns to the town and sets in motion a spate of killings designed as revenge for past wrongs.

Director:

Bruce Kessler

Writers:

Richard De Roy, Grace Metalious (novel)

Stars:

Dorothy Malone, Ed Nelson, Tim O'Connor

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dorothy Malone	...	Constance MacKenzie
Ed Nelson	...	Dr. Michael Rossi
Tim O'Connor	...	Elliot Carson
Joyce Jillson	...	Jill Harrington
Christopher Connelly	...	Norman Harrington
Mia Farrow	...	Allison MacKenzie (archive footage)
Janet Margolin	...	Betty Anderson Roerick
Marj Dusay	...	Ellen Considine
James Booth	...	Tommy Crimpton
David Hedison	...	Steven Cord
Stella Stevens	...	Stella Chernak
Jonathan Goldsmith	...	Stan Haley
Charlotte Stewart	...	Denise Haley
Kaz Garas	...	Springer
Kimberly Beck	...	Bonnie Buehler

Storyline

Made for television movie that features some of the characters from the long running television series. In it Allison Mackenzie and Rodney Harrington go back to Peyton Place, and before they make contact with anyone, they are killed in a car accident. Now their relatives are told that Rodney was drunk but his brother Norman doesn't believe that, so he tries to find out what happened. And unknown to anyone, Stella Churnak has returned and is out to wreak havoc on Peyton Place.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Genres:

Mystery

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1977 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Peter Katz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original director, Robert Hartford-Davis, died after three days of filming.

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Crazy Credits

"And as she appeared in her original role Mia Farrow" The actress is listed in the opening credits. Her performance consisted of archive footage from the "Peyton Place" television series.

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Connections

Follows Peyton Place (1964)

User Reviews

The Way They Weren't

This TV-movie sequel to the popular nighttime version of "Peyton Place" doesn't follow any version accurately, but it's clearly meant to continue the nighttime serial which ran from 1964-69, and ignore the more recently departed "Return to Peyton Place" 1972-74 daytime series. A quartet of original cast members are back in town - Dorothy Malone (as Constance MacKenzie Carson), Ed Nelson (as Michael "Mike" Rossi), Christopher Connelly (as Norman Harrington) and Tim O'Connor (as Elliot Carson). This is a haphazard, cheap affair, compared to any prior "Peyton Place" standard...

Dangling, lesser-watched story lines like Dr. Rossi's trial and engagement with Marsha Russell are understandably cast adrift. Martin Peyton's fortune is said to be sensibly divided between Rodney, Norman, Steven and Betty. But nobody, not even Steven Cord himself, remembers how he is a Peyton. Martin's grandson, Steven is referred to as a "cousin" by Joyce Jillson (as Jill Smith Rossi Harrington); her psychic powers are obviously on the fritz. Probably because Pat Morrow was unavailable, Ms. Jillson comes back as Norman's second wife, and she has big new "trailer park" family...

The story involves a former resident returning for revenge, and the car crash of two popular cast members. Unlike many in the supporting cast, the vengeful character was a part of the old series; she seemed at peace when she originally left town. The popular couple getting on the wrong side of a car accident are familiar. The young woman's disappearance was unsolved, while her companion recovered from his motorcycle accident, married Betty and left for Boston. The substitute cast and new faces are fine, but seek out the far superior, "Peyton Place: The Next Generation" (1985).

**** Murder in Peyton Place (10/3/77) Bruce Kessler ~ Ed Nelson, Stella Stevens, Christopher Connelly, Joyce Jillson