That's the description of his home town for James Whitmore, the father of John Saxon, a loner of a teenager who has begun to see sweet Sandra Dee who lives on the opposite side so attracts and is the daughter of the reclusive Teresa Wright, a woman with a scandalous past. Teacher Virginia Grey reaches out to Wright to convince Dee to audition for the leading role in the school production of "Our Town". As Dee comes out of her shell and begins to befriend some of the other students, the parents are in an uproar because they don't consider her good enough to hang out with their children. It's up to the younger generation to teach their elders about the power of acceptance and understanding, but like the town of Peyton place, this babbity and provincial community isn't open in the small minds of those who have lived there for decades.
It's the performances of Wright and Whitmore that stand out in this teen drama, with Whitmore having moved away years ago but forced to come back by his company so he can use his connections to drum up business. It's obvious that Whitmore hates being back, but it's the only option he has and that means he needs his son to be more careful with whom he chooses to date.
An interesting story but with cliched characters, this misses something by being in Cinemascope and black and white. The scenes between Dee and Saxon are very similar to what she would face three years later with Troy Donahue in "A Summer Place", and she would be reunited with Saxon two years later in "The Reluctant Debutante". This is overloaded with embittered characters whose stories are depressing, but fortunately, teacher Grey to give these maturing teenagers some Hope. On that level, the film works, but the title suggest something a little bit more gritty and real considering the atmosphere teens faced in the 1950's.
It's the performances of Wright and Whitmore that stand out in this teen drama, with Whitmore having moved away years ago but forced to come back by his company so he can use his connections to drum up business. It's obvious that Whitmore hates being back, but it's the only option he has and that means he needs his son to be more careful with whom he chooses to date.
An interesting story but with cliched characters, this misses something by being in Cinemascope and black and white. The scenes between Dee and Saxon are very similar to what she would face three years later with Troy Donahue in "A Summer Place", and she would be reunited with Saxon two years later in "The Reluctant Debutante". This is overloaded with embittered characters whose stories are depressing, but fortunately, teacher Grey to give these maturing teenagers some Hope. On that level, the film works, but the title suggest something a little bit more gritty and real considering the atmosphere teens faced in the 1950's.