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 2 wins & 8 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

raped by stepfather | homosexual subtext | new england | hypocrisy | small town | 

---

Taglines:

The town - The people - Everyone's talking about!

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1958 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Jerry Wald's Production of Peyton Place

Filming Locations:

Belfast, Maine, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$25,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, 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

The film received nine Oscar nominations, including four honoring supporting performances, which matched the record of On the Waterfront (1954). It would later be matched by Tom Jones (1963), The Last Picture Show (1971), and The Godfather: Part II (1974).

---

Goofs

The scenes of the church bulletin boards shows that the rector of St Thomas' Episcopal Church is the Rev. Haig Nargesian. The movie is set in the early 1940s, Rev. Nargesian did not begin his time at St Thomas' until 1950.

---

Quotes

Lucas Cross: Might do your kids a lot more good to learn how to handle a bottle of liquor, instead of an algebra problem.
Mrs. Thornton: You're talking like a fool.
Lucas Cross: [Defiantly] Ohh, be I?

---

Alternate Versions

(Spoiler) Originally premiered at 162 minutes. Cut by 5 minutes, shortly after premiere, reputedly in the scene involving the murder of Arthur Kennedy's character.

---

Connections

Referenced in Geen paniek (1973)

---

Soundtracks

Joy to the World
(uncredited)
Music arranged by Lowell Mason (1839)
Played at Christmas time

User Reviews

Pat Hingle as Constance MacKenzie

I read in the 'trivia' section of this website that Joan Crawford and Pat Hingle were both interested in portraying Constance MacKenzie. I think Pat Hingle would have been an interesting choice for that pivotal role. He and Mike Rossi would have set the screen afire in their lovemaking scenes together. Joan Crawford would have been too old for the part. But Pat Hingle seems just the right age. Few people remember how he oozed with almost feral sexuality back in the 50s. If they ever remake "Peyton Place" I hope they reconsider having Pat Hingle play Constance. I think he was born for the part. All he'd need is a little rouge and some pancake.