Murder in Peyton Place (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.

Directors:

Bruce Kessler, Robert Hartford-Davis (uncredited)

Writers:

Richard De Roy (as Richard DeRoy), 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:

fall from height | penthouse | dog | pay phone | courtroom | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Stella Chernak: I intend to destroy Peyton Place.

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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

'War & Peace' Had Fewer Characters

Well I must give this film a positive review for being both entertaining and gutsy. How many 90 minutes movies have featured triple digit characters and 30+ ongoing plots? I mean successfully?

Those numbers are not exaggerations! That's the real number of characters and ongoing plots for this movie! Similar to 'These Are The Damned' and 'Scream and Scream Again' which featured three seemingly totally unrelated plots and characters which converge for the climax, this movie boldly has many many many many many many many more.

All these plots revolve around the small Californian town of Peyton Place. First we're introduced to a married couple running and hospital and then it expands to the lives of their multiple ex spouses, and their ex spouses' multiple ex spouses, and their multiple ex spouses' multiple ex spouses' siblings, parents, and kids and their friends and so forth.

That wasn't an exaggeration! That's the way it really goes. Almost every character over the age of 30 has at least two ex spouses! And some have more!

The main focus is on the fiery auto deaths of two characters we've lost track of in all the multiple ex spouses. Seriously! I've seen this movie twice and I still don't know whom died! But at least we know they're related to the other 98 characters. How couldn't they be? Everyone in Peyton Place changes spouses like socks.

Their deaths are ruled accidents until a deep cover up is exposed at the hospital. An evil corporation New Star is buying up the town and as a result every business including town hall is corrupt.

So investigating the murders and New Star's motive become the focal point. But the movie is STILL THROWING IN NEW CHARACTERS AND PLOTS! More lovers and ex lovers, a cop sleeping with an underage girl and someone trying to blackmail them, a hippie do gooder and his murder, a psycho stalker and his violent past and his mother trying to cover it up and being blackmailed for her cover up. Then Stella Stevens' and her flashbacks and her young murderous lover with the killer attack dogs and her motives for revenge by controlling the town water supply and cutting jobs at the mill and...

Alright, I could go on all day but seriously I did not make up any of these plot points. They're all real and they really all do come together at the end.

It's as if a someone took an entire year of 'All My Children' and turned it into a 90 minute movie so I really have to give the film makers credit for keeping the plot together.

The big question is why have so many on going characters and plots other than for the simple challenge of doing so. Like the novelists who write entire books without ever using the letter "T" just to prove it can be done.

If their intent was just to tell the story of a small town being bullied by a big corporation, about 80 of the 100 characters could have been eliminated. This formula might have worked better as a mystery the audience is dying to know the answer to like the two films I mentioned. Here, there is no mystery. We see Stella Stevens plotting and controlling everything from her hotel room.

Definitely worth a watch just to admire the fact that someone wrote a story with 100 characters and 30 ongoing plots for a 90 minute movie. That's talent.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1977 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Katz Productions, 20th Century Fox Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Color by Deluxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1