“Peyton Place” is the quintessential soap opera, the story of the lives of people in a small town in New England. This glossy production by Jerry Wald and top-rate direction by Mark Robson made the film the second highest grossing film of the year. (The sensational off-screen murder of star Lana Turner’s boyfriend also boosted ticket sales, but that’s another story.)
The screenplay by John Michael Hayes is lucid and well-paced. “Peyton Place” received at total of nine Oscar nominations with no wins. It was filmed in photogenic Maine and Lake Placid, New York. William C. Mellor was in charge of cinematography.
The cast also looks good including Lana Turner as Constance MacKenzie, Diane Varsi as Allison, Hope Lange as Selena Cross, Lee Philips as Michael Rossi, Arthur Kennedy as Lucas Cross, Lloyd Nolan as Norman Page, Terry Moore as Betty Anderson, David Nelson as Ted Carter, Leon Ames as Leslie Harrington, and Lorne Greene as the District Attorney. Others include Russ Tamblyn, Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field, Barry Coe, and Erin O’Brien Moore.
“Peyton Place” was a huge box office hit for Jerry Wald Productions and 20th Century Fox. In 1961, a sequel called “Return to Peyton Place” was released with a completely different cast. The popular primetime television series aired on ABC from 1964-1969.
Peyton Place (1957)
cinema
My Review
“Peyton Place” is the quintessential soap opera, the story of the lives of people in a small town in New England. This glossy production by Jerry Wald and top-rate direction by Mark Robson made the film the second highest grossing film of the year. (The sensational off-screen murder of star Lana Turner’s boyfriend also boosted ticket sales, but that’s another story.)
The screenplay by John Michael Hayes is lucid and well-paced. “Peyton Place” received at total of nine Oscar nominations with no wins. It was filmed in photogenic Maine and Lake Placid, New York. William C. Mellor was in charge of cinematography.
The cast also looks good including Lana Turner as Constance MacKenzie, Diane Varsi as Allison, Hope Lange as Selena Cross, Lee Philips as Michael Rossi, Arthur Kennedy as Lucas Cross, Lloyd Nolan as Norman Page, Terry Moore as Betty Anderson, David Nelson as Ted Carter, Leon Ames as Leslie Harrington, and Lorne Greene as the District Attorney. Others include Russ Tamblyn, Mildred Dunnock, Betty Field, Barry Coe, and Erin O’Brien Moore.
“Peyton Place” was a huge box office hit for Jerry Wald Productions and 20th Century Fox. In 1961, a sequel called “Return to Peyton Place” was released with a completely different cast. The popular primetime television series aired on ABC from 1964-1969.