Peyton Place **** (1957, Lana Turner, Lee Philips, Lloyd Nolan, Hope Lange, Arthur Kennedy, Russ Tamblyn, Diane Varsi) – Classic Movie Review 3539

Director Mark Robson’s posh 1957 epic soap opera film Peyton Place stars Oscar nominated Lana Turner as Constance MacKenzie, a shopkeeper with a past, who takes a chance on love with new young high school principal Michael Rossi (Lee Philips). It spawned the long-running Sixties TV series of 514 episodes (1964-1969), the original prime-time soap.

Peyton Place is a handsomely produced, upmarket, glossy, and stylish version of Grace Metalious’s once famous novel about love life in the supposedly peaceful pre-World War Two New England small town of Peyton Place, which is however wracked by secrets and scandals for the next 157 minutes.

Instead of blatant melodrama, John Michael Hayes’s screenplay provides much sympathy for the characters over the edge: Selena Cross (Hope Lange), who kills the stepfather Lucas Cross (Arthur Kennedy) who has raped her; Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn), who is comforted by the love of Turner’s illegitimate daughter Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi); Lloyd Nolan as Dr Swain, Terry Moore as Betty Anderson, David Nelson as Ted Carter, Barry Coe as Rodney Harrington, Betty Field as Nellie Cross, and Mildred Dunnock as Miss Elsie Thornton.

The movie is expertly performed by an intriguing Fifties cast, with Turner at her best, and beautifully filmed by cinematographer William C Mellor in Camden, Maine, with a fine score by Franz Waxman. It comes up far above expectations.

It was exceptionally popular and sequels followed: Return to Peyton Place 1961), and Peyton Place: The Next Generation (1985) with Dorothy Malone, Barbara Parkins, Tim O’Connor and Ed Nelson.

There were nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium and Best Cinematography, but no wins at all, with Lange and Varsi, and Kennedy and Tamblyn all up for best support, the split vote probably spoiling their chances. Varsi (1938–1992) did win the 1958 Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer – Female. But Varsi’s career stalled after just three more films.

Also in the cast are Lorne Greene, Leon Ames, Robert H Harris, Tammi Connor, Erin O’Brien Moore, Ray Montgomery, John Doucette, Bob Adler and Harry Carter.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3539

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