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With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

post #1 of 165
1/7/05 at 4:05pm
Thread Starter 
Warner Bros. has had a great success with "Dallas" on DVD, and with the recent so-called "Dynasty" docudrama, people are again looking at the classic primetime soaps of the past. Soapnet is about to add 90210 to its lineup, and of course we all know about that current show on Sunday nights on ABC.

However, some people seem to have forgotten that exactly 40 years ago the Alphabet Network had a primetime soap that also became an instant smash: the grandaddy of primetime soaps, Peyton Place! For 5 years (and 514 episodes!) millions watched the saga of life in that notorious small town that was truly the spiritual ancestor to Desperate Housewives, led by a truly memorable cast that had a mixture of Hollywood veterans (Dorothy Malone, George Macready, Ruth Warrick, Leslie Nielsen, Kent Smith, Barbara Rush), New York-based actors on the rise (Lee Grant, Ruby Dee, Gena Rowlands) and hot newcomers who became household names (Ryan O'Neal, Mia Farrow, Barbara Parkins, Leigh Taylor-Young, Mariette Hartley, Christopher Connelly).

The folks on Wisteria Lane owe a lot to characters like the virginal Allison McKenzie, rich stud Rodney Harrington, town vamp Betty Anderson Harrington Cord Harrington, evil patriarch Martin Peyton, stalwart town doctor Mike Rossi, the brooding Steven Cord and his sinsiter housekeeper mom Hannah, single mom-with-a-secret Constance McKenzie, young lovers Rita Jacks and Norman Harrington, tragic nurse Ann Howard and the troubled Webbers. By the way, Ryan O' Neal is doing an appearance on Desperate Housewives playing a character named- RODNEY!!!

I'm sure that Fox is already prepping Dynasty for DVD, but it should look at this Emmy-winning classic that inspired every single primetime soap that has come down the line ! Fox has been quite delinquent in releasing its classic TV shows on DVD, unlike Paramount, Warner Bros, Sony and Universal. I'm surprised it has actually gotten to release Lost In Space , but where's the likes of Dobie Gillis, The Green Hornet, Adventures In Paradise, Land of the Giants, and other 50s-60s gems?


Peyton Place is a classic just waiting to be discovered by a new generation. If MPI can have a great success putting all 1225 episodes of Dark Shadows on VHS and DVD, why can't Fox do the same with the 514 episodes of Peyton Place ?
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post #2 of 165
1/7/05 at 5:43pm
I've only heard of Peyton Place but never seen an episode. I've seen clips. It's in black and white if I'm not mistaken.

Well, I think the production companies are gearing up to release these primetime soaps (hopefully). And for those who say that the release of Dallas does not have an impact on the possible release of Dynasty are all wrong.

Dynasty was the response to Dallas. And the shows challenged each other. So, I see no reason why they can't release Dynasty.

I'd really like to see Dynasty released on DVD... wow, that would be cool. I don't know if I would pick up a copy of Peyton Place... I've never seen an episode of it. So, I'd rather rent it before I buy it.
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post #3 of 165
1/7/05 at 6:05pm
I hope the TV series of "Peyton Place" is released on DVD.
It was a great series . The first years were in black and white and then color after that.
Hmmm not for this thread but wheres "Dr Kildare"?
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post #4 of 165
1/7/05 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 
Actually, the show went to color in September 1966, so the B/W to color ratio is 50-50. Mia Farrow had just left the show a few episodes earlier in August (unlike other primetime soaps, PP had no summer hiatus, fresh episodes aired continuously from its Sept. '64 start to its finale in the spring of 1969), so you won't see her on the show in a color episode. For those of you who weren't around then, Ms. Farrow left the show to marry a certain Mr. Sinatra.......
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post #5 of 165
1/7/05 at 9:17pm
What was Peyton Place about?
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post #6 of 165
1/12/05 at 5:13am
Thread Starter 
Great News- Dynasty is coming! I think it's just a matter of time before Fox looks at Peyton Place on DVD!!!!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...75#post2525470
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post #7 of 165
10/21/06 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Well, I thought I'd update this thread. Since the last post, there's been more DVD releases for Dallas, Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, The O.C., and the first season of Knots Landing with upcoming releases for Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210- but still no news on Peyton Place!

I'll make no bones about it- this TV classic is on top of my "most wanted" list with Batman! Still, I'm not giving up hope. Considering that there are new people who have joined the Forum in the interim, I'd like to think that there are those who'd love to see Peyton Place on DVD. Come let your voices be heard!


BTW, here's a GREAT site on the show, its plotlines and the stars:


http://members.aol.com/AlisnRod/
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post #8 of 165
10/21/06 at 8:43pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

While "PEYTON PLACE" the series was good, it was not half as good as the films, with Lana Turner, Hope Lange, Diane Varsi, Terry Moore, and Russ Tamblyn. The series cut central characters from the series and totally ignored the focus of the films or books. I would love to see the pilot, which was said to have totally followed the film. Selena and the Cross family were included in the pilot, but were eliminated when the series began. A total disappointment in my opinion, the series did not follow the films. Also, after Mia Farrow left the series started its decline. It was cut from three nights to two, then one.
Dorothy Malone left, and that was when it tanked. I would buy the beginning of the series, but after the first year it became slow and predictible. Lola Albright played Constance while Dorothy Malone recovered from Heart surgery for several months.
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post #9 of 165
10/22/06 at 11:09pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

I'd probably buy it, but I think we shouldn't start looking for it until the next format, when there's more space per disc to cram in all these hundreds of episodes. I can't imagine they'd do season sets; it's just too much. They'll probably have to do sets of 40 or so eps per box, like Dark Shadows.
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post #10 of 165
10/28/06 at 9:06am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Can anyone tell me if "Peyton Place" is currently playing on any channel?

I'd be interested in catching some episodes-

Jack
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post #11 of 165
10/28/06 at 3:26pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

About 5 or 6 years ago, Peyton Place aired on the Romance Classics channel. They ran through the entire series several times. I think this channel eventually became Women's Entertainment channel. Most likely spot for PP now would be Soapnet. I wouldn't hold much hope since the more established a network gets, the less likely it is to air classic black and white series. It wouldn't make sense to run only the color episodes. Much as I hope I'm wrong, I don't see releases of Knots Landing and Dynasty as harbingers of a PP release. That twenty years makes a big difference in the potential purchasing base.
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post #12 of 165
11/4/06 at 7:47pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Hey all

I went on line and found someone w/ episodes recoreded off the Romance Channel and bought the first forty from him-

I am enjoying the episodes so far, but the prints were obviously recorded in SLP format and look somewhat muddy and grainy. Yet another reason why a release w/ restored prints would be nice to have.

It would be nice to have this released by Fox, or another company that would give it a nice treatment- I have to agree with others... If Dark Shadows w/ over a thousand episodes has been released on DVD, why not release this show. From a historical standpoint alone, it is well worth releasing.

Jack
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post #13 of 165
4/27/07 at 5:36am
Thread Starter 

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Just another update- the pivotal second season of Dynasty (which introduced Alexis) has been announced for DVD release by Paramount later this year. One thing is certain: as Jack mentioned, the prints shown on cable were old and need a lot of remastering. New prints will have to be struck from the original negatives (which are still in the FOX vaults) before a home video release is done. I think that it will be a win-win situation for FOX if this is done: after all, M*A*S*H also needed remastering before it was put out on home video in new prints!

I am just praying that some FOX executive is watching this.....
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post #14 of 165
5/1/07 at 10:09am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Charles Ellis et al.,

Peyton Place is one of only two soaps I would consider purchasing if it was eventually released on DVD. I'm a fan of Dark Shadows, and I did watch episodes of Peyton Place during its original run, as my parents loved the show.

Please keep us updated here if and when it ever does come to DVD. BTW, does anyone happen to know for certain if the show--all 514 episodes of it--has survived on tape? I have no idea, and have not researched it.

Let me know what I can do to influence TPTB to release this classic!

Quote:
From a historical standpoint alone, it is well worth releasing.
Jack,

Agreed. This is for me one of the primary draws of classic television series.
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post #15 of 165
5/1/07 at 10:29am
Thread Starter 

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

FOX has all of the original negatives in their vaults, and new prints will have to be made for a DVD release- as I mentioned before, the current syndication prints are in terrible shape and need a do-over. Considering that a good deal of the cast is still around, it would be nice to have interviews and commentaries with any future DVD sets.

BTW, back in '73, ABC aired a late night special Peyton Place Revisited, which was a retrospective on the show, and had new interviews with the cast, especially Mia Farrow who was then living in London. I was lucky to see it back then, and to my knowledge it's never been shown on TV again. When PP is released, this special should be used as a DVD extra.
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post #16 of 165
5/1/07 at 10:32am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

^^^
Thanks for the info.

BTW, I checked out the Peyton Place link you provided. It's very informative. Oddly, though, it lists 524 half-hour episodes. I'll settle for only 514 of them on DVD, however.

I'm getting lost on the Peyton Place page. So many memories are coming back to me--Ed Nelson, Mia Farrow, et al. I recall many of these faces now; it was my mother who tuned in to see this show faithfully back in the 1960s. Such a nice trip down memory lane!
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post #17 of 165
1/25/08 at 4:03pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Well- It's 2008, and still no Peyton Place on DVD- I've been immersing myself in the saga and I have to say it is a very enjoyable television show. Great writing and acting, well paced, and engaging story lines. What can we do to get this officially released from the studio?

There is an interesting thread over at the Shout Factory Forum:

Shout! Factory Community - Bring "the continuing story of PEYTON PLACE" to DVD!!!! The ORIGINAL primetime soap!

Check it out- Brian from Shout Factory thinks the show would be a hard sell- I see his point, but don't people still major in marketing in college?

MPI has done a great job with Dark Shadows- Are there any fan clubs or chat rooms dedicated to Peyton Place like DS has?

Anyone know what we can do to get this show out to the public again? It's a treasure, trust me.

Jack
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post #18 of 165
1/25/08 at 9:23pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Quote:
MPI has done a great job with Dark Shadows- Are there any fan clubs or chat rooms dedicated to Peyton Place like DS has?
Yes, they have. The site listed above is jam packed with interesting information on the series. As I commented last year, I loved the show and would gladly make it the second 'soap' in my collection. It's first-rate, and included some very big names (and excellent chemistry) in that show.

I read the Grace Metalious work when I was in High School. It was a very good and interesting read. If anyone thinks of a way to convince TPTB to release this fine series, please post those ideas here. I'd be willing to do some writing or calling.
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post #19 of 165
1/27/08 at 5:51am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Hey folks-

Check out the "TV on DVD demand" thread. It is an interesting read which may offer a solution down the line for those of us looking for "Peyton Place" on DVD that doesn't force us to the bootleggers! Check it out- I found it intriguing.

Also, does anyone know of a "Peyton Place" fan club or chat group? Those folks would be an important contact to show Fox there is still support for this show. I've been looking, but have not succesfully found one yet- Any idea Charles?

Jack
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post #20 of 165
1/27/08 at 6:16am
Thread Starter 

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

No, but I have found some great fan sites:

Welcome to Peyton Place

and this one has a detailed episode guide:

http://members.tripod.com/MARVIN1934/index.htm
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post #21 of 165
1/27/08 at 7:10am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Yeah- I've found both of those, and they are very well detailed- I'm going to try emailing the webmasters for information-

Jack
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post #22 of 165
1/28/08 at 3:33pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

PEYTON PLACE has a cult following, and several of my best pals have been a part of that.

Fans have always had a tough time tracking this gem down.

It is one of the most thoroughly addictive shows ever...
and launched the careers of Mia Farrow, Ryan O' Neal, Barbara Parkins...while furthuring the careers of veterans Dorothy Malone, and Lee Grant...
in fact, Lee Grant won an Emmy for this.

I'd even take a "best of" at this point.
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post #23 of 165
4/15/08 at 12:51pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

I know the fans of Peyton Place want this show on Dvd but the fan base is low and I fear Fox will not release it. In a few years TV on demand will be our only way to obtain the series. The episodes on Romance Classics are what everyone said. The show remastered would look great I am sure even the switch to color shows. The show was in syndication in 1976 and also on USA in the mid 80s.

When Romance Classics was launched in the late or mid 90s they boasted Peyton Place as the first show for their line up tv guide also reported this. So there are people out there which remember the series. The Peyton Place revisited I also saw on Abc wideworld of entertainment.

Then as we all know came the very poor Murder In Peyton Place and Then Peyton Place next Generation which was the best of the lot.

The show had great camera work and great lines for the actors. The last year of the show was not the best but they did bring back Hannah Cord and Bettys greed was great fun to watch.

Well who knows somone may get Fox to release it in a limited collectors only version with a preorder clause to only one distributer.
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post #24 of 165
4/15/08 at 6:42pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Well who knows somone may get Fox to release it in a limited collectors only version with a preorder clause to only one distributer.[/quote]

We can only hope- I for one have fallen in love with this show- It holds up well, the writing is excellent, and the acting is great- As I have said before, it really is television history, and represents GREAT classic television-

I agree though, that the fan base probably isn't there... It's been a long time since it's aired anywhere to my knowledge, and many have only vague memories of the show-

I've started a Yahoo group to get a gauge on the fan base, and there are only six of us after a month and a half- Little chat as well, as very few have episodes in their collection-

Anyone interested in joining here is the link:

PeytonPlaceTVShow-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Jack
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post #25 of 165
4/15/08 at 8:41pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

One of my trading partners has the whole series taped off Fox Net so I'm not really worried about it being released. And since it's owned by Fox, chances are slim and none anyway.
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post #26 of 165
4/15/08 at 10:22pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Yes, Peyton Place is out there in private hands for anyone who wants it thanks to those '90s syndication runs (although the black & white episodes were transferred from some pretty dire-looking 16mm elements that could use a radical remastering).

But the tragedy here is that the show is ripe for the "value added material" treatment. Over the last few years I've been compiling interviews with the surviving writers & directors, plus a few of the cast members, and they all remember it with astonishing clarity, and as one of the great experiences in their careers. (The only other TV series I've written about where I've encountered that level of passion from the people who worked on it is East Side/West Side.) Peyton Place was a "young" show, with more people in their 20s and 30s both in front of and behind the camera than was typical for that era, but the window of opportunity is closing. One of the key producers passed away just last month.
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post #27 of 165
4/16/08 at 3:13am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Stephen-

Which producer just passed away?

You are right... The window of opportunity is slipping away for some great "extras" interviews.

Jack
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post #28 of 165
4/16/08 at 7:35am

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

While you are at, dreaming about soaps that Fox will never give you, why not put Long Hot Summer on the list as well, especially now that people seem to be getting into a Roy Thinnes mood with The Invaders release upcoming.
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post #29 of 165
4/16/08 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

Personally I'd love Time/Life or MPI to get their hands on this show for DVD release. Fox has loaned out properties to other labels for DVD release (e.g.: Burke's Law, Honey West), so it can be done!
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post #30 of 165
4/16/08 at 4:56pm

Re: With "Dallas" on DVD, why not the one that began it all: "PEYTON PLACE"?

There was also another series on ABC airing during Peyton Place reign The Survirors staring Lana Turner. Then in 1976 you had Family and Rich Man Poor Man book 2 airing the same night. The Peyton Place shows on Romance aired twice daily in a daytime and late nightime slot and all shows on the weekend repeated. The shows were all complete episodes with no editing. When viewing the shows you will see the small icon from romance clasics in the corner. I was also told the show aired later on the Soap station not soapnet. I should think if this is true the episodes would be edited.

I was lucky and stupid during the airing on Romance taping at slow speed. I also did some stupid editing in the last season taking only what I wanted from each show. I also found transferring on DVD to be problematic because the VHS recorder I used during taping was long gone. Audio and Color were problems. I rerecorded the entire series a secord time on DVD found some old Vhs recorders to transfer with and they came out better then the first transfer to DVD.

Peyton Place was so popular that Girl From Peyton Place or Betty in New York was being considered and even the soap As the World Turns sent the Lisa character to Chicago for her own show over the summer in primetime no less. I am sure none of this is news to fans.

I see this show being available when TV on Demand gets going. I liked Larry Hagman giving Peyton Place the nod when on some interview show delcared Dallas the first night time soap and he said no there was Peyton Place.

The show aired so long ago that only 50s plus people remember its first airing. I was shocked to hear someone not to long ago say at my joy site this is like Peyton Place the person was over 50. I think the show has aged well.

Return to Peyton place the daytime soap I only saw once or twice. I heard it resolved the ending to the nightime show I also heard the cast filmed on ending for the European version after the show closed down. I think NBC wanted next Generation to be a new show ratings must not have supported it. Sorry for being so long winded it was one of my favorite shows of all time like Dark Shadows Time Tunnel Battlestar Galactica and so on.
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