Please FINISH Peyton Place on DVD! *Official Thread* (1 Viewer)

[Charles Ellis]

Forgive me for jumping the gun a bit, but I got Volume 2 today- I found a review copy at a store here in NYC. There's no episode guide inside, and no mention of a forthcoming Vol. 3 yet. Strangely enough, there's stills from 1966 and 1967 on the back cover- completely nothing to do with the episodes inside. I'll get back to you after watching some episodes.

 

[Ron Lee Green]

Sad news to report...

Anna Karen Morrow, who played Mrs. Chernak, the Harrington family housekeeper, passed away July 1 at age 94.

 

[AlanP]

Mrs. Chernak was Stellas ( Lee Grant's) mother !!!

 

[AlanP]

I am up to episode 19, on the first set. The quality varies greatly and some scenes are cut. One example is a scene is in the preview and not in the next episode........ and there is a scene with Matthew and Allison that is cut in mid sentence...........It is either #18,or 19........These must be syndication copies. The quality of the episodes is fair at best. I will pick up the next set out of curiosity to see what is happening next. If the quality does not improve with the next set, I am not sure if I will continue with it.
So, far it is mediocre at best !!! I do not know why there is not better source material available. "Time Tunnel" from Fox is PRISTINE. If that can be great why is "PP" so lousy ??? I know the argument, if this is the only way to get the series. Then that is OK. However, I am not in agreement with that statement. Now Charles is saying they are not adhering to any type of consistency with photos, etc.............
As far, as not adverstising the next set that does not seem to bode well ??? Maybe it is not selling so great ??

 

[jej2252]

Playusa.com has dispatched my part 2 today!!!

 

[Mark Collins]

Sue Ellen please tell us more! What was Rita and Ada and Eli story line since they were part of the series. Rod and Allison come together after all this time to reunite on the daytime show as it was ending is this true? Did the daytime soap have an ending or a ? mark at the end. Gosh like all the nightime soaps such as "Who Shot JR".

 

[SueEllen]

Yes Allison and Rod fall in love on the daytime series. Allison goes catatonic after a fire at the cabin where Benny Tate had been holding her. He ends up shot -and she is arrested, everyone believing she shot him in self defense. Rod can't buy that, arguing (much to Betty's chagrin) that Allison could never harm anyone. Rod goes on to investigate what happened and he finds the real Benny Tate, being cared for by his mother Zoe. Benny killed his twin brother Jason (who had been masquerading as him and Allison never figured it out) to save Allison, then got too sick to come forward to admit the crime. Allison is freed and goes to Benny and marries him (legally, their original marriage is invalid since Allison did not use her real name) and then he dies. Rod is now back in love with Allison and tired of Betty's selfishness and ambition...but Betty ends up pregnant (by Steven) and they reconcile. Allison and Rod pine for one another in a harbinger back to the nightime series' original story for them. Finally the truth about the baby is revealed and Rod and Allison are able to be together. The very last scene of the daytime show has Allison rushing to Rod's houseboat and they embrace. The use of water - their first time in that sail boat - is a constant throughout their relationship on the daytime soap.

Ada and Rita are very prominent in the show. Both don't miss a beat and look fantastic. Rita's Norman this time is the very hot Ron Russell who conveys a lot of what Chris Connelly had. Rita and Norman have an adorable daughter, Laurie, who steals scenes. Ada still has the tavern and still dispenses salty advice. Ada and Eli are kind of an 'item' on the daytime show (no mention of Maggie Riggs). Ada at one point leaves town and turns the tavern over to Rita who hires a young girl, Monica Bell, to assit her. Norman and Rodney have dumped the motorcycle business to buy fishing boats. Betty at the series outset is sick of the smell of fish on her husband and his constant desire to start a family. You see Betty very clearly wanting Steven and the old glam life they had. Steven pines for Betty, too and has a picture of their wedding on his desk which everyone comments on. Steven and Rod though have patched up their differences and Rod considers Steven his 'best friend' when the show starts!

As you can tell I loved the daytime show. James Lipton was involved, and later Gail Kobe (Doris Schuster on nightime PP) emerges as the show's associate producer. Kobe brought a lot of PP to her tenure as Guiding Light's EP in the 80's with the Beth Raines (think ALlison, blonde hair, bangs) and Phillip Spaulding (the brilliant Grant Alexsander - an O'Neal type all the way) as Rodney. Unfortunatley much of what else Kobe did on GL was to decimate the show's core family, the Bauers. Don't get me started on that!

I'm thrilled PP is on dvd. My local Barnes and Noble does not carry it. I have seen the first volume and it is wonderful. I hope too there are more releases. This show is totally involving and leaves you wanting more. I would love to see the daytime series released some day (pipe dream) because of the overall happy ending. One more interesting thing - Dorothy Malone as Connie was under utilized for being the 'star' - she would have appreciated the strong work Susan Brown did when she took over Connie on RTPP. Connie had endless story - an affair, an attempted abortion(!) and the constant worry about Allison.

 

[Charles Ellis]

One wonders if Fox still has the tapes to the daytime show. If the show was syndicated abroad, then there is a chance the tapes may be in the Fox vaults.

 

[Mark Collins]

Sue Ellen have to leave my house quick so I have not time only to grab Charles message. Fantastic!!! But Charles has his review copy and I am very very jelous of him and am writing this while conversation is over my shoulder! Jokeing good buddie. Be back later

 

[Mark Collins]

Gosh what rich storyline the daytime version had. I always wanted Steve and his Lady Love together. The last weeks of PP had a few standout episodes in the night time version. The epiosdes I describe are some.

Rod really spells out things to Betty. He enquires why she made all her choices of the past 5 years and why she chose Rod himself. Rod states why him over all the others. He states to her was it his sports car? Betty is just shocked and Barbara does it brillently.

The next scene Betty and Steve in Steve's office and the Betty we all loved from the start of the show is back. The chemstry and dialog between them brings back many a fond memory.

The last days also had a very well written scene between Dr Harry Miles and Sargent Walker at Sargent Walker's home. Harry is asking Sargent Walker to find out what Lou was doing{Harry's Son} while Lou stayed in New York City for a brief time. I will not spoil it but it is a scene about Race written way before it's time.

Sue Ellen Elliot and Connie ok? Mike did the show end with him in Marital Bliss? The Town Square was it ever shown? What killed the daytime show? Was it The Edge of NIght and General Hospital?

Edge was the only daytime soap I watched especially when it moved to ABC. I would just get home from my part time job to see it. My Mom was a big fan of Edge so I saw it off and on as a kid when it was on CBS. No I was not old enough to remember it's debut in 1956. I have to say though I was on the planet at the time.

1981 my local CBS station began to reair Dark Shadows at 3 PM CS and Edge was finished for me. In 1976 my local CBS station began Peyton Place reruns all the way thru to the end. The local CBS station ran it at 1 PM CS time but I was in College and could only catch 2 partial episodes a week. DS which is interesting aired the same year on our Fox station at 11 PM CS time. The two shows have found another common link.

Peyton PLace hit the USA network in the early 80s which my cable carried and I taped it on Beta. I would watch a weeks worth every Friday Night. USA stoped airing the show after the Second Famous Wedding in the Series.

We all know what happened to Beta so that was it or so I thought. 1997 TV guide announces the Romance Channel and they would debut on Saint Valentines Day with reruns of Peyton Place. I was overjoyed. SCFI debuted with Dark Shadows and now Peyton Place was back! .

Bored everyone forgive this long winded fan!!!

What was my first PP memory??? Rod and Betty at the inside door of the Peyton Mansion having a last kiss or so I thought.

 

[Mark Collins]

I had a great thing happen today. I was asked over a Diet Coke " Mark don't you watch any current tv shows"?
.
"Do you always watch old tv shows"?.

I was going to give the smart answer because of the kind of question it was. The particular person only remembers Barnabas as the plot on Dark Shadows and another good friend of mine remembers Barnabas but also that for a time they carryed a hand in a box around most episodes. So I just said "Nope" Happy weekend everyone!!!

 

[AlanP]

I am in total agreement, with your statement that Malone was NEVER utilized enough in the series. In the film with Lana Turner the Constance and Allison storyline is front and center. I know people are not going to agree with me. However, here goes............ I would have rather seen Malone and Rossi as a couple. I still thought the series deviated from the book and film way too much !!!!!!!! That is just my opinion. Some of the storylines in the series were great.........................I never thought Constance and Elliot should have married.

 

[AlanP]

And Mark as a kid I remember the "EDGE OF NIGHT" with Sara Karr, Mike's first wife. I was in third grade and watched it everyday. I loved TEAL AMES !!!

 

[Mark Collins]

Alan Peyton Place is playing right now at my house. I thought I would check emails but was happy to agree with your comments. You have a way of cutting thru things and getting to the heart of it. Yes me too though I did like Connie and Ellitot I just wonder how the affair changed them and how the Return to Peyton Place ended on a negative or postive for them.

Help Sue Ellen??? Hey I remember the car accident and her death which of course brought in Ann Flood as a Realsate Agent. I read Teal Ames had to go on to go on TV to say she herself was alive. Wow!!!

Remember everyone TUSEDAY THE BIG DAY FOR OUR NEXT RELEASE AND MAYBE NEWS OF CHAPTER 3

 

[SueEllen]

Hello all - first I want to say I am a huge DS fan. I remember the first ep when I was five years old in 1966 and Vicki Winters got off that train. I am currently backtracking buying as many DVDs of DS as I can. I had all the eps taped at one point and had purchased a bunch of the VHS that MPI started producing in the early 90's. I'm loving Parallel Time and Lara Parker's Alexis/Angelique. The 1970's fashions for the ladies in PT was something to see!

As for Elliot/Connie - they start the show RTPP strong but Allison's convinction leads them to argue over everything that went wrong with her, telling her the truth about her parentage and the way it drove her out of town. Connie leans on Mike - who is getting slowly involved with the scheming Selena Cross. Yes, dear Selena is a bitch goddess on the show played by soap vet Margaret Mason. Selena alludes to a rough childhood but the details of abuse, abandonment are never detailed. Connie and Mike take a trip somewhere and end up staying in a motel where they give in to passion. Connie becomes pregnant. Selena is insanely jealous of Connie as she confides to her new BFF Betty. Betty gives her the lowdown on how Connie/Mike started when he first came to town. Mike grudingly marries Selena but is clear he never loves her. Elliot has a heart attack and Allison takes over at the Clarion - a first inkling in this show of Allison's past as a writer. Elliot recovers but he and Connie separate and Elliot (as well as Steve) become infatuated with D.B. Bentley(the late Mary Frann in her first soap role) a businesswoman determined to buy the Peyton Mill and everythign else in town. The show's cancellation brought storylines to a head: Mike and Selena stay together and plan a family and Elliot and Connie reconcile on the last ep, their scene is the next to last before Allison's and Rod's and we see them going up the stairs to ...you know!

RTPP was a dissapointment to NBC in that it did not keep the large audience it's time slot predecssor Another World held. It had a 7.2 rating when it was canned, which today would make it the top show in daytime! It also had one other thing aganist it - hot shot producer Paul Rauch had an affair with an NBC exec Lin Bolen and she wanted HER new show, How TO Survive a Marriage a chance and Rauch apparently bad mouthed the RTPP production to NBC exes that they cut if for something cutting edge - How To was a divorced woman's story and its relevance appealed to NBC. When that show did even worse, Rauch got HIS way and expanded Another World to one hour. I think he is the most evil person in soaps ever and I believe he Machiavellianly plotted this from the start!

Sweet dreams!

 

[Mark Collins]

Peyton Place nightime ended on ABC. The special late night documentary " Peyton Place Revisted" was the last ABC had a connection with it. NBC had the daytime "Return To Peyton Place" and the two TV movies "Murder in Peyton Place" and "Peyton Place Next Generation" I wonder if NBC had a contract of sorts with Fox to have first chance at any Peyton Place incarnations?

Sue Ellen many thanks again for your detailed post on RTPP. I hope as Charles said we can see those shows some day.

 

[Mark Collins]

Martin Peyton played by the Great Actor George Macready. He acted in many projects but Gilda was perhaps the most famous. He also gave the voice over in the movie Count Yorga "A Vampire Movie Dark Shadows fans." I think George's son directed or produced the Vampire movie. The movie plays on TCM at various times.

George talks about being a Vampire. You hear his wonderful voice and never see his face outstanding.

Wilfrid Hyde White know for the movie "My Fair Lady" and "Let's Make Love" with my favorite Movie Star "Marilyn Monroe"

The producers made a very wise choice. I always think poor Donna Reed on Dallas. Peyton Place only made the Dallas mistake once and it was their last. Goodbye Dorothy Malone hello Barbara Rush. The only difference they called her Marsha instead of Connie as Charles pointed out sometime back.

I look forward to seeing the start of the Martin Peyton episodes. He was a King in this his "Peyton World"!

 

[Mark Collins]

George Macready simply was Martin Peyton. The idea having another actor taking on the role seemed ridiculous. The producers of Peyton Place replaced Macready and got away with it.

Wilfrid HydeWhite played Martin Peyton in the Summer of 1967. White never tried to copy George Macready's Martin Peyton. He gave us what I thought a more aristocratic Martin Peyton.

George Macready's played Martin Peyton as the all American Tycoon. He demanded respect. He made everyone in his orbit stop and pay homage to him.

Wilfrid Hyde White played Martin Peyton as though he were royality. He knew that his power was unlimited. The people around him tip toed.

What great actors these men were. The cast of Peyton Place with these two men on board gave the show a rich and very comfortable feel to watch.

Sue Ellen you are a wealth of information on Return to Peyton Place. How did RTPP wrap up Martin Peyton's storyline?

 

[AlanP]

Mark you and Sue Ellen are so informative......
Have enjoyed reading the posts !!!!
I too loved "Dark Shadows", like "Peyton Place", when Victoria and Allison were written off. I lost interest in both and only watched occasionally. I tried to like Leigh Taylor Young, her character was so unlike Allison. It was a void in the series, just like Victoria disappearing into the past......
I could not get interested in either because they were the focal point in both series......
I will get all the episodes up until Allison leaves then I am out....

 

[SueEllen]

John Hoyt played Martin on RTPP and I remember seeing him in the drive in in Flesh Gordon! Martin Peyton! Hoyt was pretty good - and a more vibrant Martin. There was no wheelchair, he was walking around. Whatever doctor that was treating him in the tropics gave him a new lease on life. Martin left a few months before the series ended, going back to his island compound. Hannah was to join him. He was pleased that Betty named her newborn son 'Peyton' until it was revealed Steven was the real father.Betty was able to force Martin's hand to make (through his set up foundation) Steven the head of Peyton Industries with Betty a princiapl share holder. So Hannah finally got what she wanted - Steven at the helm. Rodney still had his inhertiance and made provisions for Peyton, who he now knew was his nephew, not his son. Toward the end of the show Martin made a cameo phone call to Hannah and Betty, very upset to hear that Rodney was with Allison again and that Peytlon's true parentage was known. I think Martin would have come back to the story had the show not been cancelled.

DS did miss Alexandra Moltke. She was so sweet but that had dumbed down her character. When they took away her opening narration from the show it was obvious the show's POV was now going to be Barnabas/Julia. I loved how sincere Moltke was as Vicki. Pity poor Betsy Durkin and Carolyn Groves! I still watched DS but never could understand waitress Maggie as the new governess!

I thought Leigh Taylor Young did a good job on PP but she was tougher than Mia and the resolution of her story was heartbreaking. The final scenes she shares with Malone and O'Connor are devastating. The aftermath for Constance is shattering and unfortunatley Connie isn't seen for much of several months after.