The opening title of Peyton Place during "the color years."

Peyton Place, produced by 20th Century Fox Television, was an American primetime serial. This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... 20th Century Fox Television aka 20th Television Fox is the television production division of the 20th Century Fox movie studio, a subsidiary of News Corporation. ...

ABC aired 514 half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964 to June 2, 1969. The program was broadcast in black-and-white from 1964 to 1966 and in color from 1966 to 1969. To date it is the only primetime series ever to run episodes continuously without reruns. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... June 2 is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ...

The opening credits included scenes of the town and photos of the leading players. Originally the announcer intoned, to the sound of church bells, "This is the continuing story of Peyton Place." In 1966, the message was changed to "In color, the continuing story of Peyton Place."

The early stories were adapted from the 1956 book and 1957 movie of the same name, although some principal character names and occupations were changed or simply eliminated. In the first episode, Dr. Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) came from New York City to set up practice in town. Newspaper editor Matthew Swain (Warner Anderson) told Rossi that people usually try to get away from towns like Peyton Place, not move to them. Matthew's niece Allison MacKenzie (Mia Farrow), a close friend of classmate Norman Harrington (Christopher Connelly), had begun to fall in love with his older brother Rodney (Ryan O'Neal); she was smitten as soon as she had been given her first kiss. At the end of the episode, Allison's mother, Constance (Dorothy Malone) made it very clear that she disapproved of her daughter's newfound relationship with Rodney. 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Peyton Place is a 1956 novel by Grace Metalious. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Peyton Place is a 1957 American motion picture drama based on the bestselling novel by Grace Metalious. ... Edwin Stafford Nelson (born December 21, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American actor. ... New York, NY redirects here. ... Mia Farrow (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow on February 9, 1945), is an American actress. ... Christopher Connelly (born September 8, 1941, Wichita, Kansas; died December 7, 1988, Burbank, California) was an American actor best known for his role as Norman Harrington in the primetime soap opera Peyton Place. ... Patrick Ryan ONeal (born April 20, 1941) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. ... Promotional photo for Malone Dorothy Malone (born January 30, 1925) is an American actress. ...

Allison (Mia Farrow) is unamused by Betty's (Barbara Parkins) efforts to flirt with Rodney (Ryan O'Neal) in this scene from early in the first season

Rodney was distracted when he found his father Leslie (Paul Langton) in a passionate embrace with his secretary Julie Anderson (Kasey Rogers), the mother of Rodney's girlfriend Betty (Barbara Parkins). Rodney started anew with Allison as soon as he made it clear to Betty that he couldn't date her anymore. Betty was confused and hurt as Rodney did not tell her why he was dumping her. He would take her back rather quickly, marrying her to spite his father in an October 1964 episode. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Kasey Rogers (December 15, 1925 - July 6, 2006) was an American actress. ... Barbara Parkins is a television and film actress, born on May 22, 1942 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ...

Meanwhile, another principal character entered Peyton Place midway through the first season. Elliot Carson (Tim O'Connor), Allison's birth father, had been imprisoned for the murder of his wife Elizabeth, though the actual culprit was Catherine Peyton Harrington (Mary Anderson), Rodney's spoiled and manipulative mother. He eventually cleared his name and married Constance. They later had a baby son Matthew, though by the 1985 TV film sequel he had been mysteriously transformed into a daughter called Kelly, unless he died and Kelly was born later. Tim OConnor (Born July 3, 1927, Chicago, Illinois) is a noted American character actor best known for his prolific work in television, although he has made only a few appearances since the early 1990s. ... Film actress Mary Anderson in Lifeboat (1944) Mary Anderson (born April 3, 1920 Birmingham, Alabama) was a film and television actress. ...

In September 1965, Malone was rushed into emergency surgery, and producers were faced with the dilemma of what to do with Constance, who at that point was too deeply embroiled in the plot line to disappear without reason. Lola Albright was hired to take over the role, and continued in the series until Malone returned the following January. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Lola Albright Lola Albright (born July 20, 1925 in Akron, Ohio) is an American singer and actress. ...

For two years, Rodney could not decide whether to be with Allison, the girl he loved, or Betty, the girl he married. In 1966, Mia Farrow left the series to focus on a film career and her recent marriage to Frank Sinatra. With Allison's mysterious disappearance, Betty more or less was allowed to have Rodney, since her main competition had left town. Betty eventually divorced Rodney, married dark and handsome attorney Steven Cord (James Douglas), then divorced him and re-married Rodney, in keeping with the convoluted lifestyles of these small town inhabitants. The rivalry between Rodney Harrington and Steven Cord was intensified by the fact that they were actually half-brothers. Though raised by Hannah Cord, Steven was actually the illegitimate son of Catherine Peyton Harrington and Hannah's husband Brian (the 1985 TV film contradicts this and refers to Steven as the illegitimate son of Martin Peyton, Catherine's father). Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... James Douglas (actor) (born in 1933 in Los Angeles) is an American actor probably best known for his role as Grant Colman on As the World Turns (1974-81, with return appearances in 1986 and 1989). ...

Allison's presence was still felt heavily in storylines as she continued to be mentioned in dialogue. First, a mysterious woman named Rachel Welles (Leigh Taylor-Young, (who later married and divorced O'Neal in real life), arrived with Allison's bracelet; then in 1968, Jill Smith (Joyce Jillson, whose later claim to fame was as an astrologer) came to town claiming she was raising Allison's baby, although in these pre-DNA times the child's parentage was never proven. (Jill later married Joe Rossi, Michael's younger brother). The plot device of Allison's disappearance, unresolved during the actual series, was concluded without Mia Farrow ever appearing again, and in two different ways that contradicted each other, in the made-for-TV movie sequels Murder in Peyton Place (1978) and Peyton Place: The Next Generation (1985). Leigh Taylor-Young as Shirl in Soylent Green , 1983. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Joyce Jillson (December 26, 1946—October 1, 2004) was a syndicated astrologer. ...

Another major character added in later seasons was town patriarch Martin Peyton (George Macready). (In an odd case of history repeating itself, Macready was sidelined by illness for a brief period and temporarily replaced by Wilfrid Hyde-White.) There was also a long run of excellent performances by Ruth Warrick as Peyton's long-standing and secretive housekeeper, Hannah Cord. Actor George Macready in A Kiss Before Dying George Macready (August 29, 1908 - July 2, 1973) was a movie actor with a distintive scar (from an auto accident) that helped him land roles as aristocratic villians. ... Wilfrid Hyde-White (May 12, 1903 – May 6, 1991) was a British character actor. ... Ruth Warrick as Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children An elderly Ruth Warrick in her final AMC storyline Ruth Warrick with Julia Barr with Eileen Herlie and Louis Edmonds in 1995 Phoebe toasts with Langley Phoebe in a comedic moment Phoebe in fur Phoebe the heiress with Palmer Cortlandt...

A number of big screen names joined the cast for extended intervals, among them Dan Duryea, Susan Oliver. Leslie Nielsen, Gena Rowlands, and Lee Grant, who won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama for her role of tough-as-nails Stella Chernak. The series also served as a springboard for the careers of Leslie Nielsen, Mariette Hartley, and Lana Wood (Natalie's sister). Publicity photo for Duryea Dan Duryea (born January 23, 1907, in White Plains, New York; died June 7, 1968, in Hollywood, California) was a hard-working TV and movie actor. ... Susan Oliver Susan Oliver (February 13, 1932 – May 10, 1990) was an American actress, television director and record-setting pilot. ... Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11, 1926) is a Canadian actor. ... Gena Rowlands (born June 19, 1930) is an American actress. ... Lee Grant (October 31, 1927 in New York, New York) is an American theater, film and television actress, and film director who was blacklisted by the Hollywood movie studio bosses in the 1950s. ... An Emmy Award. ... Leslie William Nielsen OC (born February 11, 1926) is a Canadian actor. ... Marietta Hartley Marietta Hartley (born June 21, 1940 in Weston, Connecticut) is an American actress, best known for her work in television. ... Svetlana Smedley (born Svetlana Gurdin March 1, 1946), better known as Lana Wood, is an American actress and producer born to Russian emigré parents, Nikolai and Maria Zakharenko. ...

In 1968, in order to keep pace with the changing times, the writers introduced integration to Peyton Place in the form of African-American Dr. Harry Miles (Percy Rodriguez), his wife Alma (Ruby Dee), and their son (Glynn Turman, who also worked as a script-writer on the show.) Despite the noble effort, their inclusion rang a false note, and their story lines were never developed fully. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Rodriguez as Commodore Stone in Court Martial. ... Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an African American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist. ... Glynn Turman (born January 31, 1946 in New York, New York) is a stage, television, and film actor. ...

In the final year, with the departure of Dorothy Malone and Tim O'Connor, Ed Nelson became the lead actor on the series, and many of the stories revolved around him. His romantic interest during the final season was Marsha Russell (Barbara Rush). In the final episode his character Michael Rossi was put on trial for a murder he did not commit. The show ended with the audience unaware of the outcome, though all must have turned out well as Rossi was back on duty at the hospital in the 1978 and 1985 sequels; Constance and Elliot Carson were back in town as well. Barbara Rush publicity photo for It Came from Outer Space Barbara Rush (born January 4, 1927 in Denver, Colorado) is an American stage, film, and television actress. ...

Ratings and schedules

When the show premiered in 1964, Peyton Place aired twice a week. Both installments of the show were Top 20 hits in the Nielsen ratings and this inspired ABC to air the show three times a week starting in the fall of 1965. Many television historians now consider this move to be overkill. The season ratings for Peyton Place never rose into the Top 30 again and the serial's production was dropped back to two episodes a week. In 1969, with the show losing viewers with each episode, Peyton Place aired in one installment a week until the final episode was shown in June. When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

The show was one of the first seen on network television to talk about sex and infidelity in a frank manner. As such, ABC brass would only allow the show to be aired at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, an hour in which many kids and teenagers were to be in bed. With the show in a ratings slump in 1968, the show was moved to 8:30 p.m. in order to get the viewers they once had shunned.

The series was revived as a daytime serial from April 3, 1972 to January 4, 1974 as Return to Peyton Place. Three of the actors from the primetime series reprised their roles on the daytime series -- Frank Ferguson as Eli Carson, Patricia Morrow as Rita Harrington, and Evelyn Scott as Ada Jacks. However, the daytime series did not prove to be as successful as the primetime series had been. April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Return to Peyton Place is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious. ... Frank Ferguson (born December 25, 1899 in Ferndale, California; died September 12, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) was an American character actor with hundreds of appearances in both film and television. ...

Trivia

• The success of Peyton Place inspired rival network CBS to spin the character of Lisa Miller Hughes from As the World Turns off into her own primetime drama, Our Private World, in 1965, adopting the same twice-weekly format as Peyton Place had at the time. The show was neither a critical nor ratings success, however, and Lisa returned to As the World Turns the following year. This show was co-created by Irna Phillips (with William J. Bell, who had co-created Peyton Place with executive producer Paul Monash.
• Allison McKenzie was Mia Farrow's first major role. It was claimed the vulnerability she experienced as a polio patient in her childhood contributed greatly to her performance.
• Farrow was the daughter of acclaimed film director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan, the original Jane in the Tarzan film series.
• Originally, Betty Anderson was scheduled to be killed in a car accident early in the first season, but viewer reaction to the character was so strongly positive that the writers decided to alter the plot, thus guaranteeing actress Parkins a long and lucrative run in the series.
• Paul Monash, one of the people who adapted Peyton Place for television, hated the term soap opera and instead wished that the show be called a television novel.
• Warner Anderson was a cast member for only the first season, but his voice would announce every episode of the series.

CBS is one of the largest radio and television networks in the United States. ... Lisa Grimaldi (née Lisa Miller) is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. ... As the World Turns (ATWT) is the second longest-running American television soap opera (the first being Guiding Light), airing each weekday on CBS. It debuted on Monday, April 2, 1956 at 1:30pm. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Irna Phillips (July 1, 1901 - December 22, 1973) wrote and created many of the first American soap operas. ... William J. Bell (a. ... Mia Farrow (born Maria de Lourdes Villiers-Farrow on February 9, 1945), is an American actress. ... Poliomyelitis (polio), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. ... John Farrow was an award-winning film director, producer and screenwriter, born John N.B. Villiers-Farrow on February 10, 1904 in Sydney, Australia. ... Maureen OSullivan as Jane in Tarzan and His Mate Maureen O’Sullivan (17 May 1911 – 23 June 1998) was an Irish actress. ... James H. Pierce and Joan Burroughs Pierce starred in the 1932-34 Tarzan radio series 1964 Edition of Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ...

External links

• Encyclopedia of Television
• Fan site