Grace Metalious

Peyton Place (1957) Trailer

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• published: 14 Oct 2012
• views: 23839

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. I noticed the trailer for this film is no longer on youtube, so I thought I'd upload it again. Based on Grace Metalious's bestseller, Lana Turner received not only an Oscar nomination but also a career rejuvenation when she played the role of Constance MacKenzie, the mother of a teenage girl who carries a secret. Diane Varsi, in her film debut, is Alison, who dreams of becoming a writer, and is unaware of the circumstances surrounding her birth. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that Constance and Alison are not the only ones who have problems - Alison's best friend Selena Cross (Hope Lange) lives on the wrong side of the tracks and tries to fend off her abusive and lecherous stepfather, Lucas (Arthur Kennedy); her mother, Nellie (Betty Field) worn down by years of poverty, drudgery and her husband's drunken rages, works as a maid in the MacKenzie house; Selena's boyfriend, Ted Carter (David Nelson) wants to go to law school but has to work to earn enough money to attend college; shy and awkward Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn) has a domineering mother and spends hours in the library after school to avoid going home; Rodney Harrington (Barry Coe), son of the wealthiest and successful man in town, Leslie (Leon Ames), is in love with the town "fast girl", Betty Anderson (Terry Moore), of which his father disapproves. Doctor Matthew Swain (Lloyd Nolan) is the voice of reason and the heart of Peyton Place, and Mrs. Thornton (Mildred Dunnock) is the beloved school teacher who is up for the position of principal but loses out to newcomer Mike Rossi (Lee Phillips), whose arrival sets into motion a chain of events. Turner, Lange, Varsi, Tamblyn and Kennedy all received Oscar nominations for their roles, and the film inspired a sequel and a television series. Of course, the novel had many more sub-plots and characters, and some events were either left out entirely or altered to suit the production code, which was breaking down at the time but still demanding that certain things either happen offscreen or presented in a way that was deemed "acceptable". Exterior scenes were shot in Camden, Maine, after the residents of Grace Metalious's hometown in New Hampshire refused to have anything to do with the making of the film. Apparently, the fact that Metalious had been inspired by people and events that took place not only in her hometown but some of the surrounding communities as well did not endear her to them. Set in the '40s, the film very much has '50s sensibilities, but to me that makes it all the more fascinating. Enjoy!