Still Worth Watching
TITLE: Peyton Place
GENRE: Dramatic Romance/Coming of Age
CAST: Lana Turner, Diane Varsi, Hope Lange, Lee Philips, Arthur Kennedy, Lloyd Nolan. Russ Tamblyn, Terry Moore, David Nelson, Lorne Greene and Barry Coe
PLOT: The lives and loves of several high school graduates are followed leading up to the start of WWII. One becomes a writer, one challenges the influence of his father's wealth, and one is torn by the origins of her family on the wrong side of the tracks.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT: 9 of 10;Though panned for not being as shocking as the novel it was based on, this production has all the usual Hollywood subplots. The dialoge develops the complicated characters. There are moral questions involved and the tale boldly addresses them. The costumes and sets are pivotal in placing us back in that pre-war America and everyone expected to end better than they began,
DVD BONUS: Overdubbed commentary by Moore and Tamblyn; some "back story" on the Grace Metalious novel and this film
ADDED NOTES: There were 9 Oscar nominations futilely recieved. Most of our Daytime soap operas seem to have their basic premise from this tale. A good contrast to see the changes in coming of age issues after fifty years is to watch "thirteen" by Catherine Hardwicke. You will see that the transition comes earlier now but the problems are largely the same.