“This is the continuing story of Peyton Place,” the announcer would say at the start of each episode. And the series was continuing as a pioneer primetime soap opera that came close to mimicking its afternoon counterparts since ABC would air it three nights a week. Fans became hooked on the network to keep up with their after dinner story. This is why after the release of Peyton Place: Part Three) with 97 episodes on DVD, we’re still not even a 1/5th of the way through the episodes made over five seasons. The cast had to work harder than anyone on Dynasty or Dallas.
Peyton Place had a long history as a bestselling novel by Grace Metalious and a blockbuster movie starring Lana Turner and Russ Tamblyn (Twin Peaks). It was shorthand for talking about any town that seems so sweet and wonderful, but is really rotten at the core. Moral hypocrisy lurked in every smile. The show had an immediate audience eager to see what’s really going on in the picturesque town. Viewers were also glued to the set three nights a week to romance between Allison MacKenzie (Rosemary’s Baby‘ Mia Farrow) and Rodney Harrington (Barry Lyndon‘s Ryan O’Neal). She writes for the Peyton Place Clarion newspaper. He makes headlines with his ability to wander into the wrong situation. He gets into more trouble over these 33 episodes and she still finds him attractive. There’s other key players, but as usual my eyes get glued on Tim O’Connor ( Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) as the man who was unjustly stuck in prison for years is establishing himself in a gossipy community.
The release of Part Three is bit of a surprise since it’s been almost a decade since the first two boxsets were released. Don’t worry about waiting too long for more of your story since Part Four arrives June 26. You won’t get stuck on a cliffhanger for years this time. Granted it’s not quite as fast as when you only had to wait days between episodes. Peyton Place is engrossing after all these years.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The black and white transfers are rather rough in spots with dirty on the frame. Nothing is too nasty that it ruins the experience of watching the ugly truths leak up into the proper New England town. The audio is Dolby Digital mono.
No bonus features.
Shout! Factory presents Peyton Place: Part Three. Starring: Dorothy Malone, Warner Anderson, Ed Nelson, Mia Farrow and Ryan O’Neal. Boxset Contents: 33 Episodes on 5 DVDs. Released: March 27, 2018.
