Shark Bytes

Barbara Parkins (Betty Anderson Harrington Cord Harrington) WAS Peyton Place. She was the only female charter to last through the entire series. She hels the series together!

Why is Peyton Place never in reruns when it was one of the most popular shows on TV?Does someone own the rights and refuses to allow it?Seems Strange.SO many old shows are rerun forever. Ryan

While Peyton Place had a lot of great acting and writing (if you didn't pay too close attention to the logic in some of the dialogs, especially when one of the characters is criticizing another over supposed personal flaws . . .).

I think the show jumped the shark when Allison Mackenzie left. Not only was it a compelling character, and well acted by Mia Farrow, her character was the glue that held many of the plot lines together.

This show let a lot of fans down.

It never had a closing episode.

Talk about unfairness!!!

Peyton Place jumped the shark in the episode in which Allison Mackenzie (Mia Farrow) discovers the identity of her father, Elliott Carson (Tim O'Connor). Her mother, Constance (Dorothy Malone) had claimed Allison's father was dead. While many think the shark did not jump until Lola Albright stepped in to replace Dorothy Malone, they are wrong.

The most compelling character in the early episodes was jail-bird Elliot Carson (Tim O'Connor). Elliot was a quiet, moody, angry, not quite handsome man serving a prison term for a murder. He may or may not have been guilty of the murder. Allison may or may not be his illegitimate daughter. He may or may not be a decent person. When Elliot gets out of jail, he returns to Peyton Place, much to the anguish of prim, repressed, keep-up-appearances, but oh-so-stacked Constance McKenzie (Dorothy Malone). Elliot wastes no time getting in Constance's face. Elliot was a real sexual threat, and you kept hoping he would rudely force Dorothy Malone to let her hair down the way she did in "The Big Sleep", where she was also a shop keeper. If anybody ever needed to get laid, it was these two. O'Connor and Malone skillfully generated great, quiet heat in these early episodes.

Rodney Harrington and Allison were having a drink in a club. Betty Anderson was there with someone else, and decided to make Rodney squirm. Betty did an unbelievably sensual, erotic, loose-limbed dance and let her skirt fly where it might. Allison left the club in tears. Rodney followed Allison like a gentlemen, but we knew Betty had pointedly aroused his interest, and that Allison was no match for Betty. Barbara Parkins had a lovely way of being classy and slutty at the same time. I wish there had been more scenes like this one.

Yes I know it became known as "the Mia Farrow look", but Mia was absolutely gorgeous-looking with her medium-long hair in the early episodes of Peyton Place.

Reasons this show was so much better than other soap operas. 1.) It was based on a novel. A trashy one, some felt, but the trashiest novelist has more talent than the best TV writer. 2.) It was filmed. Though TV usually cranks out its shows at assembly line-speed, more time is spent on filmed, once-a-week shows, than on daily video productions. And film just looks classier than tape.

IF it did, it was only as it was winding down---still, I didn't want to see it go off the air! And I'd still be glued to the reruns, if they were ever put on (wonder what the characters would have done by now---Peyton Place'd have changed just like all of America's other small towns, by now, too!)! Unlike all the other shows and soaps, this one made me want to go out and participate in life (after watching it, of course!)! It had a special charm NO other soap or show has since captured! It was more real, and more like what we knew and might aspire to! I am still a fan of all its major stars! Oh! What I'd give to see it all again, episode by episode!!! One idea we could kick around for a long time: as good as it was, like all shows, one couldn't imagine the characters outside or beyond their ages on the show---except for the "Betty" character (Barbara Parkins-[spelling?])! She admiringly achieved autonomy!!!

This is truly one of the most enjoyable, addictive shows ever. It isn't rerun very often, and collectors/fans have quite a time finding it. Each season had a new, and pretty complete story line.......lots of mysteries, and scandals and murder trials....... and arguably, the black and white years told the best stories. This needs to be rerun. Like a good book, you can't put it down. And like a lot of product from the sixties, there is an added campy factor when viewed today. Tons of revelations, and "moments" where you are howling at the wonderful dramatic action, but also how over the top it all is. Characters you love to hate: Stella Chernak, Martin Peyton, Hannah Cord, Nurse Choate......Characters you are supposed to love but are annoying.......Allison MacKenzie. Look! Allison's in a coma! Look! Betty Anderson is mistaken for a "call girl"! Look! Dorothy Malone has had her wig restyled! This one is REALLY fun. It launched Mia Farrow, and Ryan O'Neal, Barbara Parkins, and continued the careers of vets Dorothy Malone, Lee Grant (who won a deserved Emmy), and Ruth Warrick, to name a few. But toward the end, lots of the original cast was gone, and the town suddenly seemed like a bunch of strange newcomers. Too bad, it was great while it lasted.

"This is the continuing story of Peyton Place" This opening greated every show opening. When Mia Farrow left I guess it jumped the shark. Though to young to remember it, I vaguely remember a couple of the color eposodies. First great nighttime soap. To bad it could not make a come back in the 80's (Remember Peyton Place '85?)Loved that Barbara Parkins (MEOW!!) great as Betty Anderson, should have won her an Emmy award for her role (Lee Grant was the only one to win, though not the only one nominated). I wish TV Land would bring this show back

For me, Peyton Place had charm and suspense during the days when Rodney Harrington and Allison Mackenzie were in love. Much of the charm left with Allison,but the show still maintained quality throughout it's first color season. Rachel was a wonderful girl,and had such charm,sensitivity and wisdom.Her eyes were soulful and rich,her hair was so shiny and silky and she was lovingly childlike.When she left,the show started going downhill.Other people like Rodney, Lee, Sandy, Mr.Peyton, and Hannah Chord left voids too-but the topper was when Elliot and Constance left the series. I gave up on seeing it after that.

Peyton Place was a great show. And it was an early role for Mia Farrow, who was great in it. This show made her a star. I think Frank Sinatra first saw her on this show and later he married her. This was before Rosemary's Baby even. I remember there was a big deal when she cut her hair (which is kind of a forebear to the similar controversy on Felicity- haha). It also starred Ryan O'Neal as her love interest. The whole cast was made up of all these great character actors from the 60's and it was so much better than any other soap operas before or since, because it seemed a little more classy and better acted than other soaps. I haven't seen this show in such a long time and I wish someone still showed it. My favorite character was Norman Harrington. He could be kind of funny at times, and sometimes he was whiny. But all the characters were interesting, which is rare these days.

Fantastic classic night-time serial that is worth a look even today. The show lost its steam in its final season. The departure of Dorothy Malone and Tim 0'Connor as Constance and Elliot Carson, two staple characters was a major loss. To compensate, we were introduced to the Russell family, divorced Marsha and Fred and their totally annoying teenage daughter Carolyn, who suddenly became a featured character. Then came the introduction of Peyton Place's first black family. All of these new additions failed to spark viewer interest and the show went right into the toilet.