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Selling The Continuing Story Of Peyton Place : Negotiating The Content Of The Primetime Serial

2013; Routledge; Volume: 33; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01439685.2013.764723

1465-3451

Caryn Murphy,

Cinema and Media Studies

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Acknowledgements I am indebted to Elana Levine who shared archival materials with me at an early stage in the research process. I also received a Faculty Development Research Grant from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2012 that supported archival research in Los Angeles, CA. Notes 1. CART Report, January 1959, Box 153, NBC Files, Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison. 2. Laura Wittern-Keller and Raymond J. Haberski examine the weakening of the Production Code in The Miracle Case: film censorship and the Supreme Court (Lawrence, KS, 2008). The National Association of Broadcasters adopted a 'Television Code' of ethics that first became effective in March of 1952. Its rules extended to both scripted entertainment and advertising content, and it was frequently revised. The fifth edition became effective in March 1959, and is available online at http://www.tv-signoffs.com/1959_NAB_Television_Code.pdf. 3. As a television series, Peyton Place was intended to attempt to replicate the success of the prime-time serial Coronation Street in the UK. This claim appears in press materials for the series and is often repeated in the trade press. See Dave Kaufman, TVersion of 'Peyton Place' 'Not Trying to Shock People,' Daily Variety, April 29, 1964, 8. 4. Quoted in Richard Warren Lewis, The Battle of Peyton Place, Part I, TV Guide, January 16–22, 1965, p.7. 5. See William Boddy, Approaching The Untouchables: social science and moral panics in early 1960s television, Cinema Journal 35(4) (Summer 1996), 70–87. 6. Variety details the 'past and running skirmishes' between ABC and Senator Thomas Dodd in Waitin' for 'Peyton': Can It Be Provocative and Get by Stiff-Necks?, September 2, 1964, 21. 7. In December 1964, ABC placed ads in Variety claiming that 'More women 18 to 39 watch ABC Owned Television Stations in prime time than any other network station' and their daytime programming was more successful than ever before. See, for example, December 16, 1964, 37. 8. ABC Director of Continuity Dorothy Brown offered this note in response to the original script of Peyton Place episode five; see Dorothy Brown to Paul Monash, July 18, 1963, Correspondence—Letters, Box 19, Paul Monash Files, American Heritage Center, Laramie, WY (hereafter AHC). 9. This is communicated in a letter from producer Jerry Wald to Hayes dated May 6, 1957. Mark Robson Papers, 1943–1949 (Collection 97, Box 43, Folder 6). Performing Arts Special Collections, Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles (hereafter UCLA). 10. Grace Metalious, Peyton Place (New York, 1956), 8. 11. Memo from Geoffrey Shurlock to Frank McCarthy, the 20th Century Fox Code liaison, dated January 28, 1957. Mark Robson Papers (Collection 97, Box 43, Folder 6), UCLA. 12. Letter to Wald from McCarthy. Mark Robson Papers (Collection 97, Box 43, Folder 5), UCLA. 13. Concerns about the Crosses are discussed in Shurlock's initial memo on the completed script dated January 28, 1957 and follow-up memos from McCarthy to Wald dated February 5 and April 22, 1957. Mark Robson Papers (Collection 97, Box 43, Folder 6), UCLA. 14. Part-Time Actress, Full-Time Mother, Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1965, F15. 15. Brown to Monash, July 18, 1963, Correspondence—Letters, Box 19, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid. 18. Ibid. 19. Paul Monash to Doug Cramer, April 30, 1964, Peyton Place (Notes), Box 50, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 20. Doug Cramer to William Self, May 14, 1964, Correspondence—Cables and Telegrams, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 21. Irna Phillips to Douglas Cramer at ABC, April 19, 1964, Correspondence—Letters, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 22. Edgar Scherick to William Self, April 27, 1964, Correspondence—Letters, Box 19, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 23. Correspondence between Monash and Cramer also indicates that Monash had planned to meet with Phillips at this time, but this meeting was apparently postponed until April 1964. 1963, Correspondence, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 24. Irna Phillips to Douglas Cramer, April 19, 1964, Correspondence—Letters, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 25. Monash indicates his dismay in a memo to Cramer, April 28, 1964, Correspondence—Letters, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. The new outline which includes a description of Dr. Rossi and no mention of the Cross family was dictated on April 30, 1964, Peyton Place (Notes), Box 50, Paul Monash Files, AHC. The shooting script for the pilot that eventually aired includes 24 pages of revisions and five pages of retakes; it is archived in the Richard Goldstone papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. 26. Quoted in Warren Lewis, The Battle of Peyton Place, Part I, TV Guide, January 16–22, 1965, 9. 27. Variety reported shortly before the series' debut: 'One slight mystery, however, anent the "production progress" centres on the contribution of Irna Phillips, the "queen of the soaps" whom the network hired for consultancy on "Peyton." Monash & Co. have yet to hear from her, nor does Monash know what, if any, attention she's given to scripts and footage. If that seems strange, network execs explain that Miss Phillips was hired as consultant for the web, not Monash or 20th, and that she has indeed come across with some script suggestions. If she has, Monash gives the impression that he's not aware of any' (September 2, 1964, 36). 28. George Rosen, TV's Nighttime 'Sex Strip,' Variety, January 13, 1965, 86. 29. Monash is quoted on this in Warren Lewis, The Battle of Peyton Place, Part II, TV Guide, January 23–29, 1965, 25. 30. In a series of memos between Paul Monash and Edgar Scherick, they agreed on the use of 'continuing' to signal the nature of the story being told in the series. July 1964, Correspondence—Memos, Box 24, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 31. Richard Pinkham, 'Peyton Place' Begets an Era, Variety, July 28, 1965, 28. 32. 20th Century Fox production chief William Self is quoted in 'Peyton's' Success Crams 20th Lot, More Deals Pend, Variety, November 4, 1964, 24. 33. Edgar Scherick to Paul Monash, May 13, 1964, Correspondence, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 34. See for example Mary Sunday, At Home in Peyton Place, Chicago Tribune, April 11, 1965, F10 and Marian Dern, Her Address is Peyton Place, TV Guide, March 20–26, 1965, 6–7. 35. Marian Dern, The Third of Seven Little Farrows, TV Guide, October 3–9, 1964, 16. The same lineage is traced by Hedda Hopper in Mama Mia! She's Only 17, Los Angeles Times, September 13, 1964, AB1. 36. Peyton' Success Crams 20th Lot, More Deals Pend, Variety, November 4, 1964, 24. 37. Leo Litwak, Visit to a Town of the Mind, New York Times Magazine, April 4, 1965, 54. 38. Warren Lewis, Battle Part II, TV Guide, January 23–29, 1965, 24. 39. Cecil Smith, Fox Suddenly Jumps Into the Series Picture, Los Angeles Times, June 28, 1964, V3. 40. Quoted in Vernon Scott, The Surprise Television Success of the New Season, UPI Advance, January 1, 1965, Paul Monash Files, AHC. Malone also told the LA Times that it 'reminds me of a strong part I did in 'Battle Cry.' This is the same kind of a woman.' Quoted in Aleene MacMinn, Nice 'Place' to Visit, But … Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1964, L2. 41. Cecil Smith, Video Retreads Wearing Thin, Los Angeles Times, October 29, 1964, C12. 42. Paul Monash and Cecil Smith, Notes on Peyton Place, Television Quarterly Fall 1964, 59–64. 43. Memo from ABC executive Adrian Samish to Paul Monash, undated 1964, Correspondence—Letters, Box 18, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 44. Edgar Scherick to Paul Monash, Correspondence—Memos 1964, Box 24, Paul Monash Files. 45. Warren Lewis, The Battle of Peyton Place, Part I, TV Guide, January 16–22, 1965, 6. 46. Les Brown, Peyton Place (Television Review), Variety, September 23, 1964, 40. 47. Jack Gould, 'Peyton Place' Returns in Cleaner Version, New York Times, September 16, 1964, 62. 48. Marian Dern, Her Address is Peyton Place, TV Guide, March 20–26, 1965, 25. 49. The National Association for Better Radio and TV complaint is discussed in Watch Out for Children, Time, February 5, 1965, 96; The National Congress of Parents and Teachers issued a press release threatening to boycott the sponsors of 'television sex' that was widely reprinted. See PTA Official Blasts 'TV Sex and Soapsuds,' Chicago Tribune, May 18, 1965, B6. 50. Bill Greeley, Era of Souped-Up Soapers, Variety, October 7, 1964, 27. 51. Cynthia Lowry Associated Press, January 20, 1965, Clippings File 1964, Box 16, Paul Monash Files, AHC. 52. Ira Mothner, Sweet Virtue's County Seat, Look, October 19, 1965, 86. 53. Quoted in Warren Lewis, The Battle of Peyton Place, Part II, TV Guide, January 23–29, 1965, 26. 54. Peter Bart, Will TV Serials Find Success? Tune in Again Next Fall for …, New York Times, June 26, 1964, p.61. 55. William and Lee Bell Collection of Scripts for Television Soap Operas, 1958- (Collection 96, Box 142–143). Performing Arts Special Collections, Young Research Library, UCLA.