the granddaddy of all soap opera and peyton place have it place in film and television history . when the steamy best seller by grace metalious and film by jerry wald and 20th century fox be convert into a television series and it set a standard for even prime time soap opera that some will argue have never be equal . time have surely change . set in new england a it be if peyton place exist it now in the vanguard of blue state america . but in 1941 peyton place in new england would probably have enjoy keep cool with native son calvin coolidge and no doubt vote for hoover and landon and and wilkie instead of that radical fdr in the white house . in this prim and proper new england town it all about keep up appearance . everybody know everyone so if thing aren not quite fit the america of norman rockwell you keep them behind closed door . like lana turner never bother to tell daughter diane varsi that she an out of wedlock child and like poor rus tamblyn not be able to relate to the opposite sex in his teen year and like hope lange living with a brutal rampaging father in arthur kennedy who physically abuse her mother betty field and do more than that with her . leon ames a the town employer and owner of the mill where most of the town work maybe the lead citizen and but the town moral authority be lloyd nolan and a very wise and care doctor and the kind of small town doctor who a passing memory . it impossible to describe the plot of peyton place because there be so many strand in the plot fabric . it all work very well courtesy of screenwriter john michael hayes and director mark robson . the whole thing be narrate by diane varsi a allison mckenzie who grow up and write a book about her home town . peyton place get nine oscar nomination and but unfortunately lose a lot of award it be up for to the bridge on the river kwai . lana turner one and only nomination come in a year that the academy voter give the best actress award to relative newcomer joanne woodward . russ tamblyn and arthur kennedy split the vote and red button win for sayonara for best support actor and the same thing happen with the best support actress with diane varsi and hope lange splitting for miyoshi umeki to win for sayonara as well . the code be still firmly in place and have it not be i think russ tamblyn character would have be more explicitly gay . here he a timid young man not comfortable with the opposite sex and not real popular among his own heterosexist male . then a now and gay be not real comfortable in most small town . still for those who like their big screen soap opera and you will love peyton place and even with change more the film hold up well .