Return To Peyton Place Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

Did your mother get to see Penny back on ATWT in 1985?

I always thought the whole Prinz situation with HSTAM was odd, since I could never tell if she planned a longer stay or if she was just a guest star. Her exit seemed very abrupt.

[DRW50]

[saynotoursoap]

Rosemary Prinz refused to sign a contract longer than six months. She had felt trapped as Penny on ATWT and had no intention of allowing that to happen again. Also, she insisted on "star billing" in the credits. It was a condition of her contract. Joan Copeland was a very well-respected actress who had given a mesmerizing performance on Search for Tomorrow, and it was intended all along that she would assume Rosemary's place when she departed at the end of her contract.

[ZoeTate]

I don't know if I buy that Joan Copeland would 'assume' Rosemary's position after she left. It makes no sense. Monica was not a matriarch, she had no real story of her own. She was most famous for being Mariliyn Monroe's former sister in law! I loved what I have seen of her on Search, she was chic and catty where Jo was always sure and steady, but in the credits Jennifer Harmon was billed first as Chris Kirby. It just seemed a stunt to appease Ms. Copeland - and her agent.

[saynotoursoap]

I have no doubt that Joan Copeland stipulated in her contract that she would receive star billing. After all, Rosemary Prinz's star honor was a stunt to appease her and lure in viewers who remembered her as Penny. In truth, Rosemary was not a matriarch either, and Prinz spent most of her time shoveling out pseudo-psychology, with her only real story being the romance with Tony D'Angelo. My point was that the "switch" was not really "inexplicable" as you describe it. It was planned all along. I really cannot fault the producers for doing what they could to try to attract an audience. Rosemary Prinz and Joan Copeland were known. And even if Copeland was only "famous for being Marilyn Monroe's sister in law" (which I disagree with having watched her on SFT), Jennifer Harmon was not famous for anything.

[ZoeTate]

You are right - Jennifer was hardly famous for anything, but she played the heroine and was first billed after Prinz left. I remember the cast crawl and originally Dr. Julie Franklin was listed first, then they just stopped that and had the announcement 'Starring Rosemary'. To this viewer, it just seemed very strange to give that status to Joan Copeland. Thinking back to the soap swapping that went on after Reinholt was fired from AW and offered the Doctors, I wonder if the thought was ever to put him on How. I would guess not considering Rauch was lusting after How's spot for the hour long AW and the die was cast.

..and I say that about Reinholt because he was a 'name' who might have lured viewers to How,

[DRW50]

1973 Afternoon TV Special

[DRW50]

December 1973 Daytime TV

[DRW50]

This is from Daytime TV Serials, their look back at 1973-1974.

[Paul Raven]

Interesting that they state RTPP was increasing in the ratings.i wonder how much truth there was to that? Maybe Lin Bolen was determined to get her own soap creation on air and RTPP,being the weakest of the NBC soaps, was most vulnerable despite better ratings.

[Paul Raven]

Mary Frann in her RTPP days.

[Paul Raven]

1973 cast

[DRW50]

I never knew Mary was on this show.

[jam6242]

I do vaguely remember Mary Frann on this show. Her character was named D.B. and she was a business woman. She was always trying to break up Steven and Betty.

[saynotoursoap]

She was D. B. Bentley, president of Mideast Standard Oil. D.B. wanted a merger with Peyton Industries. There was a lengthy story of an attempt to begin offshore drilling near Peyton Place, complicated by the protests of environmentalists (a nod to the 70s ecology movement). D.B. also served to create romantic complications while appearing as one of the first, powerful businesswomen in daytime that subsequently became de rigeuer for soaps in the 80s.