I see that my hated James Lipton wrote for a time on this show too. Wow, and people are shocked when current "soap killers" are rehired over and over again on other soaps--Lipton I think still must win the prize for most disastrous headwriting regimes.

What confuses me is the comment about how the show seemed like this "dirty little show" next to the family soap One Life to Live against it, etc. Why that confuses me is Peyton Place, for all its controversy, has a strong sense of community... Maybe the daytime version was never able to do this?

Just discovered that the RTTP primetime special aired in which aired Sunday Jan 21st 1973 was a ratings flop.It ranked 58th for the week out of 65 programs with a 12.9 rating.However,the fact that its daytime average was a 7.2 at this time made it a success on those terms.

Does anyone know more about it? I've read that it dealt with Allison being found guilty of the murder of Benny/Jason.

At that time NBC ran Disney from 7.30 - 8.30 and Mystery Movie 8.30 - 10.00. Columbo was the mystery movie that week and ranked 5th with a 28.5 while Disney was 4th with a 28.7

Night Gallery usually ran at 10.30 so RTPP pre-empted it that night.

The competition was most likely a movie on ABC and Mannix on CBS.

I think this was the first and only time a soap made it to primetime until Capitol debuted in 82.

FrenchFan, thank you so much for the summary! I tried to look up other information on the characters you mentioned, but I was unable to find out more on 'Greg Wheelan'. Do you perhaps know who portrayed him? How did you come up with this summary? Is it from your own memories? Is there a place where I can read more on this show and its characters? There is so little information on this show...

I am reading all the memories with a lot of pleasure. Keep them coming, people!

The summary is from Bryna Laub's daytime newsletter. It is very very hard to find. It can't be my memories because I was only born in 1987 but I still tend to be a good soap historian

I have no idea who played Greg Wheelan. I will try to check it this weekend.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_to_Peyton_Place_(TV_series)

The formerly barebones Wikipedia page for this show now has cast pictures and storyline info. It's like slowly we're learning more info which is exciting. saynotoursoap, I was wondering if you could tell some of the characters/stories featured in the episodes you have.

Does anyone know if NBC still has this? If so, are they (likely) willing to give out copies? I don't understand why it's so difficult to get hold of a show that has been aired nationally. Why should copies (if existing) be stocked in some dusty archive without any purpose, if there are people dying to see this?

Oh, for those who are interested, I found an article about the soap in a July 1972 magazine. Here's the scan:

Edited August 9, 201015 yr by Bojangles

From the June 1972 Afternoon TV (Roband Publications, Inc) - a feature on the cast being put together. Some very sarcastic comments on not being able to contact one actor (did he do any other soaps after this?).

Did you know Mary K Wells was asked to be Alice Horton?

Edited November 25, 201015 yr by CarlD2

Also in this issue, interview and beefcake shot of "Peyton Place's sexy Rodney Harrington."

"I'm a born romantic..."

Lawrence Casey is a man of amazing powers of resistance. He said "no" to Raquel Welch! What's more, even his own wife couldn't get him to change his mind.

It all came about when handsome, six-foot Larry was offered a role in Raquel's latest flick, "Kansas City Bomber." At the same time, he was told he had the part of Rodney Harrington in "Return to Peyton Place." Since the jobs would have conflicting shooting schedules, he was forced to choose between them.

"My wife wanted me to do the film," he told me during a recent quick visit to New York. "And I can appreciate her feelings. But the film would only give me five weeks work, and it was

The more things change...

cure child. She seals with the life around her beautifully. She reads beautifully, although she is only in kindergarten. And Rebecca is learning to read. They have a lot of friends. They're exceptionally well-adjusted."

Although Larry comes from a big family, he insists that he and Katha will not be having any more children of their own. "We intend to adopt a boy from a minority group. A friend of mine adopted a half-Mexican, half-Korean child, and she's beautiful. I feel Katha and I are aware of the problems we'd encounter. It won't be easy, but we're mature enough now to be able to handle it. Also, the school system we're in now has very few minorities, and I think our children suffer because of it."

The Caseys live in what Larry calls "a dramatic house" in the hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley. "It has cathedral ceilings, brick fireplaces, a spectacular view of the valley, and every plant known to grow can be found somewhere around the place. I have a potting shed. Also a garden where we grow everything from grapes to tomatoes. When you're born and raised in Manhatten, it means something to have a garden and vegetables and things. One of my favorite plants is a lilac you can grow in California. I also have calla lillies, orchids, things like that. I have all different kinds of ferns."

In addition to having a green thumb, Larry cuts quite a swath in the kitchen. "I love to cook," he admits. "Our house is almost built around the kitchen, so when we have friends in I can cook and talk at the same time. I'm not a gourmet cook, but I like to do things you can't get in most restaurants. I make a fantastic bouillabaisse; also a great leg of lamb."

While his culinary talents are usually reserved for dinner parties, he occasionally pitches in and helps with simple family meals. "I'll help out if Katha's busy," he says. "But I can't stand to do dishes!"

Larry is a strong supporter of Women's Lib and allows his wife all the freedom she wants and needs. She gave up modeling when she got married because she really didn't enjoy it, but she's into all sorts of other things now. "She opened a needlepoint shop with Peggy Wayne, and it was very successful," Larry says proudly. "She stayed with it eight or nine months and then decided to go and do something else. She's a housewife, but she's freed. There are no problems at all. She has her own interests. My wife," he adds, "is a fantastic woman. She's very bright and she understand me incredibly well. She can anticipate my ups and downs."

Larry describes himself as a "born optimist, a born dreamer and a born romantic," but his optimism was put to the test this past year when the career that had been going so nicely since "The Rat Patrol" suddenly took a downward turn. "Last year was the most difficult of my life, and I got down and depressed for the first time in my life. I had a year when I was up for at least five major projects, and when all but a couple of people were weeded out and I thought I was close, the other guy always got it."

But the "other guy" didn't get the plum Rodney Harrington role. Larry was the winner there, and the optimist in him has a lot to be optimistic about now.

- Debbie Sherwood

The more things change...

You mean a new soap starting or a bland blonde guy cast on a soap and stripping down?

Someone replaced him as Rodney on this show didn't they?

Apparently he was in The Erotic Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Huh...

Edited November 25, 201015 yr by CarlD2

Ah! Thanks for this! I still dream of one day seeing one episode or scene from this show lol. So odd it's the spin-off of a huge groundbreaking soap and not even a clip is on the net! I'd love to see how Patricia Morrow is in the daytime format and with a new Norman. Saynotoursoap, does Rita appear in any of the episodes you have? Any recollections on her story?

You mean a new soap starting or a bland blonde guy cast on a soap and stripping down?

Someone replaced him as Rodney on this show didn't they?

Apparently he was in The Erotic Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. Huh...

Yeah, I caught that. I always keep another window open on IMDB when I read these threads.

And thanks for all these vintage soap articles, Carl. Here and on other threads.

Thanks for reading them! We'll never get to see these so I just like to give a few details and then also hopefully jog the memories of those who have seen them.

Apparently Casey was also in one of Roger Corman's soft core exploitation films, The Student Nurses, a few years before this. I guess that's why he was so happy to strip down for this photo shoot, if he made a career of it in movies. (Then again 70s men in general were much more willing to do this).

I read them all even if I don't always comment. I should express my gratitude more often though. I owe the one from France (name escapes me) a few thank-yous as well. Probably a few others too.