BUFFALO COURIER-EXPRESS, Sunday. July 16, 1967
Dan Duryea Joins 'Peyton Place'
Film Veteran Plays a Villain-of Course By VERNON SCOTT
HOLLYWOOD They are giving "Peyton Place" a shot in the arm this season with the addition of Dan Duryea to the cast. In recent months the twice weekly evening soap opera — at 20th Century-Fox they prefer to call it a "continuing story" — has bogged down somewhat With lackluster smalltown life. Now, enter Duryea, a scalawag who deserted his wife 18 years ago and returns to raise a little hell with the already troubled community. A movie and television heavy for 20 peat's, Duryea is an old hand at generating revulsion in audiences.
HE ENTERS the ABC-TV series as Eddie Jacks, the ne'er do well husband of Ada Jacks, the female saloon keeper of the show. "He's a flashy, charming con man, whom I've played before," Duryea said with a grin. "He's light, happy, villainous, broke and he spells trouble.Joining a series after it's been on the air three years isn't exactly the easiest assignment for an actor. But the part is really interesting, and I've already played more good scenes in four weeks than 1 have in the past four years."
SINCE his own "China Smith" series left the air years ago, Dan has been doing well as a guest star, racking up more than 100 appearances on everything from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" to "Robert Montgomery Presents." "But a funny thing has happened to the guest star business," he said. "At first they offered good money to movie actors to lure them into TV. In the old days 'Wagon Train' would pay $7,500 a week. "NOW THE TOP salary is about $3,000 or maybe $3,500 for most shows. Television has cut its guest star budget in half. So we work twice as hard, in twice as many shows, for less money."
Rather than buck the continuing trend of sliding salaries in the guest department , Duryea Joined "Peyton Place" for top dollar. "The nicest thing about joining the show was the warm reception I got from the rest of the cast. Most of them have been working together for months and years," he said.
"I FELT LIKE the new boy on the block, but not like an outsider. They've bent over backward to make me feel at home and help get the character established. "I thought I'd research the show by reading synopses of past episodes, but all they did was confuse me by the tremendous number of characters and situations."
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