RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE daytime serial

The nighttime series, Peyton Place, was a successful, but not 
long-lived, attempt at bringing soap opera to primetime.  So popular 
the concept, it was resuscitated, revived and expanded for a daytime 
version.  Premiering on April 3rd, 1972, it treated us to a magnificent 
insight of the rest of the story.Return to Peyton Place allegedly took 
up where the nighttime version left off.  There were some of the same 
faces, some new faces and most of the same characters.  Sadly, it ended 
in January of 1974.  Gail Kobe, an accomplished actress in her own 
right, was an associate producer. 

Some of the characters were aged, some were raised from the dead and 
others were just as they'd been before.  This caused more than a little 
confusion at first, for those that had watched, and loved the night 
version.  But the cast was a terrific ensemble, one that had vast soap 
experience. 

Constance and Elliot Carson still held their respective careers.  
Constance the owner / operator of the Book Gallery, he the publisher of 
the town paper, the Clarion.  Their son, Matthew was aged to a 
school-aged lad and Eli Carson was the mainstay of free advice and a 
listening ear.  

Constance Mackenzie Carson had given birth to a daughter, Allison, out 
of wedlock some twenty-plus years before.  Learning that Elliot was her 
father was a blow to Allison that caused her act impulsively and 
irrationally at times.  She had left Peyton Place before the end of the 
night series and had come home, to daytime, some years later.  She’d 
had a terrific crush on Rodney Harrington, the son of Leslie 
Harrington.  But he was married to Betty now and living in a 
neighboring town.  Betty had been the rival to Allison for Rodney's 
affections in high school.  Allison, the chaste, proper, almost 
waif-like teenager was no match for the fast and glamorous Betty.  
Rodney's brother, Norman, was still married to Rita Jacks, daughter of 
Ada, the town tavern owner.  

Dr. Michael Rossi, who had had a real longing for Constance, was single 
for a long time.  When his nurse, Selena Cross, manipulated him into 
marriage, it was only because Constance was still married to Elliot.  
What Dr. Rossi didn't know was that the Carson marriage wasn't all that 
stable.  After a time, Dr. Rossi and Constance became better friends, 
mostly because of their unhappy home life.  Sigh, if only Dr. Rossi and 
Constance had felt more open for communication, they could have been 
happy, together.  But, he knew he was settling for second best when he 
married Selena.  

Betty was disenchanted with her married life and entered into an affair 
with her former husband, Steven Cord.  Steven was the illegitimate son 
of the town magnate, Martin Peyton and Hannah, Peyton's housekeeper.  
Steven was running Peyton Industries, as his father, although deceased 
in the night version, was very much alive and living in the Bahamas in 
the day version.  Betty and Steven had been married once before.  When 
Rodney had vacillated between Allison and Betty, Betty had spitefully 
married Steven, who was smitten with her.  But because Betty never 
loved Steven the way she thought she loved Rodney, that marriage went 
on the rocks.  However, once her union with Rodney became routine, 
Steven was suddenly infinitely more attractive.  Of course, being the 
Peyton heir probably had nothing whatsoever to do with Betty's change 
of heart.  Even though Betty and Rodney reconciled, again, they 
eventually broke up when Rodney discovered that Betty's child was not 
his, but Steven's.  Steven was more than happy to take Betty back and 
raise his son.  

Allison, who Dr. Rossi realized was addicted to drugs, went through 
rehab and went to work with her father at The Clarion.  She was 
instrumental in getting her parents to see a marriage counselor, but in 
the end, it didn't work out for Elliot and Constance.  Elliot, dejected 
and unhappy, left town for a job in Baltimore.  Constance was left to 
cry on the shoulder of Dr. Rossi, who although still married to Selena, 
was very sympathetic.  

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