PEYTON PLACE
Episode 207.
04-18-66
Ann Howard relives the tragedy of Chris Webber. Leslie
proposes to Julie.
WA: To a young woman, who calls herself Ann Howard, the children's
game of "Blind Man's Buff" has a peculiar significance, a
peculiar horror. Ann Howard has returned to Peyton Place to
dispel that horror, if she can.
Intro: Ann Howard is watching children play on the square. A little
girl is blindfolded.
Scene 1: Ann Howard enters the Clarion office and tells Elliot that she
would like to look at some back issues of the Clarion. Elliot
hands her an issue from the summer of 1949. She reads the
headline:
TRAGEDY AT SAILORS' BLUFF
Peyton Place Boy Falls
to Shoreline Rocks Below.
Ann appears to feel faint and Elliot rushes over, helps her to
a chair and offers to get her a glass of water. She thanks
Elliot and gets up to leave. Eli comes in and admires her as
she is rushing out.
Elliot asks Eli if he recalls the summer of 1949. Eli says
"no." He says that Ann is in staying in room 17 at the
boarding house. She refused Mrs. Hewitt's breakfast.
Scene 2: Ann Howard goes to a pay phone and asks the operator, miss
Finley, for attorney Steven Cord's phone number. She is given
his office number and she dials 555-7171. [Back then it wasn't
necessary to dial the area code. And back then, information
was free. Really.]
Scene 3: In the lobby of the Colonial Post Inn, Steven and Betty check
in with hotel clerk Mr. Parker. The clerk mentions that he has
known Betty for some ten years. Betty says that she was on the
disaster committee and had to negotiate paying for damages that
her school class incurred. Steven calls to Leslie Harrington
as he dismisses Betty who heads on upstairs to her room. They
talk about signing contracts. Leslie grudgingly agrees. He
comments to Julie, after he hangs up, that the contracts are
"petty" and Peyton is using this ploy in order to spy on him.
Leslie tells Julie that he works for Peyton for the money and
he "owes" her, he would like to marry her. [Unfortunately, at
that time, in Massachusetts as well as many other states, a
person could not divorce a spouse who was in a mental
institution.]
Scene 4: In the Carson home, Allison and Constance are knitting things
for the expected blessed event, and listening to corny music,
as Rodney calls. Constance answers the phone and hands it to
Allison. Rodney refers to himself as the "greasy mechanic,"
and asks Allison out on a date. Allison suggests meeting
Rodney at the garage. Allison confides in Constance that she
has never been so happy in her life. Allison announces that
she loves Rodney. Constance gives Allison a lecture about
valuing oneself and marrying for love after Constance confesses
how her own pregnancy 19 years ago ruined her chances for love.
Scene 5: At the Inn, Betty prods Steven about the telephone call he
made, as she giggles and teases him. Steven tells Betty that
Rodney has bought a garage using his inheritance. [Steven
pronounces the second "g" in garage as a hard "g". Betty
pronounces it with a "zh" sound. Barbara Parkins is Canadian,
you know.] Steven first laughs and then decides that Rodney
may just have made a wise move, something to the effect that
it might be good for him "to do some honest work."
Scene 6: At the Shoreline Garage, Rodney is impressed by Lee Webber's
talent with a wrench. Lee begins to advise Rodney on how to
make the garage show a profit. He talks about building a
clientele of middle-aged women who will admire his muscles and
want extra tune-ups. [The sign that Rodney has posted outside
the garage indicates they charge only $6.95 for a tuneup. It
would take a lot of tune-ups to seriously enhance profits. It
is possible, of course, that Lee only cleans the spark plugs
instead of actually changing them.] Lee says that Rodney
should treat the customer as an enemy if he wants to make a
profit. Rodney deplores his tactics and Lee spouts "Fire Me."
Rodney asks Lee why he didn't buy the garage. Lee becomes
defensive and reminds Rodney that he put his brother through
college. Rodney goads Lee by pointing out that he never felt
the need to put his brother through college. Lee gives a point
blank reply, "Remember the bluff, and the cottage where your
mother killed Elizabeth Carson. Well, something else happened
there, a kid was pushed. Only he wasn't killed, he was my
brother and his optic nerve was severed. So yeah, I put my
blind brother through college and maybe that makes me a hero,
what do you say to that?"
Preview: Ann talks with Steven. Rodney talks with Lee. Constance
talks with Dr. Rossi.
AH: I don't know how else to begin, except by trusting someone.
SC: It's a police matter.
AH: After 17 years?
SC: It's a police matter.
RH: That's Allison's father.
LW: No kidding? I thought her name was Mackenzie. You
called him Carson.
CM: I'm worried about Allison.
MR: You have to stop worrying about her. Let her find her own
way.
CM: Like I did.
Anne "Ann" Colby Howard-Susan Oliver.
Lee Webber-Stephen Oliver
Mr. Parker, Colonial Post Inn desk clerk-uncredited.
Blind Man's Buff, also known as Blind Man's Bluff.
Sailors' Bluff-
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