Return to Peyton Place

Return to Peyton Place is a 1961 American drama film in color by De Luxe and CinemaScope, produced by Jerry Wald, directed by José Ferrer, and starring Carol Lynley, Tuesday Weld, Jeff Chandler, Eleanor Parker, Mary Astor, and Robert Sterling. The screenplay by Ronald Alexander is based on the 1959 novel Return to Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and is a sequel to their earlier film Peyton Place (1957). The film's storyline centers on the life and loves of bestselling author Allison MacKenzie. She has followed in the footsteps of her mother Constance by having an affair with a married man, her publisher Lewis Jackman (Chandler). She goes on to publish a tell-all novel that fictionalizes the scandal, homicide, suicide, incest, and moral hypocrisy that belies the tranquil façade of her hometown. She is quickly criticized by friends, family, and neighbors as a result. Plot The film takes place some eight to ten years after the events of the original film. Allison MacKenzie receives a phone call from publisher Lewis Jackman, who shows interest in publishing her book, promising to turn her into a household name whose books are exclusively bestsellers. Allison is ecstatic after hearing the news. Her best friend Selena Cross, however, continues to receive a lot of criticism from the townspeople for her "shameful" past.