My name is Allison MacKenzie.
Where I was born, time was told not by the clock or the calendar
but by the seasons.
Summer was carefree contentment.
Autumn was that bittersweet time of regret
for moments that had ended and things that were yet undone.
And then winter fell,
with a cold mantle of caution and chill.
It nipped our noses and our arrogance...
and made us move closer to the warm stoves of memory and desire.
Spring was promise.
But there was a fifth season, of love,
and only the wise or the lucky ones knew where to find it.
Whoa.
Hey, mister, which way to Peyton Place?
You go right up this road about two miles and you'll come right in center of town.
Thanks.
Lucas stole my money, and he'll do it again.
He drinks everything in sight.
I spent a year and a half saving that money for a correspondence course.
Don't go, Paul. You was my firstborn.
Hitting everybody who doesn't agree with him, even you.
- Only when he's drinking. - Lately that's been every night.
- What'd you marry him for? - When your real pa died,
you and Selena and Joey had to have some kind of father.
Lucas tries hard to be a good man.
- Good-bye, Mom. - Paul!
Selena, don't you ask me to stay.
My babysitting money. I wish there was more.
Paul!
Paul, I'll-- I'll do extra work.
I'll find a job and get the money back to you.
Don't leave.
I'm-- I'm sorry we-- we got into a fight.
It won't happen again. I give you my word. Paul!
Paul!
Uh, he'll-- he'll come back.
You wait and see. He'll come back.
Nellie, I'm--
I'm going to try hard not to drink anymore.
Selena,
I'm-- I'm going to try harder than I ever tried anything.
- Morning. - Good morning.
May I have a couple of fried eggs and a cup of coffee, please?
All right.
Do you have a washroom where I can clean up?
First door.
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
- What you selling? - Nothing.
Sorry. Thought you might be a traveling man.
Nah. I came here to get a job.
I should have known.
I hear the Harrington Woolen Mills got some big government contracts
for military uniform cloth.
Lot of people will be moving in here.
Which way is it to Harrington Mills?
Follow Elm Street to the river, then look up to your right.
You'll hate it.
- Morning, Miss MacKenzie. - Morning, Nellie.
Paul left this morning.
- Left for where? - Don't know.
Says he wants to get out of this town and make something of himself
instead of working all the time at the mill.
He wants to see the world.
- Who's going to see the world? - Paul.
He left town this morning.
Allison, must you play records at quarter to 8:00 in the morning?
Good breakfast music.
Digest your orange juice with culture.
I'm glad about Paul, Nellie. How did Selena take it?
She's glad too, but she ain't a mother. Neither are you.
I'd like to see the world, have a romance in Venice,
meet a tall dark stranger in Hong Kong.
- Allison, don't eat so fast. - Have to.
Senior class is giving a gift to Miss Thornton.
And I wrote a speech that Rodney Harrington is going to read--
Badly, I'm sure.
What's going on?
School board's meeting to appoint a new principal since Mr. Firth died.
How do you know they'll give it to Miss Thornton?
They have to. There's nobody else who deserves it.
I'll drop by the store after school.
Good-bye, Dad.
Allison, I wish you'd stop that ridiculous performance every day.
What? Saying good-bye and hello to my father?
Saying it to a photograph.
I suppose it's silly, but it makes me feel that he's here with us.
But you scarcely knew your father.
It's not my fault he died when I was two.
I can't remember him, I admit, but I miss him.
You mean you miss a father.
Yes, Mother.
Wouldn't it be nice if you had men friends
or some dates or even married again?
Will you stop talking about fathers and husbands and marriage?
You miss him more than I ever realized.
I'm sorry, Mother.
I'll be late.
Forgot the speech.
- Good-bye, Mom. - Bye.
- Good morning, Mrs. Lancy. - Morning, Allison.
Hi, David.
Good morning, Mr. Hammond.
Morning, Miss Allison.
Go on home, Buffy.
- Hi, Doc Swain. - Morning, Allison.
- Good morning, girls. - Good morning, Doctor.
- Good morning, Mr. Cross. - Morning.
Thank you, Norman. Everything's gone wrong this morning.
If you didn't run all the time--
Ted's bringing the gift.
Rodney!
Here's the speech.
- Hey, I'll never memorize this. - Then just read it.
She's coming! Miss Thornton's coming!
Hey, hey.
"The job of principal of Peyton Place High School."
Quiet.
Miss Thornton,
the members of the senior class have asked me to say a few words,
and, on behalf of them, to present this gift to you.
"The names of all of us are inscribed inside the cover of that dictionary.
Because there are so many different words
that might express what we feel for you
and your long services to Peyton Place High School,
we decided to give you all the words in the language.
We're going to lose you, but it's something bigger and more important--
the job of principal of Peyton Place High School.
So that you'll know we'll never forget,
you can always turn to the words 'love,' 'friendship' and 'remembrance,'
and know that we're always thinking them."
This is the loveliest thing that ever happened to me.
I--
There's another word in this book.
"Gratitude."
Now let's talk about graduation.
I would like to have a report from the president of the class, Ted Carter.
- Come on, Ted. - Miss Thornton,
I've arranged for all the necessary committees.
If they all do their jobs well, I'm sure we'll have a fine graduation.
Vice president Selena Cross.
The programs will be printed in a couple of weeks.
I've rented caps and gowns at $2.50 apiece.
We're going to have a tea and a reception on the lawn afterwards.
Editor of the yearbook, Allison MacKenzie.
The copy's all done,
but the engraver's going mad waiting for all the pictures to come in.
So anybody who doesn't have his picture in by Wednesday won't be in the yearbook.
Senior dance, Betty Anderson.
Everybody has to help with the decorations.
The tickets are printed and will go on sale a week before.
Oh,
and I'm supposed to announce there's to be no necking in the parking lot.
Nor anywhere else, for that matter.
But, Harrington, Elsie Thornton has earned the right to be principal.
She's given her life to this town.
The least we can do is recognize it.
Doc, as head of this school board,
it's my opinion Miss Thornton should be retired.
I can't quite concur with you, Leslie.
- I agree with Doc Swain. - You would.
Miss Thornton's practically senile.
She's a hypochondriac. Uses sleeping pills all the time.
You want a drug addict for a principal?
Marion, it seems to me I write a lot of drug prescriptions out for you every year.
As far as Miss Thornton being senile, she's of your generation.
- She is not. I'm 36. - You're 45.
My father delivered you the year they built the courthouse-- 1896.
We need someone young. This fellow who's coming
is the result of correspondence with five teachers' agencies.
And I can get him at the right price.
- Mr. Harrington, he's outside. - Yes?
He can't do us much good out there, Miss Colton.
Send him in.
- Would you come in, Mr. Rossi? - Yes, thank you.
- Good morning. - I'm Leslie Harrington.
- How do you do? - This is the school board.
- Mr. and Mrs. Partridge. He's a lawyer. - How do you do?
- Dr. Swain. - Doctor.
Seth Bushwell, editor of the Peyton Place Times.
- Please, sit down. - Hello.
Now, Mr. Rossi, here's our situation.
We're prepared to offer the job as principal to a qualified man
with a minimum guaranteed five-year contract.
Mr. Rossi is a graduate of Penn State,
summa cum laude.
He holds a master's degree in English and literature.
He was an outstanding athlete.
He's single.
Personally, now that I've seen him, I like what I see.
Did I miss anything?
Only that I've been working for a construction company.
If you're a teacher, why were you working for a construction company?
I couldn't live on the salary I was being paid as a teacher.
This job starts at 3,000 a year.
Then we're all wasting our time.
That's only five dollars a week more than I was making as a teacher.
But this offers you security, a long-term contract.
Guaranteed poverty is not security.
I want 5,000 a year and a raise of 500 in the second year.
We can't do it.
You own this mill.
How much do you pay a foreman? About $200 a week?
This is business.
These men manufacture a product that makes money.
You must be practical and face realities.
To people like you, education is just a necessary evil.
You can't see it, so it's worth nothing.
Well, let me tell you this, Mr. Harrington.
The things we can't see
are the most important things on this earth.
They're called ideas.
Thank you very much for the interview.
If we offer you 5,000,
would you coach the basketball and football team?
No, I would not.
In a town like this, if you can't afford to pay your principal a decent salary,
you have no right to be running a school, much less sending your own children to it.
Mr. Rossi.
Leslie, I'm afraid you're fighting a losing battle.
Now, Mr. Rossi, frankly--
In other words, the life history of the race
repeats itself in the individual.
- A notice from the school board. - Thank you.
"Effective immediately,
the school board of Peyton Place
is happy to announce the appointment of a new school principal,
Mr. Michael Rossi."
- Who? - Who?
"We trust that you will show him the same loyalty and devotion
you displayed to the late Mr. Firth."
Class dismissed.
I'm sorry, Miss Thornton.
I don't know how they could do such a thing.
You should be principal. You deserved it.
Allison, a person doesn't always get what she deserves.
Remember it.
If there's anything in life you want, go and get it.
Don't wait for anybody to give it to you.
Now I have some work to do.
See you later, Al.
- Here we are. - Good-looking school, Doc.
That must be the new principal, you know?
They really give it to you, didn't they?
Like everybody else in this here town, they really give it to you.
- Have you been drinking? - Work yourself to death for them,
and then they bring in an outsider to pick the plum off the tree.
You have been drinking.
I've known for a long time you kept a bottle in the basement,
but I won't have you bring it into the classroom ever.
- Now don't forget that. - Might do your kids more good
to learn how to handle a bottle of liquor instead of an algebra problem.
- You're talking like a fool. - Oh, be I?
I sat in this classroom four years.
I sat right here!
Everything that was important to me was learned somewheres else.
You never applied yourself.
If you had, you might've learned something in school.
Oh, ho. Tell that to my wife, a cleaning woman.
Tell that to me, a janitor, cleaning toilets for a living.
Oh, stop it!
Tell that to every mill worker behind in bills.
I said stop it. If you had applied yourself,
you might have learned how to live intelligently.
There ain't nobody in this here town living intelligently.
- Nobody. - I don't believe that.
All right.
Name me one important person graduated from this here school.
Name one! You can't.
I'm going to tell you something, Miss Thornton,
something you can teach your class someday.
The minute they walk out that there door,
they walk into a dog-eat-dog world.
It's crawl in front of the big dogs
if you want to eat, get a job.
I won't do it. I won't do it!
That's why I'm washing windows,
scrubbing walls, emptying ashes.
I never had nothing I ever wanted.
Shakespeare didn't do me no more good
than Washington did crossing the Delaware.
You didn't help yourself.
Elsie, I'd like to have you meet Mike Rossi.
- Miss Thornton. - Hello, Miss Thornton.
- Mr. Rossi. Welcome to Peyton Place. - Thank you.
This is our utility man Lucas Cross.
- Hello, Lucas. - My hand's too dirty.
I'll start on another room.
- Does he always drink? - He's disappointed for me.
Loyalty is always more passionate than reason.
I guess that's why I came to see you first.
There was strong sentiment for making you principal.
Please don't feel uncomfortable, Mr. Rossi.
My time came too late.
- I hope we can work together. - Of course we can.
I suppose you have a lot of new, progressive ideas.
No, not really.
I'm rather old-fashioned, as a matter of fact.
- I have just two rules. - Oh?
First, I want this school to teach the truth, as far as we know it.
I don't want any teacher making a fairy tale out of life.
It's, uh-- It's hard enough as it is without being unequipped to meet it.
That's a good rule.
Shall we sit down?
And rule two:
Teach a minimum of facts and a maximum of ideas.
Our job is to teach children how to think,
not just to memorize for a couple of weeks.
If war comes for us,
these kids shouldn't fight just for historical dates
but for the ideals behind them.
I like your rules, Mr. Rossi.
Peyton Place is very fortunate.
Thank you, Miss Thornton.
Hey, Allison, I don't know what Betty's buying from your mother,
but will you tell her to hurry up?
Okay.
Mother, Miss Thornton didn't get the job.
I know. Betty Anderson and Marge told me. They're in the back.
After giving her the gift and the speech,
it was terribly embarrassing and tragic for her.
Well, she'll get over it.
I'm glad I'm graduating.
I don't want anything to do with the new principal.
- Mrs. MacKenzie, about graduation-- - What about it, Selena?
Mother needs a new dress for the exercises.
Is there some arrangement I could make to buy her one?
After I graduate, I'll get a full-time job and I could pay you back.
You'll be needing a new dress yourself.
Oh, I can get by.
Look, with Easter and graduation coming on,
I'll be needing some help.
How would you like to work here afternoons and Saturdays?
Oh, I'd love to!
Fine.
- Then I could buy two dresses. - Wholesale.
Gee, no girl ever had two better friends than you and Allison.
When you see how hard Mother makes you work, you won't say that.
Oh!
- Rodney's outside. - Good. Let him wait.
Aren't you afraid you'll be arrested wearing that thing?
- No. Just picked up. - Mother says women should be mysterious.
You think the dress is too old?
No. You're just too young.
Aren't you afraid people will think you're fast?
Allison, according to my philosophy,
what other people think will not pay the rent.
If you're accused of being fast, you might as well run.
That way you get to all the good things first.
Just remember, men can see much better than they can think.
Believe me, a low-cut neckline does more for a girl's future
than the entire Britannica encyclopedia.
Allison, could you help me a moment?
Sure. Be right back.
You think Rod will like it?
When you have your 18th birthday party,
I don't want you to invite Betty Anderson.
Then I might as well not have a party.
If I can't invite Betty, Rodney Harrington won't come.
I wouldn't mind that at all.
If Rodney won't come, his friends won't, and soon nobody will accept.
I can't understand why you want to be friends with a girl like Betty.
Mother, you don't--
I don't like the way she talks about men and sex.
It appears the only perfect individual in Peyton Place is you.
We've had 17 dull birthday parties alone.
Could you let me have one for myself, please?
Hey, Allison, what about Betty?
- Hi, Norman. - Oh, hi, Allison.
What's the matter?
Same old thing.
Grown-ups who act like children.
Hey, could I walk home with you?
Oh, no. It's out of your way. Besides, you'll get home late.
You mean your mother wouldn't like it.
- Well-- - Come on, Norman, come on.
Spend the afternoon in the library again?
Yeah.
Isn't it awfully dull going there every day?
Yeah.
Oh? Then why do you do it?
Well, I like books. Good place to do my homework.
Besides, where else could I go but home?
Go down to the water, sit in the square,
take a walk in the woods.
I can't.
You know, that was a nice speech that you wrote for Miss Thornton.
I'm sorry I did it now.
Why didn't you read it yourself instead of letting Rodney Harrington do it?
Because I was afraid I'd cry.
Still might cry every time I think of Miss Thornton not getting that job.
You just might turn out to be a great writer.
Oh, Norman, I hope so.
You know, every time I touch a book
or read a story
or even when I just open the dictionary,
something inside of me goes thump...
and my heart starts pounding,
and my stomach--
You know, it's how people are supposed to feel when they fall in love.
Of course, I never have.
Oh, I wish I could be so sure of what I wanted to do.
- You must have some idea. - Mmm. No.
No, I thought of everything, but nothing seems to fit me.
Maybe I'll be unique and retire at the age of 18.
Norman! It's about time you got home.
Hello, Mrs. Page!
- Bye, Norman. - Wait just a minute, will you?
- But your-- - I don't want to go in just yet.
Norman, what an awful thing-- hating to go home.
Come on in here.
Well, thanks for walking with me.
I enjoyed it, really.
Good-bye.
- May I walk on it, Nellie? - Sure. It's dry by now.
Your mother wants you to call her.
I really don't feel like it.
You two have a fight again?
Same fight, different round.
- Nellie. - Yeah?
You've been both a daughter and mother.
- Which one is worse? - Being a mother.
Why?
You find yourself doing the same things you hated your own mother and father doing.
That's very interesting.
Somewhere along the line, doesn't somebody get intelligent
and realize the children have to grow up their own way?
The mind's nothing to do with it. It's your feelings.
Kids get born,
and you just worry about them and you hope for them.
Well, I got to get going.
Good night, Nellie.
Good night, Allison.
Hello?
Oh, hello, Mother.
I just wanted to tell you I've been thinking it over,
and you can invite anyone you want to your birthday party.
Oh, Mother, thank you. Thank you very much.
I'll be home in a little while.
Bye.
Um, 2676-J, please.
Hey, watch where you're going there, buddy, will you?
- Oh, thanks much. - Thank you.
- You don't need it. - Right now I want it. I want some!
- Would you like a sandwich, Norman? - No, thank you.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
- Happy birthday! - Happy birthday, Allison.
- Hi! - How are you?
- Betty and Rodney! - Hey, where's Ted Carter?
Right here.
Let's take that corny music off and get down to serious dancing.
- What? Those are good records. - Yeah. These are new ones.
- How about a sandwich? - I brought mistletoe.
- Mistletoe? - Hang it high, will ya, boy?
Only if I can kiss Betty Anderson.
Tonight, nobody's safe with me here.
Mistletoe? Christmas is eight months away.
I believe in doing my Christmas kissing early.
Hey!
- Hey, where's the punch? - It's over there, Rodney.
- Good. I'm thirsty. - We'll add the old family formula.
- Mother says we shouldn't. - We can't do that.
- My mother wouldn't want-- - Don't tell me she's here.
- No, she's at the movies. - Great!
Put the booze in the bowl.
That's the one thing she made me promise. Please?
Come on, Allison. You want to have a party or not?
- You can't fight city hall. - I'm sorry.
Listen, forget it. I know 10 other ways to make a birthday party successful.
Now, first,
we got to make the atmosphere a little more intimate.
Rodney, aren't you the one?
- Evening. - Evening.
- Hello, Doc. - Hi, Connie.
- Just coffee, please. - Right.
Who is that, Doc?
That's Mrs. MacKenzie. She runs a dress shop.
She has a daughter in the senior class. Allison MacKenzie.
- Beautiful woman. - Yeah. A widow.
She was born here, but had ambitions and left.
Married in New York to some advertising genius.
When he died, she came back here.
- I'd like to meet her. - Wouldn't do you no good.
Bring your coffee.
Connie, you haven't met Mr. Rossi, the new school principal.
- Mrs. MacKenzie. - How do you do?
Hello. I hear about you every day from my daughter.
Uh...
You been working kind of late?
No. I've been to the movies.
- Allison's giving a birthday party. - Oh.
What does your daughter plan to do after graduation?
She'd like to be a writer. I'd like her to go to college.
It's too bad she didn't have brothers and sisters.
Why do you say that?
It's just that I'm against only-child families.
Only children receive all of the attention and energy of the parents-- good and bad.
- I don't think Allison's turned out badly. - She hasn't turned out yet.
Her life is just beginning.
Anyway, it's a little late to give her any brothers and sisters, isn't it?
In your case, I'd say it wasn't.
If I didn't like you so much and know you so well--
Now, Connie, don't you go proposing to me.
- For you, Doc. - Excuse me.
Would you like a cigarette?
- Swain speaking. - Thank you.
I'll be right over.
Speak of babies, and they appear.
Mrs. Lunkle's in labor. I'll see you later.
Thanks, Doc.
- Bye. - Bye.
Doc Swain's always talking about babies.
They're his stock in trade.
Not a bad subject though.
We teach schoolchildren English and math and history,
and yet we neglect the one subject that gives them the most trouble in life.
You don't recommend classes in baby-making, do you?
Only in theory.
I intend to initiate a sex education course in the school.
Isn't that a function of the home?
You'd think it would be, yet not one parent in 10 does it.
No. Sex is taboo in the home.
And it should be in the schools.
Where would they learn it? In the alleys in parked cars?
They'll learn it when they marry.
Good night, Mr. Rossi.
Doc Swain offers a special price for frostbites.
- Come on, Allison. - Rodney.
Allison!
- This was supposed to be a birthday party. - Mother.
We were just playing a game called photography.
You turn out the lights and see what develops.
Don't be fresh. Just leave immediately.
All of you!
I'm sorry, Mrs. MacKenzie, but I just caught her under the mistletoe.
Will you please leave!
Happy birthday, Allison. Come on, Betty.
Thanks anyway.
Thanks, Allison.
Come out here.
Allison, I said come out here!
I knew this would happen if you invited Betty Anderson.
- It wasn't her fault. - And you and Rodney making love.
We were kissing-- one kiss. Not making love.
The house in darkness and couples necking all over the place.
I know, Mother, but everyone wanted to dance in the dark.
And I couldn't very well--
Mother, some time or other at every party in this town, they turn out the lights.
I don't want you to be like everybody in this town.
I want you to rise above Peyton Place.
It's my home and my town, and why should I want to rise above it?
Because its standards are low.
Its people trying to drag each other down to their own common level.
I don't want to be perfect like you, Mother.
I don't wanna live in a test tube.
I just want to be me and have some fun and have some friends.
I'd rather be liked than be perfect.
By liked, you mean being pawed over in the dark
by some young animal with one thing on his mind?
Mother, don't make it sound like that!
Everything has to be learned, even kissing.
And sex? Is that what you're going to practice at your next party?
You keep trying to accuse me of things I'm not even thinking about!
Oh, Allison.
I don't want you to get a reputation for a half-hour's carelessness.
I already have one. The wrong kind.
I want you to fall in love,
and at the proper time, to marry a man who respects you.
I want you to have a good name. I want--
You want! You want! You want!
Is that all you can say?
Well, if any man would seriously ask me,
I'd run away and become his mistress.
Don't you ever let me hear you say that again!
Ohh! I don't know why I said it.
Allison!
Well, good morning.
Hello, Prudie.
- Hello, Allison. - Hello, Joey.
Selena will be out in a couple of minutes.
Thank you.
Come on in back. I got a new baby lamb.
Oh, I'd love to see it.
Oh, it's darling.
- I didn't show you my lizard. - Uh-uh.
I keep him in a box right there.
I got some holes punched in it just so he can breathe.
His name is Pocahontas.
Used to be a man didn't have to cook
- his own meals in his own house. - Look at it all you want.
Times have changed. Ma's working, and I'm late for church.
The way you parade yourself up and down,
taking off your clothes, putting on your clothes.
- I don't parade up and down. - You do!
Like to show yourself off, don't you?
I don't like to show myself off!
Just 'cause we don't live in a palace,
doesn't mean we have to act like we're pigs or something.
We got a trash can, remember?
Well, well, well.
If you don't pick it up, somebody else has to.
And it wouldn't harm you to take the garbage out and bury it either.
Or do you like living like a pig?
What do you think you are, a general or something, always giving orders?
Take your hands off me!
Don't you touch her! Don't you touch her anymore!
Hey, it was just a little family fracas.
Guess my little girl's getting too big to spank.
It was my fault, Allison.
I made him mad.
Every family has fights.
They're forgotten in an hour.
# Praise him, all creatures #
# Here below #
# Praise him all #
# Of the heavenly fold #
# Praise Father #
Come on.
Hey, Norman, you know what?
There's a place I know that I'd like to show you
that no one knows about, not even you.
It's my secret place.
Aw, I know every spot within three miles of Peyton Place.
Not this one. Come on.
You're right. I never knew this place was here.
I don't think anybody does but me
and maybe God and now you.
It's beautiful.
I've just decided.
This is the last time I'm ever going to come here.
Uhh! Why?
Oh, I'm going to leave it for somebody else to find.
Hey, maybe your children will discover it, huh?
I'm never going to get married. I'm just going to have lovers.
Oh, Allison.
What's wrong with that?
No children to grow up unhappy.
Nobody gets hurt, except maybe me.
Yeah, but that's the worst kind of emotional maladjustment.
Who said so?
- Oh, a book I read. - What book?
Well, see, I've sent for a book.
Uh, it was $1.98 in a plain wrapper.
- A plain wrapper? - Yeah, a plain wrapper.
And, well, it was about marriage and-- and sex.
I had it sent to me at the post office, general delivery.
It took me about two weeks to get up the courage to go pick it up.
Oh, God-- God, I know it sounds funny,
but that was the only way I could find out anything.
Norman, you know what?
I sent for a book just like that,
in the same plain wrapper, general delivery.
- No? Really? The same one? - Mm-hmm.
And I read every word of it.
And I think that most of it's mid-Victorian nonsense.
Maybe yours was better. Hey, want to trade books?
Oh, no.
No, I'd be too embarrassed.
That's your whole trouble, Norman.
Everything embarrasses you.
- Everything frightens you. - I know.
I'm-- I'm sorry.
I'm sorry we started talking about all this.
Hey, Norman, look.
It's about time you learned
that girls want to do the same things as boys.
And they have the right to know how.
I mean, I think we should help each other.
Are you suggesting that--
Oh, Norman, don't get me wrong.
All I want is a normal, intelligent discussion
and maybe some normal affection between a boy and a girl.
Nothing more.
Everybody in this town hides behind plain wrappers.
You're so afraid.
You've even been afraid to ask me to the graduation dance.
Oh, Allison, I want--
Well, see, I'm just not asking anybody. I'll be there, but I can't ask you.
Why not?
Well, my mother.
Your mother.
Well, she wouldn't actually forbid it.
It's just that she gets--
she gets jealous of anybody at all that I spend my time with.
Oh, you don't know her.
You don't have to live with her.
But she's my mother. There's nothing I can do about that.
You don't have to tell me any more, Norman.
Please, Allison. I've got to tell somebody.
She won't let me have friends.
She-- Oh.
She makes me tell her 10 times a day how much I love her.
She's afraid she'll die alone in a poorhouse.
Oh, and marriage--
marriage, she says, is misery,
and a woman can only cause me trouble.
Oh, Norman.
I can't believe it.
Nobody would.
Now maybe you know why I hate to go home,
why I live in the library.
Why I-- I can't dance or kiss girls or look anybody in the eye.
You see, I'm a sissy and a coward.
No, you're not, Norman.
No one around town stopped to think and give you a chance.
You shouldn't be afraid of girls.
I know, but I am, and I don't know what I can do about it.
- I know what you can do. - What?
You can start with me.
I'll prove everything your mother ever said was wrong.
Would you kiss me, Norman?
- I don't think I can. - Yes, you could.
Kiss me.
I don't know why I should act so experienced.
It was only my second kiss this year.
It wasn't as good as Rodney's, was it?
No.
Hello. I guess I should have phoned,
- but I was in the neighborhood-- - No, that's all right.
I have a message for Allison. Is she home?
No.
She and Selena have just gone over to Kathy Ellsworth's house.
Gives me a good excuse to talk to you.
May I come in?
Oh, of course.
You have a lovely house.
Thank you.
Please come in.
This is a very comfortable room.
Good books, pictures.
My own hotel room's a bit basic.
I have a mirror for shaving, a basin for washing,
and a closet where I hang my coat, and that's about it.
- You ought to find yourself a house. - I'm trying to.
In the meantime, I still have my hotel room,
which I clear out of right after dinner.
Uh, you said you had something you wanted to tell me.
I was telling you something, Mrs. MacKenzie,
but you weren't listening.
Your husband?
He died when Allison was two.
And, uh, Allison.
Well, a few years ago.
She's grown a bit since then.
Oh, I came to tell you that
Allison has been named valedictorian.
Oh, that's wonderful.
She'll be terribly pleased, and so am I.
She's a fine girl-- bright and sensitive.
You should be very proud of her.
Yes, I am.
Well, that's what I came about.
Good night, Mrs. MacKenzie.
You are lonely here, aren't you?
It's not the worst thing that can happen to you.
Isn't it?
You can learn to live by yourself. You can get used to it.
Maybe, but that doesn't make it the best way to live.
The best way? What would that be?
People meeting, talking.
Well, in Peyton Place,
two people talking is-- is a conspiracy.
A meeting is an assignation,
and getting to know one another is a scandal.
I think you're hard on the town. You're hard on yourself.
No, I-- I'm quite all right the way I am.
What were you going to do tonight?
Wash your hair? Read a book? Go to the movies alone?
Well, it makes time pass.
Time shouldn't just pass, Mrs. MacKenzie.
It should be used.
I wouldn't know where to begin.
Begin at the beginning. Begin by getting out.
We need another chaperone for the graduation dance.
Why don't you help us out.
Will you come?
- I'd think I'd like that. - Fine.
Good night, and thanks.
- Good night. - Good night.
Betty Anderson's father stopped me in the shop today.
Yeah? What did he want?
He asked when you was gonna marry Betty, before college or during?
I hadn't exactly thought of marrying her.
I wouldn't hear of it even if you wanted to!
Anderson's a good foreman, but his daughter's something else.
- Yeah, I agree. - Then stop seeing her.
I can't stop seeing her right away, Dad.
I invited her to the graduation dance.
Un-invite her.
Aw, now, Dad, I can't do that.
You're gonna.
Do you realize what it would mean if you was to marry the local tramp?
When you marry, you're gonna marry someone on your own level.
Call her and tell her it's off.
- You trying to kill me? - Call her.
- Aw, please, Dad. - Go on! Call her!
1042-W, please.
I can understand you wanting to see this girl,
but not in public. You know what I mean.
Okay, okay, Dad. Nobody's fighting you.
I'll be as big a Harrington as you. I'll marry a cold fish from Boston,
have one child, and cheat the rest of my life.
An apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
But the graduation dance is important.
You want a new car, don't you?
Uh, B-Betty? Um, hello, Betty.
Look, this is Rodney.
Look, Betty, this is, uh, so terrible, I don't know where to begin.
Tell her.
Betty, the graduation dance is off.
Aw, she hung up. What a fine graduation!
- I know someone you can take. - Who?
Allison MacKenzie.
Yeah. Her mother kicked me out of the house for kissing her on her birthday.
I'll talk to her mother. Allison's a girl of quality.
Dad, quality's a good thing in woolen cloth,
but it's very dull on a big date.
I didn't know you were such a good dancer, Allison.
- Thank you. - Yeah. Sure.
- Hi, Rod. - Hi there, Allison.
Hi.
Hey, Rodney, looking for someone?
After the dance, shall we go to Rockland?
Okay. Oh, really?
- Some more, Mrs. MacKenzie? - No, thank you, Miss Thornton.
May I have this dance, Mrs. MacKenzie?
Well, I-- I haven't danced for such a long time,
I'm afraid I'd be terrible.
Dancing isn't something you forget.
Hey, listen, Allison, I promised a dance to Betty.
The second one after intermission. Do you mind?
No. Not if you promised it to her.
- I'll see you around, okay? - Okay.
Allison.
Did you see your mother dancing with Mr. Rossi?
No, I've never seen my mother dance.
Standing right over there.
They make a good-looking couple.
They do?
- Hi, Norman. - Hi.
Dance with me, Norman.
I don't know how.
Just try.
- Where we going? - You'll see.
Hey, Rodney, you got a new car.
Yeah. Hey, come on. Get in.
Oh, Rodney, it's beautiful.
Here we are, snug as peas in a pod.
- Where we going? - Nowhere.
Hey, I'm mad at you.
Come on, Betty.
- You really wanna kiss me, don't you? - Boy, do I.
Tell me how much.
- Betty, I-- - Tell me.
I wanna kiss you more than anyone in the world.
I wanna kiss you a thousand times. I never wanna stop kissing you.
That's pretty good. I'll give you one kiss.
What would Allison say?
Oh, why bring her name up at a time like this? Hmm?
Only one kiss to a customer.
Betty, I couldn't help it. My father made me call you on the phone.
Wouldn't you rather be with me?
Oh, yes. Yes.
Tell me how much.
In the whole world, in the whole wide world,
there's nobody I'd rather be with than you, Betty.
Give me another kiss.
Oh, honey, honey.
- You wanna make love to me? - Oh, yes, yes, of course I want to.
Now go make love to Allison MacKenzie.
Go get the girl you brought to the dance and try it with her.
And the next time I go out, it will be with a man, not a papa's boy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
pupils and faculty of Peyton Place High School,
and especially the seniors.
They tell me it is a tradition here to end each graduation dance
with "Auld Lang Syne."
Well, since I'm new here and not yet part of your traditions,
I think the song should be led by a woman who has been with you long.
Miss Elsie Thornton.
Thank you, Mr. Rossi.
We're a small spot in a small town on a great big map.
And maybe Peyton Place High School isn't a name that shakes the world,
but it's a part of each of you forever.
Make it great by honoring it,
and come back to see us whenever you can.
Now let's form a big circle,
everyone holding hands.
# Should auld acquaintance be forgot #
# And never brought to mind #
# Should auld acquaintance be forgot #
# And days of auld lang syne #
# For auld lang syne, my dear #
# For auld lang syne #
# We'll take a cup of kindness yet #
# For auld lang syne #
It's an odd feeling, being in a school when it's so quiet.
I always kind of think of it as sleeping,
resting up from the pounding it takes during the day.
Do you work here at night?
Oh, yes. Quite often.
You don't realize all the work and preparation it takes to be a teacher.
It's like-- Well, it's like all these kids were my own.
I love them. I want so much for them.
It's more than a job to you, isn't it?
I didn't mean to sound like the dedicated idealist.
Well, there's nothing wrong in that.
Connie...
I did want to thank you for coming tonight.
Well, you don't have to. I enjoyed everything.
Including the, uh, dancing?
Including.
You're wasting your time, Mike.
I had my love a long time ago.
And when my husband died, I came back here,
and I've had no time for anything but Allison and the dress shop.
- You've got time now. - It's too late.
- Look, Connie, if I were to-- - I said it's too late.
I made my choice...
long ago.
Please take me home.
Sure.
Selena, let's get married.
You mean now?
Well, sure. I can get a full-time job.
But what about college
and law school that you've always talked about?
Oh, that's just a dream. I can't do it.
- My old man doesn't make enough money-- - Well, whose father does?
Not everyone in college is a millionaire's son.
Don't get so steamed up.
Ted Carter, you've always wanted to be a lawyer.
Now go be it. Don't crumple up at the first obstacle.
The first obstacle's the biggest-- the money.
Well, then get over that,
and the rest should be easy.
Selena, do you know how long it takes to become a lawyer?
What difference does it make? It's what you want to do in life.
One of the things I want to do in life is marry you.
If I don't now, maybe I never will.
Ted, the only family I'll ever have will be half yours.
I'll wait, no matter how long it takes.
Good night.
Good night, Selena.
Ted?
Thank you.
Ma?
Joey?
I thought you was something out of a dream.
Where's Ma and Joey?
Let us-- Let's have a drink, cel-celebrate your growing up.
Where's Ma and Joey?
They're working at a party at Harrington's.
Come on. Let's have a drink, huh?
Rather stay in the dark, getting kissed by Ted Carter.
I'm going to bed.
About time I started teaching you something--
Lucas. Lucas, let me go! Lucas!
Never had nothing I ever wanted. Never had a beautiful woman.
Lucas, let go!
Let me up!
Let me offer to the class of 1941
this fond farewell.
The world outside waits for you.
It is a world full of love and rich in opportunity.
There may be dangers,
but if you hold firm to your purpose and your ideals,
you will storm the ramparts of success and capture them.
Tomorrow, you grow up and your true happiness begins.
- Thank you. - My best wishes to you.
Selena Cross.
Norman.
At first, a diploma seemed like a reward for the past,
but once in your hand, it became an obligation to the future.
Independence was a distant word that we suddenly owned,
and we exploded with it.
Some of us splashed away the summer,
or swooped and stretched with joyfulness...
and emptied our childish piggy banks of their play money.
Yet, others of us, eager to feel adult
or out of necessity, began our work early.
- Put the bottle up on top. - Here?
And, gradually, as the happy confusion of summer faded,
one by one, we knew the Monday morning of responsibility was at hand.
- Hi, Mr. Rossi. - Hello, Allison.
Did you read those stories I gave you?
Yes, I read them.
Well?
- When did you write them? - All summer, ever since graduation.
Has anybody else seen them?
Only Selena.
She thinks I'm a genius.
What do you think?
Are they good enough to send to a magazine?
Yes, if you want to end up in prison.
Those stories were full of enough libel and slander
and double entendre to hang us all.
Allison, is that how Peyton Place really looks to you?
They were only fiction. I didn't use any real names.
You didn't have to. I recognized everybody in town.
Oh.
But let's get down to the important part.
You have a talent. Those stories were a good start.
Now where do you go from here?
That's what I hoped to find out from you.
Then I suggest college.
With your talent and your ideas, you could--
Thank you, but I don't want to go to college.
- I never have. - Why not?
Because I don't want to study about writing. I want to write.
Nobody has to tell me that Shakespeare was a wonderful writer
or that a million wonderful books have already been written.
Allison, those books tell you how and why.
I'd rather find that out myself at a typewriter.
I need someplace to get me going, someplace to start.
All right.
If that's how you feel about it, then let's do it.
Hmm? Let's start at the Peyton Place Times.
Who said I was a cynical, hard-hearted newspaperman?
Aren't all newspapermen supposed to be?
Allison, that's a myth.
Why, we're the most sentimental slobs in the world,
- the softest touches there are. - Prove it.
All right.
When do I start? All I want is a chance to show what I can do.
Write something up this week, and I'll run it on Friday.
Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Bushwell.
I'll start right away. I'll dig up a story you'll never forget.
- I don't doubt it. - Thank you.
Uh, just remember, there's no such thing as a cheap lawsuit.
- Oh. - Hold on.
We haven't discussed pay.
You don't have to pay me. I'll do it for experience.
Allison, the first thing experience teaches us is to get paid.
Five dollars a column to start. More later.
Oh, gee.
That's more than--
Oh, I wouldn't want these stories to fall into the wrong hands, you know.
Thanks, Seth.
There's no question about it.
The tests confirm that you're pregnant, Selena.
I'd say about three months.
Who's the father?
I won't tell you.
Aw, now what kind of rot is that?
You're not the first girl in the world who ever had to get married,
or in this town, for that matter.
Who's the father?
- Ted Carter? - No!
- Don't you lie to me. Don't lie! - I'm not lying to you.
Doc, help me.
- I need your help. - What do you mean by help?
I don't wanna have the baby. Give me something.
There's nothing I can give you to take that will help.
Just tell me who's responsible. Maybe I can help you that way.
You can get married.
He's already married.
Well, then he'll have to take care of you and provide for the baby.
- Just tell me who it is. - Doc, please, just give me something.
Selena!
I've done a lot of things in my time, but I've never broken the law.
What you're asking me to do is break the law of man and God.
Now tell me, who is the man?
Selena, tell me who he is!
- Who is he? - It's my stepfather!
It's my stepfather. It's Lucas! It's Lucas.
Hi, Doc. Come on in. Have a drink.
I've got Selena in my office.
Selena? What for?
She's pregnant.
I told her she'd get in a mess of trouble.
Always wrestling around with that Carter boy.
- I told her. She wouldn't listen. - You low, miserable, crazy slime.
Don't you go shoving a man with an ax in hand.
- That's your child Selena's carrying. - It ain't!
I can prove it, Lucas.
I've got enough proof on you, Lucas,
to put you in jail for the rest of your unnatural life.
- I never touched her. - Here. Sign that.
It's a statement of the facts.
No. Are you out of your mind?
I never touched her.
Maybe you'd like the state police to sweat it out of you.
I never touched her, and I ain't gonna sign nothing that said I did.
All right. You don't want to sign this paper, that's up to you.
Hey, Doc. Doc.
Y-You know I couldn't do nothing as awful as that, don't you?
I'm going back to my office.
And then I'm gonna start telephoning every father in Peyton Place.
Oh. Oh, you wouldn't.
I don't know what they'll take it in their heads to do, but I do know this.
You're the janitor in a school full of young girls.
In an hour from now, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.
Doc, Doc, don't-- don't do it.
I-I wouldn't think of fooling around with any other girls.
It was just Selena, Doc.
Well, there was something about her.
It was just Selena.
Please, Doc, don't.
There's only one thing that will stop me.
You sign that.
If-- If I sign it,
what are you going to do with it?
I'll lock it up in my safe.
Give me the pen.
Now get out of here and leave a man to work.
No, Lucas. You get out.
You get out of Peyton Place before dark.
Doc, I signed it for you.
If you do, I'll keep this paper in my safe.
But if you don't, I'll use it against you.
- I signed it! - Don't you ever try to come back here.
Not next week, not next year, not ever.
If you do, I'll kill you myself.
Why, you little--
Mary.
Unofficially, this was a miscarriage.
Officially and for the records, it's an appendectomy.
- But that's a lie. - I removed her appendix, you understand?
Do you want to ruin a girl's life for one word?
- No, but falsifying records-- - I'll make them out personally.
And if you ever tell anybody this wasn't an appendectomy,
I'll tell the whole town about you and that drug-supply salesman.
- Doctor, that's blackmail. - It sure is.
Oh, Nellie, she's all right now. She's just fine.
Oh, thank God.
- Oh, the disgrace. Disgrace. - Now, now, now.
- Shh. Nellie, Nellie. - Disgrace.
Don't talk that way.
Nobody's ever going to know but the three of us.
People find out. They always find out.
No, no, no.
Nobody's going to find out as long as you don't say a word.
- Understand? - No. No, I won't.
Good. Now, you run on home now, hmm?
- Thank you, Doctor. - That's a good girl.
Thanks. Thanks.
Don't worry about your job. It'll always be waiting for you.
Thanks for the beautiful bed jacket.
Hi, Mrs. MacKenzie, Hi, Allison.
- Hello, Ted. - We were just leaving.
- Don't let me rush you out. - We have to go anyway.
- Bye. - Good-bye, Selena. See you soon.
They say it'll bloom for a month.
Then you can plant it in your yard as a reminder of your operation.
Here's a book on humor.
Surgery's nothing these days. You'll be up and around before you know it.
Oh, I went to see Mr. Rossi today.
Talked to him about how to get to college.
He said he might be able to wrangle me a scholarship.
In the meantime,
he talked Charlie Partridge into taking me into his office as an office boy.
How about that?
That's just fine.
The only thing, though, if I work there a year,
it'll be eight years instead of seven before I can pass the bar exam.
Gee, Selena, I don't want to wait that long.
I wanna marry you now and become a lawyer too.
Gee, honey, don't cry. There's nothing to cry about.
Please go, Ted.
Just go.
Okay.
Guess I picked the wrong time.
I'll come back tomorrow when you're feeling better.
Morning, Mrs. MacKenzie.
Why, Nellie.
You didn't have to come to work today.
Work keeps my mind off of things.
Selena's all right now, isn't she?
She'll be back to the store tomorrow.
Everything is just trouble, Mrs. MacKenzie, just trouble.
Oh, Nellie, don't do any work today.
Just sit around and relax.
Happy Labor Day, Mother.
Something's wrong.
She's upset.
Can't blame her with Lucas being gone for two weeks
and nobody knows where he is.
I've gotta run.
Bye.
- Hi, Norman. - Hi.
- How are you? - Fine.
Come on.
Hello, Mike. Where'd you come from?
Back there.
Go ahead.
Nothing's as dull as a Labor Day speech.
I didn't bring you here to explain how management and labor
must pull together and not in opposite directions.
You've got living proof of it in our prosperity.
And there's more to come.
Meet me halfway, and you'll never be unemployed.
Not as long as men and women don't go back to wearing fig leaves.
And if they did, I'll bet we'd be in the fig leaf business
sooner than anybody east of the Alleghenies.
Now, aside from this celebration,
this is a proud moment of my life.
Tomorrow, my son Rodney leaves for Harvard.
Let's get the fun started and give him a send-off.
End of speech.
I'm just beside myself. First Paul goes and then Lucas.
I don't know how Selena and me can keep on working
and take care of Joey.
- You'll just have to keep trying. - I've been trying all my life.
Got a husband who was drunk all the time
and a growing girl dressing and undressing in front of him...
and him staring at her all the time,
staring at her and thinking.
Oh, Nellie. We all have our problems.
Staring at her and...
staring at her.
- Hello. - Hello.
What are you doing out here by yourself?
I'm not used to being at home all day with Nellie.
She has too many problems.
And as for the Harrington outing, I've seen them all.
Let's go for a drive, try to find something interesting to do.
Far away from Peyton Place.
Now you're beginning to think like a true suspicious native.
All right.
- Are you ready? - Yeah!
- Are you ready? - Sure.
Ready, set, go!
Hot dogs.
No. I like to.
Gimme two hot dogs with mustard.
I'll take five.
# Now is the time #
# You tell me #
# Your dream #
# I'll #
# Tell you #
# Mine #
# I'll tell you mine #
Hi, Harvard. Going to invite me to the big game?
Well, if it isn't my childhood sweetheart.
How are you, Betty?
Take a look. Draw your own conclusions.
Well, you certainly have improved with age.
Things must have been pretty dull for you these past months.
You know, you're right. Come on. Let's take a walk.
What would your father say?
Look, Betty. I don't care about that.
- Come on. - Outings leave me cold.
Let's grab some sandwiches. I've got a pint in the glove compartment.
We'll go down to Crystal Pond. Place will be deserted today.
Hey, you can think for yourself, once in a while, can't you?
- Come on. - Okay.
# Oh #
# Genevieve #
# Sweet Genevieve #
# The days may come #
Hey, let's go get a hot dog or something.
- Okay. - Good.
# But still the hands #
# Of mem'ry weave #
# The blissful dreams #
# Of long ago #
- Let's go swimming or something. Okay? - Okay.
- See that? - Hmm? What?
Allison MacKenzie and Norman Page
on their way down to Crystal Pond to swim all by themselves.
So what? They're young, happy, maybe in love.
What trouble can they get into?
If you don't understand, I'm not going to explain.
- More? - Why not?
Your father said to give you a big send-off.
- Rodney? - Hmm?
Will I ever see you again?
I mean, can I compete with those Boston girls?
- What are your qualifications? - Can't you guess?
Seeing is believing.
I think you're 10% man and 90% talk.
And you're 100% woman.
250% woman.
Maybe 500.
It's gonna take a lot more than money to keep me.
Hey, you know what you're doing to my temperature?
Okay. Let's cool it off. Let's go for a swim.
But we didn't bring any bathing suits.
Yeah.
- You all ready, Norman? - Yeah.
Forgot my cap.
What did you say?
Norman, you're making me blush all over.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Let's go in swimming, huh?
What'd you whistle for?
Just saw a young fella and a girl swimming without a stitch on.
Where?
Oh, they're gone now.
Yeah. They got out of the water and ran into the woods.
Naked?
Naked.
It was Allison MacKenzie and Norman Page.
I didn't really get a good look at them.
Don't you lie to me, Charles.
Marion, we're gonna pull out of here and forget we even saw them.
Betty, do you know how much I like you?
I remember... faintly.
Well, you know, I found out you can't always do or say what you want to,
that is, unless your father lets you.
Rodney,
are you going through all of your life only doing what your father lets you do?
Only having the friends that he picks out for you?
Wearing what he tells you to wear?
Thinking his thoughts?
Well, Betty, I'm old enough, but he's a tough man to handle.
- You've got to do it someday. - Yeah, but how?
I have a selfish idea. It has to do with you and me.
It's-- It's called... marriage.
And wouldn't that just bowl him over?
I'm sure it would. And me too.
But don't think of doing it just to bowl him over.
Oh, Betty, you're the only girl I've ever wanted.
Rodney.
Rodney, not that way.
What good is life if I go through it knowing
I didn't have the guts to live it my way?
Rodney,
I've really loved you for such a long time.
It must take a lot of patience to make something so beautiful.
That's what they tell me.
All gone.
Thank you.
Naked as the day they were born. Not a stitch on 'em.
Saw them with my own eyes.
Sorry. Just don't think it would be ethical to tell their names. Good-bye.
Marion?
- Thanks for today. - Anytime.
How about tomorrow, for instance?
I can't remember when I've had so much fun.
I've almost forgotten
all the silly and wonderful things there are for two people to do.
It isn't over yet.
Mike, please.
- I don't think we'd better. - Connie, listen to me.
I mean it.
All right. Let's talk about this.
I don't want to talk.
I just want you to leave.
- Just like that? - That's right.
We're not kids. We're adults.
And we're going to behave like adults.
I kissed you. You kissed me. That's affection, not carnality.
That's affection, not lust. You ought to know the difference.
And what do you call a man who thinks about nothing but--
Human.
All men are alike.
The approach is different, but the result is always the same.
Sooner or later, we get around to this.
If all I wanted was a woman, I could get one anyplace--
in a bar, in a hotel lobby, on a street corner--
Or in my home?
I'm not going to let you make anything dirty out of this.
What do you call it?
I'm going to tell you a hard truth about yourself.
It isn't sex you're afraid of. You can say yes or no to that.
It's love. That's what you can't handle.
That's what you're offering me, with your hands all over me.
That's only one expression of it, backed up by many things.
Well, I haven't asked for any of them.
You'd better understand what you're saying no to.
When I take you in my arms, I'm committing myself to you,
not just physically but all the way.
That means I intend to worry about you, to take care of you,
to stand in front of you if there's trouble,
and that's what I want back from you,
without any reservations or shame or embarrassment.
Either you're up to that or you're not.
I have my standards and my pride.
And not enough. Not for you or anyone else.
- You need someone to trust, to love. - No, I don't!
I don't! Now, just leave me alone.
I can do that too, but I don't want to. Connie, let me help you.
I don't care if you hang back. If it takes time, I'll give it time,
- all you need. - I can't!
The offer's always open.
I don't know if you'll take it up, but...
perhaps it'll make you feel better to know it's there.
Hello.
Yes, Marion.
I don't believe it. Are you positive?
No. No, I'll call Mrs. Page myself.
Operator, will you please connect me with Evelyn Page?
I don't believe Norman did what you said he did.
Two people saw them,
and Marion Partridge has probably spread it all over town.
Don't you dare say a word against Norman.
If you'd brought your son up with some intelligence and decent principles--
He has no interest in girls. He never had.
He never learned a thing about sex in my house.
The word was never mentioned.
- Oh, hello, Mrs. Page. - Come in here.
- Where's Norman? - Outside, just going home.
- Mother? - You just stay right here.
- What's the matter? - Norman!
- Come in here. - What is it, Mom?
- Where were you today? - What is it, Mother?
You were seen at Crystal Pond, swimming in the nude with Norman.
Oh, that's a lie.
Mother, how could you even think such a thing?
You were seen clearly and plainly by two people.
We went swimming, Mrs. MacKenzie, but we had our suits on.
And by now, everybody in Peyton Place knows about it.
So help me, if anything's wrong with her because of this--
I didn't do anything. We didn't do anything, did we, Allison?
- No. - You better take your boy and go.
We didn't do anything.
I've never, never been so humiliated and disgusted.
Allison! Come back here immediately.
Listen, Mother.
If you keep this up, someday I will do what you keep accusing me of.
I wouldn't doubt it. You're just like your father about sex.
In that way, you're just like him.
Don't you say things about my father. He was a wonderful man.
- Wonderful! - And fine and good to you.
That's what you told me. So don't blame him for anything.
Wonderful, fine and good.
That's what I told you? Well, I lied.
I lied about him because I was ashamed of him and of myself.
- Then why did you marry him? - I didn't!
And he didn't marry me, because he already had a wife!
- You don't mean that, Mother. - I do mean it!
- Don't you understand? - No.
He had a wife.
No.
Nellie!
Allison.
Ah!
Connie, everybody reacts differently to suicide.
With Allison, severe shock.
But she looks so-- so--
No, shock is just a kind of a sleep.
It's an escape, when the mind can't accept what it sees.
A few days' care and she'll be out of it.
Uh, I guess I'd better tell Selena.
And, Connie, just because it happened in your house,
don't think that any of it was your fault.
Somehow I do.
You've got just one thing to think about: Allison.
If you were gonna get married, why didn't you tell me?
- Because you wouldn't have approved, Dad. - You never gave me a chance.
At least, it would have been a proper marriage,
not a cheap, sneak-off, weekend affair.
- Don't say that. - Well, what was it?
- I'd like to talk with you alone. - You can talk to both of us.
This has to do with the business, not your wife.
I'll wait outside.
Okay, honey.
I can get it annulled.
Look, Dad. I don't want any trouble between us.
I was in love with Betty and I wanted to marry her. That's all.
You weren't in love. You had an itching for her.
She took you, Son. She took you.
Good-bye, Dad.
When you come to the house, don't bring her.
- And I won't be there either. - Rodney.
- What about college? - I'm not going. I have a wife to support.
You can have a job here if you work like everyone else.
That's good enough for me.
Thanks, Dad.
I knew you weren't coming down for lunch, so I thought--
It's such a beautiful day, darling.
Why don't you get dressed and go for a walk.
You haven't spoken to me for over a week since--
Oh, Allison, I understand how you feel.
You'll just have to accept what's happened
and make the best of it.
Mother.
As soon as I can,
I'm going to get dressed, pack my things and leave Peyton Place.
I never want to see this town or you again.
- You can't mean that. - I mean it.
I'm going to New York.
Oh, please, Allison. I--
I was only trying to protect you.
I was an accident that you hated and tried to hide.
But I loved you from the moment you were born.
Try to believe me.
Well, how will you live? What will you do for money?
I have enough to get there. I'll find a job.
Suppose you can't find a job.
Then I'll live off some man the way you did.
Oh, God.
Oh, God, help me.
Allison!
I didn't want you to come down here.
- I couldn't say good-bye in person. - I don't want you to go.
- But I'm going just the same. - You stay here.
You belong here, both of us together.
We've been friends ever since we were kids.
Good-bye, Selena.
But your mother. How can you leave her alone?
Mother's always been alone.
Oh, Selena.
I cried all the way to New York,
and my eyes were the color of the oak leaves that had started to fall back home.
For days I struggled to keep alive,
and I shivered with loneliness in a back room
on the fourth floor of nowhere.
There were times when I wanted to crawl home,
but somehow I managed, and I stayed.
I learned what I could endure,
but none of us in New York or in Peyton Place
could guess how much would be demanded of us that winter of deep despair.
I knew families at home would be getting up on frosty mornings,
driving their sons to a place of hurried good-bye.
I prayed for them.
Come on, fellas. Get your last cup of civilian coffee.
That army stuff is used for waterproofing shingles.
That's what I heard.
Thank you, sir.
- Take a couple. - Did you hear what Norman Page did?
He became the first 4-F in town.
- No. He enlisted in the paratroopers. - No kidding.
- Our Norman? - Yeah. He volunteered, the paratroopers.
That's the funniest thing I heard in years.
Maybe they'll drop his mother with him.
She'd kill a thousand Japanese before she'd let one of them touch her boy.
Brought you a doughnut.
Here.
Oh, Rodney, I'm going to cry.
No, you don't. Don't say anything silly either.
Betty, you don't know how glad I am that I married you.
Oh, Rodney, I hope so.
Your father's over there. Go say good-bye to him.
Go on. Go say good-bye to him.
He loves you as much as I do.
Go on.
Take care of yourself,
and whatever you do, do it honorably.
Well, that's the family motto.
Say, do me a favor, Dad.
Certainly, Son.
Take care of Betty if she needs anything.
She won't ask you for it, but she might need it.
I'll keep an eye on her.
Will all the draftees assemble over here, please?
Come right in close.
Now, as chairman of the draft board,
let me say that all of us regret having to send any of you men off to war.
You carry our love, our devotion and our undying gratitude.
Please try to come back safely to your homes.
Now, we've prepared some gift packages.
If you'll just step up here, and I'll hand them out.
There you are.
Peyton Place draftees,
in the bus on the double, let's go.
- Best of luck. - Hubba hubba hubba!
Come on, boys. Hurry it up.
Make the good-byes short.
Name loud and strong. Last name. Okay, go on.
- Clark. - Clark.
- Reilly. - Reilly.
- Culver. - Culver.
- Jones. - Jones.
- Harvey. - Keep going right in, boys. That's it.
You boys are gonna love the army.
- Elliot. - Elliot. Right.
Hurry up. Back of the bus. All the way. Plenty of seats for everybody.
Nothing in this world's gonna stop me from coming back.
- I love you, Selena. - I love you, Ted.
Come on. Hurry up. Hurry up. On the double.
Hubba hubba hubba! Let's go, boys.
Got 'em all.
Hey, you, snap it up.
On the double. Let's go.
You can write to her later on government stationery.
Good-bye, folks. Let's go.
That first winter away from home,
I took shape as an individual and toughened.
And with spring came the promise that perhaps
I had found my place in life.
But part of me would keep escaping,
and I'd find it running in memory back through the fields of Peyton Place
or wandering down streets now empty of young men.
I got a couple of funny ones.
This is from Ted Carter. He says,
"The food they serve here must have been warmed over from World War I."
- Oh. You remember Fred Cole. - Oh, sure.
- He's in the navy. - Yes, I know.
He says, uh, "Dear Hyde, I joined the navy
because I liked the way they kept their ships neat and tidy,
but I never knew until now
who kept them that way? me."
Yeah, the boys are certainly getting around these days.
I had a V-Mail letter just the other day
from someplace from Norman Page.
- You remember Norman. - Oh, sure.
He said something about--
He dug a foxhole so deep, it was just short of desertion.
And then the seasons spun by so fast
they seemed to become one.
The war news was too big to grasp
and too unhappy to understand.
Selena wrote me often about Peyton Place,
and I treasured her letters.
She always tried to mention my mother
and tell me what people were saying to each other
or were not saying.
Eventually, I broke the ice of my intentions
and subscribed to the Peyton Place Times.
I was hungry for names that meant something to me,
but among them, unhappily,
came the names of those who were gone forever.
Betty.
Rodney asked me to take care of you.
- I don't need your help, Mr. Harrington. - But I need yours.
Rodney was a better boy for having married you.
When I was six years old, I was in love with Rodney.
And for years afterwards, I never even thought about anybody else.
I was a kind of flashy girl, I know,
but Rodney liked flashy girls, so that's the way I was gonna be.
Funny thing is, Rodney always loved me as much as I loved him.
But you taught him appearances counted more than feelings.
I was wrong.
Rodney discovered it.
Let's--
Let's keep what's left of the family together.
No. A little brighter one, please.
- Did you hear about Mr. Rossi? - No, what?
- He's leaving town. - Leaving?
Well, not really leaving.
They're trying to get him to be the principal of a high school in Portland.
- You sure? - Of course I'm sure.
- I got it firsthand. - From Mr. Rossi?
No. I got it from Kathy who got it from Betty who got it from Miss Thornton.
I suppose that's firsthand.
I guess we won't be able to keep him here.
- Gee, this is nice. Can I try it on? - Sure. Come on.
Merry Christmas.
Come in. Merry Christmas.
It's been a long time, and it is Christmas.
You don't have to explain a gift. Thank you.
Come in. Let me take your coat.
I can only stay a moment.
I have to deliver a few more things.
- Can I fix you a drink? - No, thank you.
Well, come in. Sit down.
Well, I really came to--
Is it true that you might go to Portland?
Well, I've received the offer.
It's a larger school and, naturally, much more money.
So, of course you'll take it.
I don't know. I have a week to make up my mind.
Sit down.
- Michael? - Yes?
You were right.
I never thought I could say it, but you were right.
- About what? - During the past months,
I've been able to come to a few conclusions about myself.
- And what were they? - Well, Michael, I-I've lied so long.
I was everything you said,
especially that night in the kitchen.
I wanted you more than you could ever have wanted me.
I had no right to say those things to you.
Yes, you did.
And I came here to tell you the truth.
Connie, you don't owe me any explanations.
Allison didn't leave home because of Nellie's suicide
but because she hated me.
She won't answer my letters or phone calls.
Why not?
The night you walked out, Marion Partridge called me.
She told me Allison and Norman Page were swimming--
I heard about that woman and her phone calls.
Well, I've always been so afraid of scandal.
I believed Marion. I believed that phone call.
And without thinking, when Allison returned,
I-- I told her some terrible things.
What things?
Come on, Connie. What things?
I'm Allison's mother, but I've never been married.
Not to Angus MacKenzie. Not to anyone.
I went to New York and lived with a married man.
After he died, I came back here and lied.
And I've been lying ever since.
You want the truth,
and when you get it, you're-- you're just like everybody else.
- They want anything but the truth. - Connie. Connie!
I told you once that the offer was always open.
I told you that I'm committing myself to you all the way,
that I plan to worry about you and-- and take care of you.
I meant that.
Oh, Michael!
How's that?
Fine.
I'll get it.
- Merry Chris-- - Ain't you gonna invite me in?
That's not a very friendly greeting after I practically broke my back getting here.
Hi, Joey!
There's a blizzard blowing up-- big 'un. You got a drink? I'm froze.
You're nowhere near froze with all you've got in you already.
I see the navy hasn't managed to cure you of drinking.
Cure me?
Honey, the navy's taught me tricks you never heard of.
Say.
Sure made a lot of changes around here, ain't ya?
You bet we have, Lucas. And for a start, you can pick up your things and go.
Ain't nobody gonna tell me what I can't do in my own house.
- This isn't your house anymore. - I don't care what you did to it.
This is still my place, and don't you forget it.
Did you just come back here to make trouble?
You heard about Ma, didn't you?
Yep. Heard about her.
Hey, Joey, here's a quarter.
Now, run along now, huh? Come on. Pick it up.
- Pick it up, Joey. - Lucas, you leave him alone.
Oh, honey. Now, don't start a fight.
Me and you got to know each other a little too well for that.
Say, I-I didn't think you could improve,
but you sure have.
Oh, it ain't like I was your real pa, you know.
You dirty, filthy animal!
Still a little wildcat, ain't ya?
As we worship together this Easter morning,
and more, as we pray to him who died and rose again
that we might have life and have it more abundantly,
let us remember especially
those who have gone from this country and this town
to live and die in far-off places
for our like purpose.
May they know his mercy, his comfort
and his peace.
May we uphold them with our prayers,
encourage them with our letters,
honor them with our love.
And may our lives, not less than theirs,
be dedicated to that same Lord
who alone can give to life
a perfect freedom and a final peace.
Let us pray.
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Thank you. Come again.
- Yes? - I'd like to see Miss Cross.
Selena.
Miss Cross, you have a father in the navy?
Lucas Augustus Cross?
- My stepfather. - Have you seen him lately?
- Not for a year and a half. - What's wrong?
He went on leave and didn't come back. He's listed as a deserter.
Miss Cross, you sure you haven't seen him?
I didn't even know for sure that he was in the navy.
He hasn't called you or written you?
No.
He disappeared from town a year and a half ago.
Deserting his family.
Looks like he's running true to form.
If you do hear from him,
get in touch with First District Shore Patrol.
I will.
Oh, Selena, don't get upset.
It's not your fault they can't find him.
Well, what is it?
What's wrong, Selena?
Mrs. MacKenzie, I've got to tell somebody.
I can't keep it to myself any longer.
Every time I go out in that yard--
- What are you talking about? - Lucas didn't desert.
How do you know?
Because I killed him!
I killed him Christmas Eve in the shack.
- I don't believe it. - I did.
I buried him in the sheep pen.
Selena, you've got to call the state police.
No. No! I can't!
- You've got to! - No!
You should have done it long ago.
Oh, please don't make me.
Listen to me, Selena. Listen.
- One of us has got to call. - I can't!
- No! - You must call them now.
I can't.
- Pardon me. - Allison.
Norman! Oh, gee!
- What a surprise. - Yeah.
Hey, come here.
Hey, you guys. You know--
Hey, you look older, more grown-up.
- Well, the uniform helps. - And all the decorations.
- Yeah. Hey, what have you been doing? - Living in New York.
- Have you been doing any writing? - Yeah, I did some writing.
Did you get any of it published?
No. I got a job working for a book publisher.
Oh.
Hey, he didn't by chance publish those books with the plain wrappers,
- did he, remember? - No. Yes.
Yes, you do. Remember?
You were always afraid, and everything frightened you.
Uh-huh.
I can't get over how wonderful you look.
- Really. You look great. - Thanks.
You know, though, you never said good-bye to me
when you left Peyton Place.
- You never even said good-bye. - I'll never forget that Labor Day, Norman.
I won't either.
I see you have two Purple Hearts.
Yeah.
- What brings you home? Vacation? What? - Haven't you heard about Selena Cross?
- No. What? - She killed her stepfather Lucas.
Her trial starts in two days for murder.
No.
Lucas was always a bad joe,
but she seemed able to put up with him.
Whoever knows what anyone's able to put up with in this world?
Well, that's true.
Sure took me a long enough time to know a little about myself
and understand Peyton Place.
- Cigarette? - Oh, thanks.
I'm gonna go back and try and work things out with my mother.
Maybe we'll both be happier.
If not, well, at least I've made the effort.
- You know? - Mm-hmm.
I always wondered why you enlisted.
In the paratroopers, I mean.
I don't know. I guess I wanted to get knocked off or something.
But as soon as I got away from my mother,
I suddenly realized how wonderful life really was,
and then I fought like a tiger to stay alive.
Yeah. I was running away from my problems. You know what I mean.
Yeah, I know.
Something's bothering you, isn't it?
Yeah.
Uh, can I help?
No, you can't.
- Okay. - I'd rather not talk about it.
All right.
- Hey, uh, have you had dinner? - No.
- No? Uh, would you like dinner with me? - Okay.
- Okay? All right. - Uh-huh.
Doc Swain?
Hi. Evening, Selena. Be right with you.
My wife loved these flower gardens.
I try to keep 'em up for her.
Uh, watch your feet.
Are you gonna tell them about me?
- I'll have to, Selena. - Nobody in town must ever know.
But if I don't, you'll be risking your life.
I know that.
- Well, then why? - Because of Ted.
What are you afraid of? What he'll think? He loves you.
It would ruin his life, married to a girl who--
Doc, you know not a respectable person in town would accept him.
"Respectable."
What kind of respectability are you talking about?
The people with enough money to hire him as a lawyer.
Look. Don't you understand? We're talking about your whole life.
Prison can be a kind of dying.
Losing Ted would be a worse kind of dying.
Besides, you mustn't get involved.
Now, never mind about me.
Promise me you won't tell them.
Promise me. Please promise.
All right, Selena. I'll promise you.
Selena, you don't seem to realize you face a possible life sentence.
I need more to work with. Much more.
There is no more. Lucas was drunk and he was brutal.
When he tried to beat me, I couldn't stand it anymore and I killed him.
Killing in self-defense is understandable in certain circumstances.
But you hid the body. You acted like a criminal.
- I know. - But, Mr. Partridge,
she was fighting for her life.
The state has sent in a prosecutor for one purpose.
To convict Selena. I've seen him work.
He's competent and relentless as the law itself.
Yes. Tell her to come in.
There must be something you haven't told me.
- Lucas tried to kill me. - But you hid the body! Why?
Come in, Allison.
Oh, Allison.
I was never happier to see anyone in my life.
Are you all right?
- Hi, Ted. - Hi, Allison.
Mr. Partridge, I can testify about Lucas. I saw him beat her.
It'll help, believe me.
We all appreciate you coming back for the trial, Allison.
- You're gonna get her off, aren't you? - We're gonna do the best we can.
But the jury decides on the one thing: evidence.
It adds up to this.
We have a murder
and a defense that's too simple to be good.
It's open to attack from many sides.
Selena, have you told me the whole story?
I'm sorry.
There's no more to tell.
Hello, Allison.
You look well.
With a drink in my hand?
Would you care for something?
I moved hoping I'd be left alone.
You haven't learned, have you?
Oh, yes, I have, Mother.
I've learned to smoke and drink and go to bed when I want to.
And kiss boys whenever the impulse sweeps over me.
Allison, we all make mistakes,
but if we face them truthfully, they can be overcome.
Can we overcome the fact of my birth, that I'm illegitimate?
I think so. With love.
Thank you. And good-bye, Mother.
Soon as this trial's over, I'm taking the first train out of this town.
Good-bye, Mother.
Court will come to order.
Everybody rise.
Be seated, please.
The recess in the trial of the State versus Selena Cross is over.
Gentlemen, you may proceed.
Prosecution wishes to recall Joseph Cross to the stand.
Joey--
I told you this morning my name was Joseph.
Uh, Joseph.
This morning just before recess,
we were talking about lying and telling the truth.
Joseph, have you ever told a lie?
- Yes, sir. - Big ones or little ones?
Well, some little ones and some medium ones.
You'd lie to save your sister from prison, wouldn't you?
- Yes, sir. - A big lie?
- The biggest lie you ever heard. - I object.
Sustained.
Now, Joseph, we heard your testimony this morning.
- Was it true? - It was all true.
You claim that your sister killed your stepfather
because he, um, grabbed her.
He was a strong man. We were both afraid.
If Lucas was as strong as you and everybody else has said,
how could your sister possibly overpower him?
She was madder than he was and scareder.
Lucas was 195 pounds,
your sister 110.
Did she sneak up behind him
and hit him with that piece of firewood when he wasn't looking?
No, sir.
Were you watching every second?
I might have looked away once or twice.
Did you see Selena hit him the first blow?
I-- I don't know.
Is there any doubt in your mind as to how that first blow was struck?
I-- I don't know. It all happened so fast.
Mmm.
Joseph, you said that you told your sister
to bury your stepfather.
That's right. She didn't want to.
I see.
Now, how old were you when you told her, when she did what you wanted?
About 8.
In other words,
a 19-year-old girl didn't know what to do with the body
until an eight-year-old boy told her.
- Yes, sir. - I have no further questions.
No questions.
You may step down, Joseph.
I wish to recall Selena Cross to the stand.
Miss Cross, yesterday you told the jury
that your stepfather disappeared from home
a year and a half before you killed him.
Do you have any idea why he left?
I'm not sure. I'd only be guessing.
You hesitated. Why?
I don't know.
You know what he did during that year and a half?
He was in the navy, he said.
Would you imply that he came home from the war,
from combat duty, just to beat you up?
We object, Your Honor.
The defendant has implied no such thing.
- Sustained. - Did your stepfather...
own the house you live in?
My brother and I, we fixed it up.
Answer the question, please.
- It wasn't a house when he left-- - Please answer the question.
Yes. But it was a dirty shack and nothing else.
But you had the freedom to come and go
and, uh, invite boys in
and answer to no one while Lucas was gone, didn't you?
- Didn't you? - Yes, I had the freedom, but I never did!
When you thought he was gonna change all that, did you kill him?
No!
Lucas was drunk and tried to beat me.
The coroner testified
that Lucas Cross was unconscious from the first or second blow,
so you were safe from any beating then, but you didn't stop.
- Why? - I don't know.
You kept on hitting him until you crushed all the life out of him.
- Why? - I don't know.
I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop.
When you finally did kill him, why didn't you call the police?
I wanted to. I wa-- I was afraid.
But you hadn't committed any crime defending yourself.
What was there to fear from the police?
I don't know. I was just afraid.
You had nothing to fear,
- until you hid Lucas's body, isn't that right? - Yes.
But the moment you buried your stepfather's body, you had a great deal to fear, didn't you?
- That's right. - But you buried him.
You must have had a reason.
A powerful reason.
And don't tell me it was simply because you were afraid.
- I was! - Are you sure?
- That's the only reason! - Fear is panic!
And cleverly burying the remains of a man you've just murdered
- requires cold and careful thought. - Objection!
- You knew what you were doing! - I didn't!
Objection!
The prosecution is not cross-examining
- but harassing the witness. - Objection sustained.
I withdraw the question. I have nothing further.
Miss Cross, at all times during the quarrel
which led to the death of Lucas Cross,
were you in fear of bodily harm?
Yes, I was.
I have no further questions. You may step down.
I wish to call Miss Allison MacKenzie to the stand.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- Yes. - Be seated.
- State your name, please. - Allison MacKenzie.
Miss MacKenzie, how long have you known Selena Cross?
Ever since I was a child. We went all through school together.
Miss Cross is my best friend.
Miss MacKenzie, you've testified that
when you saw Lucas beating Selena,
you thought that your presence prevented things from going further.
- I know it did. - No. You don't know. You assume.
Well, he was embarrassed to find me watching.
How many times did Lucas hit Selena?
- Once. - Once?
Did he hit her with his fist or a weapon?
- Well, it was kind of a slap. - Oh, a slap.
Have you ever been slapped, Miss MacKenzie?
- Yes. - By a stranger?
- No. - By a member of the family?
- Do I have to answer these questions? - I'm sorry, but you do.
By my mother.
As hard a blow as Selena Cross's stepfather gave her?
- No. - How could you tell?
I don't think so.
You don't really know what happened inside that house, do you?
Yes, I do know.
Well, first you talk about a beating,
and then we find out all you're discussing is a single blow.
Would you say that the arguments in the Lucas Cross household
were more or less violent than any other family arguments?
Objection.
What is the purpose of that question?
The witness must define her terms
if the jury in this court is to clearly understand what she means.
A beating becomes one blow. A blow becomes a slap.
Perhaps the slap will become something else.
Objection overruled.
I have no further questions.
- No questions, Your Honor. - You may step down.
The prosecution would like to call
Mrs. Constance MacKenzie to the stand.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Be seated.
State your name, please.
Constance MacKenzie.
Mrs. MacKenzie,
I understand you've known the defendant a long time.
Yes. Since she was a baby.
Did Selena ever complain that her stepfather
had beaten her at any time?
- What? - Did Selena ever complain--
Oh. No. No.
Did you ever see any marks on her? Injuries?
No.
You knew the defendant's mother well, did you not?
Nellie worked for me as a housemaid.
Did she ever mention Lucas's brutality
or describe any beating he'd administered?
No, she said he was drunk and lazy
and-- and he deserted her and--
- Uh, Mrs. MacKenzie-- - And she committed suicide
over the kind of life that Lucas brought them to.
We're not concerned here with Mrs. Cross's suicide.
But I don't see why not.
There was something terribly wrong in the Cross family life.
Mrs. MacKenzie, If you'd please--
Something wrong when a woman had to raise a daughter up almost alone
and trying to help her and--
- Mrs. MacKenzie? - and not being able to help.
- Mrs. MacKenzie. - Not being able to give.
Mrs. MacKenzie,
I'm well aware of your deep concern over Mrs. Cross's suicide,
but that is not the point at issue.
Did your daughter ever tell you that she had seen Lucas beating Selena?
No.
Don't you think that if she had seen such a shocking incident
she would have mentioned it to you?
- I don't know. - Well, wouldn't she?
Well--
Well, Mrs. MacKenzie, doesn't your daughter ever bring home her problems?
How many times do I have to answer your questions?
Well, until we find out the truth.
The truth is...
my daughter did bring her troubles home.
And I wouldn't understand.
- Well, if she did bring her problems home-- - I wouldn't understand!
The court will adjourn for a short recess.
Come in.
Oh, what have I done to Selena?
You had no choice.
But I did have a choice.
Maybe the wrong one, but--
Well, I'll never forgive myself if--
You blame yourself too much, Connie.
You did what you morally had to do.
Here.
- Charlie, could I speak with you? - Sure.
The court will come to order.
Remain seated, please.
Has the prosecution completed its questioning of Mrs. MacKenzie?
It has. The prosecution rests.
No more questions. You may step down.
We call Dr. Mathew Swain to the stand as a witness for the defense.
Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
- I do. - Be seated.
State your name, please.
Dr. Mathew Swain.
Dr. Swain, do you know of any act of force or violence
which Lucas Cross perpetrated against the defendant?
I certainly do.
We've wasted too much time torturing a girl
who's emotionally unable to speak for herself.
Lucas Cross was a drunkard and a wife beater and a child abuser.
I object.
"Child abuser" is an exaggerated and inflammatory word.
When I say "child abuser," I mean it in the worst way possible.
I object, Your Honor.
- The deceased is not on trial. - Lucas Cross's character,
as to force and violence, is on trial here.
You may continue, Dr. Swain.
The night that Lucas Cross left town,
I performed what I recorded as an appendectomy on Selena Cross.
It was not an appendectomy. I falsified my records.
I assisted her in a miscarriage--
a miscarriage of Lucas Cross's baby.
I said it was Lucas Cross's baby that Selena Cross carried.
I object to admitting any such statement as evidence.
On what grounds do you base your objection?
It's the unsupported conclusion of the witness.
Except that it happens to be true.
Can you testify of your own knowledge?
- I can. - Objection overruled. Continue.
I have here a complete admission of guilt
signed by Lucas Cross.
Will the attorneys please approach the bench.
I offer Lucas Cross's confession into evidence, Your Honor.
I object, Your Honor.
The confession of a person
who's neither a witness nor a party to the case is inadmissible.
The prosecution may have a sound point,
but I'll reserve my ruling
until I've heard all of Dr. Swain's testimony.
Then, if I find it inadmissible, I'll order it stricken.
Dr. Swain's entire testimony stricken from the record, Your Honor.
I will rule on that when I've heard it.
You will complete your statement, Dr. Swain.
I'm sure that the prosecutor will see to it
that the state investigates my records,
and perhaps I could lose the great privilege of practicing medicine.
But it's time that someone spoke up
and paid whatever price is asked for the privilege of speaking.
Selena killed Lucas out of fear--
fear of being forced to submit to him again.
And then she hid her crime
for fear of how we would react to her being assaulted by her stepfather.
She couldn't trust us with the truth.
Selena had no one to go to but me.
She only came to me because she had to for medical reasons.
She swore me to secrecy.
Now I'm violating that secrecy for a bigger purpose.
We're all prisoners of each other's gossip,
killed by each other's whispers, and it's time it stopped.
Our best young people leave as soon as they're old enough to earn a bus ticket.
They contribute the best part of their characters to other communities
because they're stifled in Peyton Place.
Your Honor, we're not interested in Dr. Swain's--
Mathew Swain has come forward at considerable risk to himself,
and I intend to hear him through without any further interruption.
I will rule on your objection when he's finished.
You'll continue, Dr. Swain.
We're a small town, but we're a prosperous one,
and yet we allow tar paper shacks to stand.
We have half a dozen churches which most of you attend,
and then don't practice the word they preach
once you walk down the steps.
We have a fine school that you take for granted.
We have a newspaper with a most intelligent editorial page
which you use for wrapping garbage.
It's time you people woke up.
Perhaps today is the day that you will,
because there's something much bigger than the tragedy of Selena Cross on trial here--
our indifference,
our failure as a community to watch over one another,
to know who needs help and to give it.
Selena's been living in a prison of her own long enough,
one that we helped build.
I have nothing more to say, Your Honor.
The objection of the prosecution is not sustained.
The jury may consider this statement as evidence.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
The foreman will read the verdict.
We find the defendant not guilty.
Court is adjourned.
Come on, Joey. You come home with me.
Selena, would you like to go now?
Good going, Doc!
Oh, Selena, we're so very happy for you.
Selena, awful happy for you.
Mother?
Come on, Norman.
We'd finally discovered that season of love.
It is only found in someone else's heart.
Right now, someone you know is looking everywhere for it,
and it's in you.
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