I've seen this only once previously and spotting the DVD in a thrift shop I was interested to see if it would hold up or if I may have to loosen my grip on the fond memories I held. Inevitably it had shed a little of its sparkle and sheen over the years but it still moved me to tears occasionally. Betty Field, of course, provided a link to the similar King's Row produced a full decade earlier by Warner's and also an adaptation of a best-selling novel and not so much rounding out a trilogy as offering a comparison is Thornton Wilder's Our Town, also set in New England but light on the sleaze. Llyod Nolon still takes all the acting honours as Dr. Matthew Swain who is not a million miles away from the Stage Manager in Our Town. Russ Tamblyn is also effective in what for him is a muted role that eradicates virtually all of the natural exuberance he brought to Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and West Side Story. Leon Ames and Mildred Dunnock also score heavily and Arthur Kennedy - who played Dunnock's son, Biff, in the original production of Death Of A Salesman - extracts the last ounce of mileage is the heavy, Lucas Cross. Diane Varsi and Hope Lange who beguiled me first time around now seem more commonplace but overall I still found pleasure in revisiting the town.
Review of Peyton Place
