"Ripped and corrected by Fingersmaster." "Enjoy!" " Yes, Allison?" " Mrs. Bingham," "I've been expecting a long-distance call." "I know." "You've been telling me that all week." "I thought maybe the phone was out of order." "Not likely." "Thank you, Mrs. Bingham." " Hello." "Allison?" " Yes?" " Phone bell ring all right?" " Yes." " Just checking." "Thank you, Mrs. Bingham." "Mailman." "Anybody home?" " Hi, Mr. Johnson." " Hi, Allison." " Any mail for me?" " Yep." "Catalog." "You sure there's not a letter for me from New York?" "Nope." "No foreign mail at all today." "Better make sure you keep that door closed 'fore you catch your death." "Thank you, Mr. Johnson." "Yes?" " Allison?" " Yes?" "You know that long-distance call you've been waiting for?" " Yes." " It's here." " Allison MacKenzie?" " Speaking." "New York calling." "Go ahead, New York." " Miss MacKenzie?" " Yes." "Just a minute." "I'll put you through." "Thank you." "Good morning, House of Jackman." "We have Miss MacKenzie for Mr Jackman." "Thank you." "I'll put you through." "Come on." "Mr. Jackman's office." "Ready with Miss MacKenzie." " Miss MacKenzie." " Yes." "This is Miss Phillips, Mr. Jackman's secretary." "Mr. Jackman's in conference now, but he wishes to see you about your novel." " See me?" " Yes." "He'd like you to be in New York tomorrow morning." " Tomorrow morning?" "Yes." "Shall we say 11:00?" "Oh, just a minute." "I'm not going to New York just to talk to Mr Jackman." "But, Miss MacKenzie, Mr Jackman wishes to see you." "Well, you can tell Mr Jackman if he wishes to see me, he can come to Peyton Place." "Hold on, please." " The nerve." " Are you through, New York?" "Hello, House of Jackman." " Peyton Place, are you finished talking?" " Not likely." " Operator, will you get off the line?" " Excuse us, please." "Allison, this is Lewis Jackman." "What's this nonsense about you not wanting to come to New York tomorrow?" " Well, you see" " I like your novel." "I like what you've done with it." "I want to publish it." "But, Mr. Jackman" "Allison, my company puts out from 30 to 40 novels every year." "If I had to go to every writer," "I'd spend all my time traveling and none of it working." "I'm sorry." "I didn't understand." "All right." "Now, you hurry on down here." "We've got a lot of work to do." "To coin a cliché, I'm gonna make you the hottest writer in America." "You'll be an overnight celebrity." "Your name's gonna be a household word." "You'll be a literary sensation." "Your book's gonna be... on every best-seller list from Peyton Place to California." "Before I'm through with you, you're gonna be sorry you learned how to spell." " See you in the morning." " But, Mr Jackman?" " Yeah?" "Will I be home for Thanksgiving?" " When's that?" " Day after tomorrow." "How do I know?" "I'm an author." "I am an author." "You're an author." "I'm nervous!" "I'm not nervous." "Watch out!" "Oh, Mike!" "My book!" " The book." " Books, dear." "Books." "No, no." "My book-- New York, Lewis Jackman." " What are you talking about?" " Oh, Mike, I think I'm gonna cry." " What is it, dear?" " He's going to publish my book." "What?" "Oh, that's wonderful!" " Congratulations." " Isn't it marvelous?" "That's the best news I had since I married your mother." " I've gotta go tell her." " Go ahead and tell her." "Tell everybody!" "They bought my book!" "I'm an author!" "I'm an author!" "They bought my book!" "I'm an author!" " Yes, Allison." " It's me, Mrs. Bingham." " Oh, hello, Mike." " 224, please." "Calling your wife about Allison's book being sold, eh?" "Yes, I am, Mrs. Bingham." "Hello." " Hello, darling." "I've got some great news for you. " " The house burned down." " Nope." "Guess again." " Oh, Mike, come on." "Give up?" " What is it?" " Allison sold her novel." "Oh, Mike, she didn't." " Selena, Allison sold her novel." " What?" " She sold her novel." " She so" "I just wanted to warn you, she's on her way over and she's ecstatic." " She's on her way over here and she's ecstatic." " Oh, good!" " Thanks for calling." " Right." " Bye." "Oh, isn't it wonderful?" " I never thought she'd do it." " Oh, she's gonna be so happy." " Oh, she's going to float around." " Hello, Connie." " Hello, Roberta." " Selena." " Mrs. Carter." " How are you today?" " Oh, I couldn't be better." " Today's the day Theodore gets home." " Oh, how wonderful." "Yes, he passed his bar exams in Boston." "He's going into practice here with Charlie Partridge." "You must be very proud of him." "I'm going to reopen the house and have people in." "Then in a few years I'll buy him a partnership with Charlie... and the firm will be known as Partridge and Carter." " How marvelous." " ls my dress ready?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, it is." "Uh, Selena... would you get Mrs. Carter's dress, please?" "Well, today seems to be the day" "...for good news." " Oh?" "Somebody in New York is gonna publish that little book Allison wrote." "Oh, well." "Well, it's nice to hear one of our young people..." " is going to put Peyton Place on the map" " Yes." "In the proper way." "I'll manage, thank you." "Now, now." "Don't pay too much attention to Mrs. Carter." "She just won't let me forget about what happened to me." "She thinks you're in love with Ted." " Well, I'm not." " I know." "I" "There's no reason for her to be so mean to me all the time." "Yes, well... maybe-- maybe when you have children of your own... you'll be able to understand Mrs. Carter a little better." "I doubt it." "Oh, Selena." "Selena, look." "I've got a headline for you, Mr. Buzwell." " They're going to publish my book!" " What?" " Mr. Nevins, you're gonna be selling my book." " Doubt it." "Had four copies of Gone With The Wind." "Still got two left." "Mine will sell." "Oh, Ma, did you hear the news?" " I heard from everybody in town." " Can you believe it?" " I'm so happy for you." " They're gonna publish my book!" " You'll be famous." " We're all gonna be rich!" " Slow down, young lady." " It's gonna be a big, fat, juicy best seller." "Sure it will." "Mr. Jackman said so, and he's the best publisher in this" "He is?" "I'll bet ya he tells that to all his writers." "Oh, Ma, I need a new dress right away." " Why?" "Because you sold a book?" " No, I'm leaving for New York tonight." "Oh, you are?" " Tonight?" " Yes!" "Why must you leave so soon?" "Mr. Jackman wants to see me first thing tomorrow morning." "Don't you think this is terribly short notice?" "I guess that's the way they do things in the literary world." "Before you decide to leave, we're going to discuss this with Mike." " What for?" " He's your stepfather." "I think it might be a good idea if he phoned Mr. Jackman." "...and had a talk with him." " No, Mother." " Men know more about these things, Allison." " I can handle my own affairs." "I'm simply saying that you're inexperienced in these matters." " I won't be treated like a child." " I'm not treating you like a child." "Whatever anybody says, I'm leaving for New York tonight, and I don't want Mike to call Mr Jackman." "Well, Allison, I hear you're about to become another Louisa May Alcott." " Congratulations." " Thank you, Mrs. Carter." " Go pick out a dress, honey." " Thanks, Mom." "Isn't it wonderful?" "I'm leaving for New York." " Come on, Selena." "Help me." " Your dress looks lovely." "Are you pleased?" "It's fine." "Will you send the other one home for me?" "Yes, of course." " How long is Allison going to be gone?" "Just a few days, I think." " Is she going all by herself?" " She wants to go all by herself... sol guess I don't have much choice." " What's the book about?" " The things she knows best-- life in a small New England town and people she grew up with." " Is it all right if I try this dress on?" "Yes, dear." "I'll help you." " Would you excuse me?" " Of course, darling." " Please say hello to Ted for me." " I will." "Thank you." "Selena." "I want you to do me a favor." "I know you and my son were good friends... and that he stood by you when you got into that trouble." " I didn't get into trouble." " Well, be that as it may..." "I want to spend some time alone with him when he gets home." "What's that got to do with me?" "I'm asking you not to call him." "I have no intention of calling your son, Mrs. Carter." "Thank you." "I'm glad to hear it." "Mother!" "Theodore!" "Oh, I didn't expect you so soon." " Oh, it's good to see you, Mother." " Oh, it's good to have you home." "Oh." " You look great." " You have someone with you." "Oh, yes." "That's Raffaella." " Who?" " I'll go get her." " Is everything all right?" " I'll get the bags." "Mother, I'd like you to meet Raffaella." "Hello." "I've been looking forward to meeting you for such a long time." "How do you do, Miss" "It's not miss." "I am Ted's wife." "We" " We were married in Boston." "When?" "Yesterday." "Well, why didn't you call and let me know?" "I didn't want to tell you on the phone." "I wanted to surprise you." "Couldn't you have..." "waited another day?" "I'm sorry if you're not happy, Mrs. Carter." "Oh, I'm never unhappy at anything my son does." "I'm sometimes a little..." "surprised and disappointed." "Well, won't you come in?" "For Pete's sake, Mother." "What have you done with the house?" "Oh, I" " I closed off most of it when you went to Boston." "I couldn't see any point in keeping help... and spending a lot of good money when I was going to be here alone." "Oh, I have a couple come in a few times a week to clean." "That's enough comfort for me." "I think I'll put you and your bride in here in the guest room." "All right." "I think this will do." " It's very nice." " Oh, I'm gonna miss my old double bed." "You can move it in here if you like... if twin beds make it seem too much like a hotel room... for your bride." "Oh, I don't mind." "We'll only use one." "I just don't understand it." "Mother's a little upset." "That's no reason she should talk the way she did." "She treated me as though I was some tramp you picked up on a Boston street." "Just a minute." "Yes, Mrs. Carter." " 224, Sarah." " Saw your son coming home in a fancy car." "I haven't time to chat now." "just get the number, please." " Yes, ma'am." " Hello." " Hello, Connie, it's Roberta." "ls Selena there?" "Oh,yes, she is, Roberta." "Just a minute." "It's for you, Selena." "Yes, Mrs. Carter?" "Selena, I'm calling to apologize for being rude to you." " Thank you." " And to invite you over." "What?" "You're all that Ted's talked about since he arrived." "I'd like to surprise him." " Why doesn't he call?" " Well, he's unpacking... and I felt I should call since I was the one who hurt your feelings." "Selena?" "All right." "Thank you, my dear." "Here, darling." "You unpack and I'll go in and talk to her." " I'm not going to unpack, Ted." " Now you're being childish." "I'm being childish?" "What about you?" "Why didn't you tell her we've been married for months?" "Well, I didn't want to hurt her any more than she had to be hurt." "Then how are you going to explain that I'm pregnant?" " I just won't say anything." " But she'll have to know sooner or later." " I'll tell her in time." " Oh, Ted, this is all so wrong." "Now, look, darling." "You're upset and she's upset." "Now relax and let me work this out my own way." "Please?" "I'll be right back." "Mother?" "Yes, come in." "Finished unpacking already?" " No." "I came in to talk to you, Mother." "Yes?" " It's about Raffaella." " I know, son." "I was just on my way in... to apologize to your wife for the way I behaved." " Oh, she doesn't want an apology." " She deserves one." "But you know, Ted, we've always been so close." "I have nothing but you." "I was terribly hurt that you didn't call... and tell me you were being married." " I know." " I would like to have been at the ceremony." "I-I'm sorry, Mother." "I" " I suppose I seem possessive... but you'll just have to forgive me for loving you a little too much." " Well, there's nothing to forgive." " Who is she?" "Raffaella?" "She's from Rome." " Where did you meet her?" " Boston." "What did she do before she became Mrs. Carter?" " Oh, well, she worked." " At what?" "She was a fashion model." "A model?" " Well, yes, but she's a very nice girl." " Oh, I'm sure she is." "How did you happen to meet her?" "Well, she came over from Italy with a-- a fashion show, and, uh-- a friend introduced us, and we fell in love." "I know you'll come to like each other, Mother." "Maybe it's just the way she dresses." " What do you mean?" " Will you answer the door, please?" "Yes." "What did you say your wife's name was?" "Raffaella." "Coming." " Selena." " Welcome home, Ted." " Selena Cross." " Hi!" " Where did you come from?" " The door was open, so I just walked in." " You look marvelous." " Thank you." "Do you realize this is the first time..." " I've ever been inside your house?" " You here to see Mother?" " No, I'm here to see you." " I was coming down to see you..." " as soon as Raff and I finished unpacking." " Raff?" " My wife." " Y-You're married?" " Yes." " Congratulations." "Thank you." "She's a wonderful girl." "You'll be crazy about her." " Is your mother crazy about her?" " I-I don't understand." "No, you wouldn't." "Just tell your mother that..." "I think she's a possessive, evil, meddling old woman." " What are you talking about?" " And her little scheme... to drag me in between you and your wife didn't work at all." " I think you'd better leave." " I'm going to." "And if you have any brains at all, you'll take her and leave right after me!" "I hope you're not a jealous wife." "I have nothing to be jealous about." "Oh, you know about Selena and Ted." "He'll tell me." "I doubt it." "Who was that at the door?" "A friend." "No name?" "It was just someone I went to school with." "I see." " Ted, let's get out of here." " We can't right now." " Why not?" " Well, what would I tell Mother?" "Ted, I love you." "I know, darling." "But you don't know how much." " What's the matter?" " Something is burning." "Huh!" "It's me." "It's the rug." "Raffaella, how many times do I have I tell you... to put your cigarettes in the ashtray, not on them?" "Ted, come here." "Not now, darling." "Let's" "Let's finish unpacking." "Are you all right?" "Y-Yes." "I think so." " Think anything is broken?" " I don't know." "You better get out and see if you can walk." " I guess I'm all right." " Well, your car is not." " What were you trying to do, commit suicide?" " I was not!" "Not that I'm mad, but that's no reason why you should try to kill me too." "I wasn't trying to kill anybody." "I just happen to be one of those bad women drivers." "Well, next time you decide to go driving, you call me first." " I'll stay home that day." " Excuse me!" " Aren't you even gonna say you're sorry?" "l am not!" "Okay." "Ooh!" "Uh, hey." "It won't start." "Mine does." "Oh!" "Wait a minute!" "Hey!" "Hey, wait a minute!" "Good-bye." "Did you call me?" "My name is Nils Larsen." "Do you have any name?" " Selena Cross." " Selena Cross." " Do you ski?" " Doesn't everybody?" "I don't know." "I just got into town." "What's keeping you here?" "I'm the new ski instructor up at the lodge." " That's the end of my skiing." " What are you so mad about?" " Look." "You're a very rude man." " Oh." " Excuse me, but are you always this mean?" " Only to men." "Okay." "Wait, wait!" "I" " I was only kidding." " Thank you." " You're welcome." " Thank you for letting me drive you." " You're welcome, Mr. Larsen." "It was fun driving alone." " Hope I see you again sometime." " I doubt you will." "I'll call you next time I'm looking for an accident." "Hi, Selena." "Come on up." " I was just getting ready to leave." " I'm glad I got here." " Hi, Selena." " Hello." " This is a mad hause, isn't it?" " Did you see Ted?" " Who?" " Ted." "Ted Carter." "Oh." "Yes, I saw him." " How is he?" " Oh, he seemed fine." "Selena, is anything wrong?" "You seem sort of detached." " I-I had a dreadful experience." " What?" " I was in an automobile accident." " Selena, how terrible." " Are you all right?" " Oh, yes." "I'm fine." "But I think he was the rudest young man I've ever met." "Who?" "The man that picked me up and brought me here." "He just kept talking." "He was terribly funny." "His name is Nils Larsen." "He's a ski instructor." "And for some strange reason I was very mean to him, and he didn't seem to mind." " Well, you gonna see him again?" " I don't think so." " Selena..." " I hope so though." " You've got to." " Allison!" " Coming." " How long will you be gone?" "I don't know." "I never had a book published before." " Come on, kids." "We're gonna be late." " Can I take something?" " Take the heavy one." " Well" " Uh, I'll say good-bye to you here, darling." " You're not coming?" "No, I, uh--I don't like seeing famous young novelists off." " Bye, Mom." " There's not much to say at a time like this... except take good care of yourself and be happy." "I will." " My love goes with you." "l know." " Um, call me, now, as soon as you get there." " I will." "And remember, we're always here if you need us." "Thank you, Mom." "I love you." "Yes, thank you." " Miss MacKenzie?" " Yes." "I'm Miss Phillips." "We spoke on the phone." "Mr. Jackman's expecting you." "Right this way." "Hello." " Miss MacKenzie's here." " Oh, show her in." "He'll see you right away." "Hello, Allison." "Come in." "Let's get acquainted." "Bring us some coffee, will you?" "Well, you've been in New York for all of a couple hours." "How do you like it?" " It's very nice." " But you wouldn't want to live here." "I didn't say that." "You better not, or I'll throw you out the window." "New York is big and dirty and noisy... but I love every cubic inch of it." "It's sort of like being in love with the wrong woman." "You don't know why you are, but you know you are." " Yes?" " It's Mrs Jackson calling from East Hampton." "Oh, put her on, please." " Hello, darling." " Lewis?" "What did you decide to do?" "I thought we could have lunch together if you have time." " Look, uh, Allison MacKenzie" " Who?" "MacKenzie-- she wrote Samuel's Castle- came in today." " I'll be working with her all day." " Well, then maybe I'll wait." "All right. h' you want to come in, just cal!" "me and I'!" "send out a car." " All right." "Good-bye, darling." " Bye, darling." "Well, so much for my domestic life." "Now let's get to you and... your novel." "Seldom has the writer of a first novel... gotten me as excited... and at the same time, as angry as you have." "Everything that goes to make up a great book... is right there between the covers of that manuscript, and yet, somehow as a whole... it just doesn't come of fat all." " Then why publish it?" " Because I finally figured out what's wrong." "I think you can fix it, but it's going to take a lot of work." "We may have to start on page one and go through the book line by line." " Mr Jackman, I" " Now, don't look at me as though..." "I were trying to destroy a-- an unborn child." "My idol, Max Perkins, used to say, "No book is ever written." "It's edited."" "He was right." " Who was Max Perkins?" " Who was Max Perkins?" "Phillips, who was Max Perkins?" "That's very funny, Mr Jackman." "Max Perkins was the greatest editor who ever wielded a blue pencil." "He was literary messiah for some of the finest writers who ever put words on paper." " He didn't live in Peyton Place." " Oh, if there's a single copy... of a book named Look Homeward Angel... on the library shelves of your Peyton Place, Max lives there." "I thought Thomas Wolfe wrote Look Homeward Angel." "When Wolfe came to Max Perkins, he didn't have a novel." "He had a sea of words and ideas." "Max took that material, carefully molded it... and made it into something called a novel." "Your Max Perkins sounds like an egomaniac." "No." "No, you're wrong." "He did it with love and affection because he cared about writers... not just because he wanted to change the blood and guts they poured onto paper." "Wolfe once said..." ""There would always have been a man named Thomas Wolfe... but if I hadn't met Max Perkins, there never would have been a writer named Tom Wolfe."" "And you want to be my Max Perkins." "I'd like to try." "Let me tell you something, Allison." "You're going to be a writer." "That's the highest compliment I can pay anyone who puts words on paper." "You have a bright, fresh talent... towering imagination." "Your descriptive passages of the New England countryside, people" "Well, they're sheer poetry." "Don't you ever stop writing." "I've got to be honest with you." "The book still needs character motivation... construction changes, and, above all, a-- a point of view." "Whether you get that from me or somebody else doesn't matter." "Take my advice-- don't settle for any less." "Mr Jackman, I think you just bought yourself a whole lot of words." "All right." "Page one." "For heaven's sakes, stop cross-examining me!" "The only way I can find out what I have to is by asking questions." "You don't have to keep prying into my personal life." "That's your trouble as a writer." "You refuse to expose yourself or any of the people you're involved with." "This is a novel, not a true confession!" "Every first novel is autobiographical, and your main character of Alice is you!" " Don't shout at me, Mr Jackman." " My name is Lewis!" "Don't shout at me, Lewis." "Then act like a writer, not like an inhibited schoolgirl." " I'm tired." "So am I." " You're used to it." " You'll get used to it." "May I have a cigarette?" "Look, Allison, the most important single factor in writing is honesty." "All through the book you indicate, you promise, but you never fulfill." "Now, it's not because you can't." "Either you don't want to or you're afraid to." "What do you want to know?" "Were you and this boy Norman, your high-school sweetheart" " You were lovers?" " We were not." "Well, that's what I got from the book." "We were accused of it by my mother." "What made her accuse you?" " Allison?" " I don't know." "You're lying." "You're covering again." "She didn't want me to go to parties, dances and on dates." " Why not?" " I can't tell you that." "I give up." "You'll never be a writer." " Don't you dare say that to me!" " Then tell me!" "She was afraid I'd do what she'd done." "She fell in love with a married man." "She had a baby-- me." "I'm illegitimate." "Well, I've about broken the back of the story line." "And mine." "Why don't we knock off for a while?" "I tell you what we'll do." "We'll have a cold, dry martini... a good relaxing dinner, and then we'll get back to work." "Well, I think I'll go back to the hotel and change." "What for?" "We'll eat upstairs in my apartment." " I think I'd better take a shower." " I have a shower." "I like restaurant food." "Uh, just a minute." "Yes, Mr Jackman." " Arthur?" " Yes, sir." "Will you put out some gin and ice and vermouth?" "Yes, sir." "Then call Sardi's East and order dinner for two-  escargot, steak, baked potato and salad." " Yes, sir." "Tell Vincent to send it over in one of his racing cars." "We got a hungry child waiting." "Yes, sir." "To allay your fears..." "Arthur's my butler, and he won't leave." "I'm sorry." "You've got to learn not to be so unsure of yourself." "You see, it, uh-- it takes two to make a love affair." "Come on, Allison." ""The suicide of their maid was such a shock to Alice."" "Now... what does that mean exactly?" "Why?" "Why did the maid commit suicide?" "Her husband drank." "Allison MacKenzie, if women committed suicide... just because their husbands drank... most wives'd kill themselves the first night of their honeymoon." "Now, why did the maid kill herself?" "I won't tell you that." "Her suicide had something to do with her daughter... the girl you call Sarah in the book, didn't it?" "Well, let's see." "What's the worst thing... that could possibly happen to a girl in a small town?" "Divorce?" "Hardly." "She was a prostitute." " She was not." " She was caught in bed with a man..." " and her mother couldn't stand the disgrace." " That's not true!" "It is true." "The man was the one you call Luke." "He was her own father." " He was her stepfather!" " And she was in love with him." " He attacked her." " You mean, he raped her." " That's why her mother committed suicide." " And she was your friend." " She still is." " Well, what happened to her?" "She became a sort of social outcast." "You mean, people of the town... branded her for something that wasn't her fault." " Yes." " Do you think that's all right?" "I certainly do not!" "Yes, you do." "You agree with those people by silent consent." " I do not!" " Then write it and say so." " I can't." " You've got to." "It's an important theme." "It applies to everybody." "It has drama and conflict and emotional power." "That's what sells books today." "Do you think I can?" "I know you can." " Allison?" " Hmm?" "I'd like to ask you a question." "With all the publishing houses in New York... what made you send your novel to me?" "I saw a list of the authors you handled, and I thought you were... one of the 10 best publishers in the country." "Ten." "What happened to the other nine?" "Oh, I sent it to them, too, but you're the only one that answered." " I'm certainly glad I asked." "Something wrong?" "No." "No, I admire your honesty." "Keep me from having delusions of grandeur about my judgment." "Oh, I don't know." "I'd hardly call you a repressed personality." " Arthur?" " Yes, Mr. Jackman." "You know, I guess that's what I like about you." " You fight back." " Well, there's not much fight left in me now." "I don't know why you don't pick on somebody your own size." "You're my size, maybe even a little bigger." "Yes, Mr. Jackman?" "You think you could fix us some more coffee, please?" " Would you and Miss MacKenzie like breakfast?" " Breakfast?" " Why?" "What time is it?" " Twenty to 6:00." "In the morning?" " Yes, ma'am." " Holy cow!" "Well, I'd call that a-- a night's work, huh?" "Well, I think I'd better go back to the hotel." " May I leave too, Mr Jackman?" " Yeah, you certainly may." " Here, I'll take you." " No, that's all right." "I'll just hop a cab." "No, you stay there." "I'll get a coat." "Here, you better throw this over you." "Hotel's close by." "We can walk." "The fresh air'll do us good." " Hello?" " Allison." "Oh, Mr Jackman." "I, uh" " I just called to wish you a happy Thanksgiving." " When's that?" " How do I know?" "I think you're just worried about your coat." "Sleep well." "I'll see you later." "Good morning." " Yes?" " Allison?" "Oh!" "Hello." "Where have you been?" "I've been calling you all night." "ls something wrong?" "Uh, no." "I've been working, uh, with Mr Jackman." "Until 6:00 in the morning?" "Well, there was a lot to do, Mother." " When are you coming home?" " Uh, I don't know." "Allison... are you alone?" "Of course I'm alone." "Well, I" " I was just worried..." "about how you were." " I'm fine." "All right." "Happy Thanksgiving, darling." "Good night, dear." " Good night." " You'd better get some sleep." " What are you doing up?" " Couldn't sleep." "You shouldn't be smoking so early." " Ted?" "Yes, darling?" "Why don't we get a place by ourself?" "Oh, come on, honey." "Not the first thing in the morning." "I can't live this, stuck away in one room." "Well, you don't have to stay in this room." "Where else can I go?" "Everything in this house is covered up." "It's like living in a museum." "I'm going to take a quick shower." "Ted, either we get our own place... or this house has to be opened so we can let in a little air and life." "Fine." "Now, you go down and tell Mother we want to reopen the house." " Why don't you tell her?" " Gee, you're nervous and edgy lately." "Don't you know why?" "Or don't you want to?" "I'll see you downstairs." "Is that you, darling?" "Yes, it's me." " Good morning." "Good morning." " May I help you?" " No, everything's ready." "As soon as Ted comes down, I'll fix the eggs." "Mrs. Carter, I'd like to talk to you." "I'm listening." "Ted and I would like to reopen the house, with your permission." "Oh, you would?" "You seem to forget whose house this is." " I said, with your permission." " You don't have my permission." "Remember that as long as you're under this roof, you are a guest." "I'm your son's wife, and I intend to remain his wife." "Ted and I are in love with each other, and we are married." "I think you made him marry you." "You may be right." "And there are a lot of other things I can make him do the same way." "What you'd like to do is to change places with me." "You have a filthy mind." "Mrs. Carter, I came down to tell you that I was willing to share Ted with you... but you want him all for yourself." "All right." "Either you and I try to get along or we'll leave... and you'll lose him completely." " Morning, Mother." " Good morning, darling." "You sleep well?" " Fine." " Ted?" "Your mother and I have been talking, and she has something to tell you." "Oh, yes." "Theodore, would you like it if I reopened the house?" " That would be nice." "Then I'll do it for you." "Thanks, Mother." "Here, sit down." "You see?" "I told you she'd like the idea." " How'd you like to go skiing after breakfast?" " Oh, I'd love to." " Good." " Can you cook?" "Yes, of course." "Then why don't you get your husband some breakfast?" " Good morning." " Morning, son." "What can I do for you?" "Large orange juice, three eggs, french fries... ham, toast, marmalade and coffee, huh?" " Like your coffee now?" " Yes, please." " You mind if I sit in a booth?" " Eh, help yourself." " That's what they're there for." " Thank you." " Oh, oh, oh, oh!" " Oh, I'm sorry." "Oh, it's you!" "Did somebody hire you to get rid of me?" "Clumsy, you could've burned me with that coffee." " You're just as dangerous in a room as in a car." " You shouldn't be let out alone." " You have the soul of an assassin." " Ah!" "You should have a keeper." "Please, sit down." "Promise not to move, and I'll bring both of us a cup of coffee." " No, thank you, Mr. Larsen." " Miss Cross!" "Are you working today?" "On Thanksgiving?" "Would you like a timetable of where I am every moment..." " So you can avoid me?" " No, no, no." "I would like to invite you up to the ski lodge." " They serve a pretty nice turkey dinner up there." " So you can keep an eye on me?" "So I can keep both eyes on you." " I'm sorry, I'm busy." " How about next week?" "Excuse me." " Good morning, dear." "Oh, morning, darling." "Anything for Thanksgiving?" "You know, this is what I like best about Allison being in New York." " Sleep well?" " Did I ever." "Heh!" "What would you like for breakfast?" " What do you think?" " Mike." " Why didn't you wake me?" " Well, since there was no school... and we were alone, I didn't see any point." "That was exactly the point." "There's no school..." "And we are alone." " You're terrible." "l know." " Mike?" "Hm?" "Do you think Selena could run the shop alone for a few days?" "What?" "I'd, uh" " I'd like to go down to New York and see Allison." "You mean, you'd like to take a look at Mr Jackman?" "I'm worried about her." "I'm not-- not about Allison." "But she's all alone." "What do you suppose she was doing out till 6:00 in the morning?" "What did she say she was doing?" "She said she was working." " If she said she was working, then she was working." " Thank you, Mike." " Remember, darling... the love between a parent and a child... is the only love that should grow toward separation." " I love you." " Now, that kind of love... is the kind of love that should bring people closer... and closer... and closer." "Thank you." "It's so beautiful." "It makes me a little homesick." "Oh, I can't wait until we go to Italy together." "Maybe we'll go next spring." "Or would you rather wait until summer?" " Then we can take the baby." " Oh, I'd like that." " May I help you?" " Two hot chocolates, please." "Oh, you look very beautiful today." "Do you know, darling, when we are alone together... away from the house and you talk like this... you are the man I married again." "Hey, I had a wonderful idea." "Let's stay here." " You mean it?" " Sure." "Why not?" "We'll get a cabin and go skating... have dinner and dance and spend the night." "Ooh, it sounds divine." "But I have no clothes." "Great." "Oh, you must call your mother up... and tell her we can't be home to eat her dinner." "Oh, yeah." "I forgot." "Well, it is Thanksgiving." "We really should go home." " All right." " Then you're not disappointed?" "Not as long as I can be with you." "Be patient with me." "I'll be patient." "You're light and warmth and love to me." "I need your help." "I'll help you, darling." " Two hot chocolates." " Thank you." "You're welcome." " Cin-cin." " Salud." "I know who it is!" "It must be!" "It couldn't be anybody else!" "I knew it!" "Well, I'm glad you accepted my invitation." "You're an instructor?" "My students don't usually ambush me." " In the interest of safety..." " Oh!" "Let's go up on the terrace and have some hot chocolate... and work out a plan." " What kind of a plan?" " Whereby we stay together." "That way we will avoid always running into each other." " Yeah." " Huh?" " All right?" "All right." " We'd better get going." " Yes, of course." "You know that man?" "Oh, uh, someone I used to know." " Who is he?" " Ted Carter." "I went to school with him." "Why didn't he talk to you?" "You're not jealous, are you?" " Yeah, I am." " Of him?" " Of everybody." " That's silly." "Hold it just a second." "Straighten that out." "There you go." " Okay, good." " Steady, now." "Fine." "That ought to do it, Miss MacKenzie." "All right." "We'll put that last one on the dust jacket." "Honestly, Lewis, do I really have to be on the cover in this getup?" "For a writer, writing a novel is only the first step." "Now we go into the second phase:" "public relations." "Celebrities are created by the gods of publicity... through newspaper, radio and television." "That's what I'm gonna do with you." "Gonna create an image for the press... so that they can pass the image along to the public so that they'll want to buy your book." "I'm for that." "What's the image?" "A young, naive girl... writes a provocative novel... about the double standard of morality... as adults apply it to themselves and to their children." "But if the book's good, won't people buy it anyway?" "Unfortunately, a lot of good books get published that are never read." "I don't want that to happen to Samuel's Castle." "Neither do I." "How would you like to have lunch at 21?" " Yeah." " All right." "Put on your little-girl face." "We're going out to sell the all-American girl and her book." "This way, Mr Jackman." " Thank you." " Something to drink, Mr Jackman?" "Yes, please." "A Gibson and a ginger ale." "Yes sir, Mr Jackman." " One Gibson, one ginger ale." "Yes, sir." " Aren't you drinking?" " I am, but you're not." " You're not smoking either." " I'm not?" "No." "No, you're a little country girl... who doesn't smoke, drink or know anything about life." "Listen to me:" "Lupus Wolf just walked in." "He'll be at this table in about a minute." "He's syndicated in over 300 papers around the country." "We need him." " Hello, Lewis." " Lupus." "Sit down." " How are you?" " How am I?" "How should I be?" "My wife's shopping in Rome, and I'm playing mother to four boys." "New girl in town, huh?" "Who's the chick?" " Lupus Wolf, Allison MacKenzie." " How do you do?" " Are you an actress?" " No, sir." "What do you do?" "Or shouldn't I ask?" "Allison wrote my next best seller:" "Samuel's Castle." "Oh, I get it." "The book America's waiting for, hmm?" " Now I've heard everything." " Gibson, sir?" "For me, please." "Would you like a drink?" " No thanks." " And ginger ale for the lady." " You don't drink?" " No, sir." " I suppose you don't smoke either." " No, sir." "Next you'll be telling me you're kind to your mother and you go to church on Sundays." "I don't think that's very funny, Mr. Wolf." "Neither do I." "Let's see now." "Allison MacKenzie..." "writes best seller." "Doesn't drink." "Doesn't smoke." "And is untouched by human hands." "Might make a cute story after all." " See you around." " See you." "Round one." "Hello, my dear." "Oh, how I wish all you listeners out there... could see how lovely and sweet and young Allison is... and how natural and wholesome, just like the girl next door." " What is your book about?" " Life in a small American town." "And is it about young people?" "Yes, because I feel America belongs to its young people." "Oh, I'm so glad." "I'm tired of those authors... that write about the seamy side of life, aren't you?" " Yes, I am." " And so, folks... buy this new, interesting book... about life in America called Samuel's Castle." "It will be on sale soon, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it." "Now, Miss MacKenzie, in an interview last week... you were quoted as saying, "I believe America belongs to young people."" "Does that mean you're dismissing all Americans who aren't young?" "I believe youth is a state of mind, Mr. Steele." "Hmm." "I see." "Now, as I understand it, your novel, Samuel's Castle... is about life in a small town, is that right?" "Yes." "Do you think that's an important enough subject for young people..." " to be concerned with today?" " I do." "I mean, aren't there many more subjects that are more important to be concerned about?" "Subjects more important than people?" "No, but isn't this about... family life in a small American town?" "What happens in my book could happen in any town in the world, Mr. Steele..." " large or small" " I see." "I believe that family relationships are more important than anything else in life." "Well, I agree, of course." "Now, Peter, who's our next guest?" "Well, Nick, we're very fortunate to have that brilliant young novelist, Allison MacKenzie." "Oh, really?" "Well, let's bring her out." "Miss MacKenzie." " Hello, Miss MacKenzie." " Hello." " Won't you sit here with me?" " Thank you." "Gosh, you're pretty." "That's very kind of you." "I'm a great fan of yours." "And just looking at you, I've become a fan of yours." "Uh, this is a program... where we can say anything that comes to mind, and we have fun." "Actually, as everybody knows..." "I'm a happily married man with four children... and a wife who sits backstage." "No." "No." "That was a joke." "Isn't she enchanting?" "" " Now, don't ever lose that simple, naive quality." " I'll try not to,sir." ""Sir"?" "Isn't that refreshing." "Why, I haven't heard a youngster say "sir" in years." "Peter, you never call me "sir."" "Now I'm shocked and ashamed to say that I haven't read your book." " Uh, what's it called?" " Samuel's Castle." " And the reason you haven't read it is because it's not out yet." " Oh?" " Oh, but it's a great book, Nick." "Oh, it is?" " Oh, yes." " You know, uh, Peter knows everything." " He always amazes me." " Me too." " Come on." " No, I-I mean it." " If he says your book is great, it must be." " I hope Mr. White is right." "And, uh, somebody-- I can't mention his name" " Of course not." " told me last week... that Allison's novel-- along publisher's row-- is being called "The book America is waiting for."" " I People Applauding]" " Why, that' s great." "Oh, you-- you look as though you're about to cry." "Almost." "Well, it's-- it's very moving." "You know, I" " I just might cry too." "Uh, uh, Peter... you-you can't tell us who called Samuel's Castle..." ""the book America is waiting for," can you?" " Well, I shouldn't." "Oh, come on." "Well, it was Lewis Jackman himself." "Well!" "How about that?" "You know, you could easily become America's literary sweetheart." "I love America." "Oh,we all do." "I know you're a good girl, darling." "But you don't have to be a fanatic about it." "Excuse me." "There's Miss MacKenzie." "Hello, Miss Phillips." "I'm terribly sorry to be late." "Mr. Jackman's in the other office." "Come on." "Isn't she lovely?" "Happy New Year, Allison." "There he is." " Nice entrance." " You staged it." "I'd like you to meet our guest of honor, Allison MacKenzie." " Miss MacKenzie." " Pierre Galante of Paris-Match." " I have been looking forward to meet you." " Hello." "You are more beautiful in person than on the television screen." "And my wife, Diane." "Hello, Allison." "Lewis has told me so much about you, I feel as though we're friends." " How do you do?" " I read the galleys of your book." " I can't tell you how thrilled I was." " Thank you." "And I'm certain when it comes out, it will be a sensation." "Excuse us, will you?" " I want to show her off." " Of course." "See you later." " Your wife is very beautiful." "Yes, she is." " Why didn't you tell me she was coming?" "What do you mean?" " Hello, Lewis." " Frank." "Frank and Grace O'Roark of Life." "Well, the celebrated Allison MacKenzie." "They want to do a picture story on you." "Gonna get us a cover?" "Well, I can only try." "I'd like to sit down with Allison in the morning..." " and get some background material." " Fine, fine." "Allison?" "Oh" " Oh, yes." "Of course." " I'll call you later tonight." " Okay." "Nice to have seen you." "Good to see you." "Hey. ls something wrong?" " I want to go home." " What?" " I want to leave." " You can't." "This is your party." " I don't feel well." " Don't be a child." "You couldn't care less about me." "All you care about is that damn book." " I'm sorry I ever wrote it." " Allison" " You don't care about me at all." " I do care about you." " Then why don't you show it?" " Excuse me, Lewis." "I promised the Allbergs we'd join them for dinner." "Are you going to be able to get away?" " I don't know just yet." "l understand." "I'll run along, and if you don't show, I'll make your excuses." " All right." "Fine." " Good-bye, Allison." "Make Lewis bring you out to East Hampton for the weekend." " Thank you." " Hello, Lewis." "Steve." "Steve Swanson of Look magazine." " You know Allison MacKenzie." " Oh, I'm certain by now everybody knows Miss MacKenzie." "I expect to find her picture on the front page of the New York Times." "I mean the full front page." "Good night, everybody." "Well, you were a smash." "The book's not out yet, and you're a celebrity." "Sol guess you did what you set out to do." "May I go home now?" " My coat's upstairs." " Wait a minute." " Can't I take you to dinner?" " No, thank you." "Before you go, I've got something for you." "The first copy of Samuel's Castle." "Oh, Lewis!" "Well, I've finished Allison's book." "What did you think?" "I don't understand it." "This is nothing like her original manuscript." "You certainly didn't expect it to be, did you?" "Yes, I did." "But, darling, all books are changed and rewritten before they're published." "But not like this." "It's cheap and dirty and vulgar!" "I don't agree with you." " Then you're just as bad as she is." "Wait just a minute." "How could she question the morality and expose the people of this town?" "It's not an exposé." "It's Allison's point of view." "It's her opinion on things she saw and remembered as she was growing up." "It's what Jackman convinced her she saw and remembered." "Why, it's nothing but a piece of trash from beginning to end." "I happen to think it's a well-written novel." "How am I supposed to go out and face the people of Peyton Place... after the things she wrote?" "And it's as much your fault as hers." "My fault?" "Oh, I knew I should have gone to New York and looked after her." "But no, no." "You wouldn't hear of anything like that." "Well, your being there wouldn't have changed anything." "Now, what could you have done for her?" "It might have changed Jackman's physical influence over her." " That's a terrible thing to say." " Is it?" "You're being completely unfair to her." " You're seeing Allison in your image." " That's not true." "Yes, it is.just because you went to New York as a kid... and got mixed up with a man doesn't mean that she will." "I happen to know my daughter better than you do." "You don't think I ever believed she wasn't involved with Norman Page, do you?" "And now you believe she's involved with Lewis Jackman?" "Yes." "Yes, I most certainly do!" "Yes, Mrs. Rossi?" "Get me Plaza 38098." "I want to speak to Allison." "I'm just sittin' here, reading her book." "Sure is meaty." " What are you gonna tell her?" " I'm gonna tell her to come home and face the town herself." " You can't do that." " And why not?" "Because she has to lead her life the way she chooses to lead it." " Regardless of the consequences?" " She's not a child anymore, Connie." "She's a separate human being." "And you're willing to accept the responsibility for whatever happens to her?" "Yes, I am." " Yes?" " Cancel the call, please." "Thank you." " Yes, Mrs. Carter." " 262, please." "Right away, Mrs. Carter." " Hello?" " Hello, Dexter." "It's Roberta Carter." "Oh, hello, Roberta." "I've just finished reading Allison MacKenzie's new book." " Yes, I've read it too." " Mmm." "I see it's been, uh, added to the school library." "Yes." "Yes, I know." "Well, as chairman of the school board, I suggest... that we call a meeting and have a little chat with Mr. Rossi." "All right." "I'll arrange it for tomorrow." "Thank you, Dexter." "Good night." "Good night, Roberta." ""Slowly, a wonderful emotion filled Alice..." ""because here on her hillside, she felt far removed... from the hostile adult world of Peyton Place."" " End of chapter one." " Oh, I like that." "That's" " That's just the way she felt when we were growing up together." " Mm-hmm." " Read on." "Chapter two. "At the age of 13..." "Sara Crane was breathtaking... with her broad, open face... her full, ripe, sensual mouth... and great, blue, laughing eyes framed by long silken lashes."" " That's me!" "It is!" " Of course." " That Allison's too much." " No, she's describing you perfectly." ""Sara Crane was too well developed for her age, and unlike Alice..." ""the vicious adult world was very close to her..." ""and burst upon her with terrifying reality." ""Sara lay on a folding cot..." ""that served as her bed in the Crane shack." ""Lucas came through the room and looked down at her." "He fell to his knees and put out his hands."" " Don't read any more." " Why not?" " I don't want to hear it. - it's getting interesting." "I would like to read it myself." " Give me that book." " No." " Give it to me!" "Selena!" " There." " What's the matter with you?" " Nothing's the matter with me." " What's wrong?" " Selena, tell me what it is." " I can't." " You've got to tell me." " No!" "I have a right to know." "I told you." "I'm Sara Crane, the 13-year-old girl in the book... who was too well developed for her age." " And who was Lucas?" " He was a man I knew." " A man, huh?" "You mean a lover." "Was he?" " Leave me alone!" " Why didn't you tell me about him?" " Let go of me!" " I want to know!" " Know what?" " Everything that happened." " You're just like all the rest." "You want to know all the-- the dirty, perverted details of a sex act." " Was it dirty?" " Yes!" " But it wasn't my fault." " I don't believe you." "It wasn't!" "It wasn't!" "No man can make a woman do anything she doesn't want to do." "Tell me the truth." " You want the truth?" " Yes." "Who was Lucas?" "His name wasn't Lucas." "It was Luke." "And he wasn't my lover." "He was my stepfather." "And when I was 13, he beat me up, tore off my clothes and raped me!" "No, I want-want you to hear all the details." "I want you to know howl killed him." "Yes, I killed him." "He came at me one night." "And I got a log and I hit him... and hit him and hit him until he was dead!" "Selena, I'm sorry." "Luke?" "Selena, listen to me." "No." "No, Luke." "Stay away from me, Luke." " Selena" " Luke, stay away!" "I'm warning you." " Mrs. Carter." " Hello, Mr. Rossi." "I hope we're not inconveniencing you." " Not at all." "Mr. Humphries." " Hello, Mike." " Dexter, how are you?" " Mike, how are you?" " Hi, Bud." "Please sit down." " Thank you." "This is a pleasant surprise." "What can I do for you?" "It has come to our attention, Mr. Rossi... that you placed a copy of Allison's book in the school library." " Yes, I did." " Don't you feel you should have consulted us first?" "Well, as principal of the school..." "I've placed many books in the library without consulting you." " Never one like this." " I don't understand." "Well, Mike, we've all read Allison's book... and we don't feel that the young people of this town... should be exposed to that kind of reading." " Why not?" " Because it's lewd." "I beg to differ with you, Mrs. Humphries." "There are things in that book that should not be said." " Like what?" " The whole dirty story of Selena Cross." "Allison makes it seem like people here persecuted Selena." "Well, I think you'll admit... the good and respected people of Peyton Place... hardly welcomed Selena with open arms after she was acquitted." "That's not the point." "Well,just what is the point?" "The point is, since we are all in accord... we have taken the liberty of removing the book from the library." "You had no right to do that." "Since we appointed you to this position, Mr. Rossi" "That doesn't mean I'm willing to accept you as my censors." "Of course, if you disagree strongly, you are free to resign as principal." "That's exactly what you'd like me to do, isn't it, Mrs. Carter?" "You think that'd be the best way to punish Allison for telling the truth." "Oh, that had nothing to do with our decision." "Well, that's good." "That's fine." "Because I'm not going to resign... and I'm going to replace that book in the library." "If you do, you must be prepared to take the consequences." " Which are?" " You'll be discharged." "The book goes back to the library." " Then we're sorry, Mike." " Well, don't be." "Because I'm not about to accept your decision as final." "Now, if you'll excuse me." "Hello, Theodore." "Hello, Mother." "Where is your bride?" "Out shopping" "Haven't you finished with that lurid piece of trash yet?" "No." "Don't waste your time." "I don't think it's a piece of trash." "Oh?" "You approve?" " Huh?" " Seeing yourself on the pages of a book." " Being held up to public ridicule." " Ridicule for what?" "Your relationship with Selena." "The only relationship I had with Selena... was I stood by her at her trial when she needed me." "Under the circumstances, that was the least you could do." " What circumstances?" " Oh, Ted, everybody in Peyton Place knew about you and Selena." "I never thought I'd live to see it put down in black and white." "That's just what I like about Allison's book." "She makes it clear that anything beyond friendship between Selena and me... happened in the minds of the people of this town... and what hurt Selena most was the gossip, not the facts." "You sound as though you were in court, Ted." "The difference is, in a court of law, a man is innocent until proven guilty." "Seems quite the opposite is true in Peyton Place." " I don't find that very amusing." " I don't either." "Because what you're trying to say is Selena and I had an affair." " Didn't you?" " No, we didn't." " Why haven't you ever told your wife about her?" " There was never any reason." "Not even when she asked?" " The day Selena came to see you?" " How did you know she asked me?" "You think your wife and I don't talk?" "She told you she asked me?" "I've been trying to protect you and shield you... from the kind of person she is." "All right." "Now I'll tell you the truth." "She thinks you're a cheat and a liar and a coward." "I don't believe that." "Ted?" "Ted?" "Ask her yourself, unless you're afraid." "Hello, darling." "Raff, come here." "I want to talk to you." "What's wrong?" "Did you tell my mother I was a liar and a coward?" "No, of course not." "And I suppose you didn't tell me on Thanksgiving Day... how you got him to marry you... and how you could make him do anything else you wanted." "Ted, let's get out of here." "Well, wait a minute." "Ted, can't you see what she's trying to do to us?" "Please, take me away from here." "Please." "Raffaella, did you say this or didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "Because she wouldn't accept me as your wife... and it was the only weapon I had to fight her." "But now she's even taken your love away from me." "Don't you ever think about anything but sex?" "You try to make everything I say ugly and dirty and vulgar... but this time I won't let you." "Because now I know if a woman isn't loved by her man... she has nothing else." "She becomes bitter and cynical and evil just like you." "Your only reason for living is to destroy the lives of other people." "All right!" "You have succeeded!" "And I thought you were worth taking away from her and saving... but you're not!" "Because you're not even man enough to stand up to her and tell her I'm expecting a baby." " Raff, wait a minute." "Wait a minute." " Let go of me!" "You'll never see the baby." "Don't you worry." "So you're free to go all the way back to being a boy!" "Raff" "And when you turn to your right... lead with your right shoulder." "Try to imitate this now." "Mrs. Carter!" "Wait!" "It's dangerous!" "Don't" " Don't go down there!" "O God, please forgive me... for what I'm going to do to my baby." "Mrs. Carter!" "No!" "No!" "Mrs. Carter!" "Mrs. Carter!" "Mrs. Carter!" "You can come in now, Ted." " How bad is it, Doctor?" " Her left leg is fractured." "She naturally has lacerations and contusions." "That's all I can determine without X-rays." "Is there anything I can do?" "Not a thing." "I have her under heavy sedation." "She shouldn't be moved at present." "If she wakes and has any pain at all, call me." "Doctor, what about the baby?" "There's no way to tell as yet." "Just pray" " Thanks, Doc." " Good afternoon, Ted." "I love you, darling." "Don't worry." "I'll take you away from here just as soon as you're able to leave." "I love you." "Now, ladies and gentlemen, for our next award of the afternoon... the Book of the Year Club presents its award for the best first novel... by a new author to Miss Allison MacKenzie... for Samuel's Castle." "Miss Allison MacKenzie." "Telephone, Mr Jackman." "Thank you." " Thank you very much." " Hello." " Thank you." " Speaking." "Oh, no, no." "I, uh" "I have no comment to make." "Yes, I'll" " I'll have Miss MacKenzie call you." " Isn't it beautiful?" "Yeah." "I, uh" " I just had a call from the Post." "Your stepfather's been fired by the school board of Peyton Place." " Why?" " Because of the book." " I've got to get up there." "Come on." "I'll drive you." "So that's your Peyton Place, huh?" "Yes." "And right down there... in that clump of trees is where I used to go when I wanted to be alone." "It all seems so far away now, like something I once dreamed." "I guess the two most difficult things in life... are visiting the past and looking at the future." "I like the look of my future." "I should think so." "You're gonna be a great writer." " That's not what I meant." " I know what you meant." "Lewis, what's going to happen between us?" "Nothing." "Nothing has and nothing will." "We'd better get going." "I don't understand." "And I'm lonely." "And very much in love with you." "Aren't you coming in?" "No." "There's no need to complicate things." "I hope you're not sorry you came back." "I had to." "I'll go to the inn and wait for your call." "Mother?" "Mother, I'm home." "Hello, Mother." " Was that Lewis Jackman?" " Yes, it was." "Why did he drive you back to Peyton Place?" "It was faster than taking a train and bus." "That the only reason?" "Aren't you glad to see me?" " Should I be?" " I haven't done anything wrong, Mother." "That depends upon your standards of right and wrong." " I wrote a book!" " You stirred up dirt that should have been left settled." "I didn't mean to hurt anybody." "Tell that to your stepfather, Mike, and to your best friend, Selena." "They had no right to fire Mike." "He had nothing to do with it." "They wanted to ban your book from the school library, and like a fool, he defended it." "That's what he had to do with it." "I'm sorry." "Isn't it a little too late to be sorry?" "I'll make it up to Mike." "We don't have to live here." "Tear up all our roots and all our yesterdays and just walk away?" "Yes." "My book's making a lot of money." "We can sell the house and move to New York." "Why not?" "As long as you're happy... what difference does it make how anyone else wants to live?" "I didn't mean that." "I think there's one lesson you'd better learn right now." "You've sold a lot of things for success that you can't buy back with money." "That's not fair." "You're so anxious to tell the truth about everyone else." "Why can't you stand to hear it about yourself?" "You can't buy back your decency... and friends and your self-respect with money." "I didn't sell any of those things!" "Then what are you doing with this man Jackman?" "I'm in love with him." " And is he in love with you?" " I haven't asked." "Don't you think you should?" "I'm old enough to lead my own life, Mother." "But not smart enough to stay away from a married man." "You're the last person in the world who should say that." "How dare you." "What you're afraid of is, "like mother, like daughter."" "I hate you for that!" "Hi, Allison." "Oh, Mike." "How's my girl?" " Mike, I'm so sorry." " About what?" "Oh, your job, the book, Mother, everything." "Don't be sorry." " How could I ever make it up to you?" " There's nothing to make up." "It's not true." "My fight with the school board had nothing to do with you." "I'd have fought just as hard if that book had been anybody else's." "As far as I'm concerned, they can burn the book." "I'm going back to New York." "Yeah." "I know how you feel." "Mike, where's Selena?" "I've been trying to reach her." " Nobody seems to know." " What about the ski instructor?" "Nils?" "Oh, I've talked to him." "He doesn't know anything." "She just disappeared." "What are you going to do now?" " Stick around." "Try and get my job back." " How?" "Fortunately, the school board doesn't have the last word in my case." "I've been pounding away at the selectmen... and they finally agreed to have a town meeting tomorrow night." " It won't do you any good." " Maybe not." "Everybody in this town is so self-righteous in their bigotry... they refuse to face the truth." "Well, at least I'll be heard." "Is being heard that important to you?" " Yep." " Even if you can't win?" "Each person does what he has to do." "Do you think I'm wrong in leaving?" "No." "Mike, I'm going to stay until after the town meeting." "Then I'm going to go back where I belong." "Good." "I'll take your bag up for you." "No." "I'm going to the inn." " Allison,you belong here." " Not anymore." " I don't want to stay in this house!" " Listen, Allison" "No, Mike." "Let her go." "I'll drive you to the inn." "Please come to order." " Got to have quiet." "John Smith?" " Yes, Seth." " Mind keepin' quiet?" " Just trying to find out what the meetings about." "John, if you sit down, we'll tell you." "Well, it seems fair, but this place needs more heat... for the kind of taxes we're payin'." "Now, I'll ask you all to stand... while I call on Reverend Wingate to invoke the blessings of the Deity." "All rise." "Men, take off your hats." "Lord God, in your infinite wisdom, look down upon us... that we here may seek truth and justice, and honor it." " In your name, amen." " Amen." "The clerk will now read the warrant." ""To the Constable of the town of Peyton Place, greetings." ""You are hereby required to notify the inhabitants of the town of Peyton Place..." ""to meet in the town hall to see if the town will direct the school board..." ""to reinstate Mike Rossi as principal of Peyton Place High School... with the authority to select books he deems fit for the school library."" "The warrant is so read." "Since Mrs. Carter is head of the school board..." "I'd like to call on her first to tell us why the board removed Mike Rossi." "Mrs. Carter." "Thank you, Mr. Moderator." "The reason we removed Mr. Rossi as principal... was in the interest of the young people of Peyton Place." "He wanted to include in the high-school library... an obscene piece of literature written by his stepdaughter." "We banned the book from the library." "He insisted... so we took a vote... and decided that if he were more concerned... with misplaced pride in his stepdaughter... than in the morals of the rest of our children... it would be better not to have him around." "Roberta, did you read the book?" " Oh, we all did." "Yes." " How much of it is dirty?" "All of it." "If it's all dirty, Mrs. Carter, why did you keep reading it?" "So that I could make an honest report." "That's a good answer." "Mike, something you want to say?" "Thank you, Seth." "Ladies and gentlemen..." "I think my record at Peyton Place High School... should speak for itself." "Up until now, I've been considered objective and responsible enough... to guide the education of the students... even to the point of deciding what books they should or should not be allowed to read." "And I'd like to point out to you now... that my decision regarding Allison's book was based on detached judgment... not on misplaced pride, as Mrs. Carter would have you believe." "Under the circumstances, the school board had no right to ban this book... or any other book from the school library." " Not even if it's obscene?" " That's not what I said." " That's what you implied." " It sure is!" " Mrs. Carter's right." " Now, wait just a minute!" " Order!" "Order!" "I contend this book is not obscene." " You are not a proper judge." " But you are?" "You think that anything Allison does is all right." "That is not the issue here, Mrs. Carter." "Even to letting her go to New York and live by herself." "What Allison does with her private life is none of yours or any of your business!" "I'd like to remind you again, that issue is not under discussion at this meeting." "Mike's right." "That's not what we're talking about, Roberta." "Got an idea." "Suppose we settle the whole question... by giving Mike back his job and keeping the book out of the school library." " Sounds fair, Mike." "No." "Because if I accept my job back on those terms..." "I'm also accepting these people as censors of what practices should be permitted in school." "I think we qualify for that position." "I don't." "If you get by with banning the book... the next thing you'll want to do is tell me how to teach my classes." "That might not be a bad idea, Mr. Rossi... if Allison's work is an example of what's been taught in the past." "Order!" "Order!" "Then what you're saying, Mike, is... you'll only consider taking your job back on your own terms." "That's what I'm saying." "Nobody wants him back." "Keep him out!" "Mr. Moderator." "Although I'm, uh-- I'm no voter in this town..." "I request the privilege of being heard." "Who are you, sir?" "State your name." "My name is Lewis Jackman." "I'm the publisher of Allison MacKenzie's novel." " Seth, he hasn't any right to speak." " Since the town meeting... is the oldest, best respected... and most democratic procedure in the history of our country..." "I'm sure that all of you as my peers will grant me the right to state my opinion." "No!" "No!" "Let him talk!" "Let's hear what the outsider has to say." "The chair recognizes Mr Jackman." "Thank you, sir." "The issue here... somehow seems confused." "You're attempting to judge whether the man, Mike Rossi... whom I don't know... is qualified to remain as the principal of your school." "Now, it would seem that the judgment should be whether or not the book..." "Allison MacKenzie has written is obscene." "Now, as its publisher, I say it's not." "And that's not my opinion alone." "It's the opinion of every book reviewer in the country." "Since the, uh, book is about us, Mr. Jackson" "Jackman." " Excuse me." "Mr Jackman." "We are not interested in the opinion of people outside of Peyton Place." "I am sorry to hear that, because like it or not, Peyton Place is part of the world." "I'd hate to see it cut itself off and wither and die of isolation." "Don't waste your sympathy, Mr Jackman." "We'll survive somehow without the help of people like you." "I have no intention of trying to change your way of life." "I merely want to be sure that the truth... is not done to death by fear and silence." "Truth has always flourished... in the New England meeting hall, Mr Jackman." "And I have enough faith in the people of Peyton Place... to believe that it will again this time." " And to that extent we agree, Mrs. Carter." " Thank you." "L, too, have a great deal of faith... in the people of Peyton Place." "Mr Jackman." " Anything else to say?" " No, sir." "Except my thanks to all of you for hearing me out." "Mind sittin' down?" "Mr. Moderator." "May I be recognized?" "No!" "He don't belong here!" "The chair recognizes Nils Larsen." " He '5 got no right!" " Order!" "Order!" "Order." "Go on, Mr. Larsen." "I don't believe what Miss MacKenzie has put down in her book... is dirty or obscene." "Instead, it seems to me an indictment of the bigoted people of this town." "Especially those who wouldn't accept the truth about Selena Cross... who whispered among themselves about the sin of Selena Cross... and forced her to live the life of a social outcast." "But now the truth has been told by Miss MacKenzie." "And those who have been guilty of keeping Selena Cross in the shadows... would like to suppress the book or pretend it doesn't exist." "May I ask what right you have to discuss Selena Cross's life?" "Maybe I have more right to do so... than anyone else in this hall... because I'm in love with Selena." "And when I find her I'm going to marry her, if she will have me." "Why is it that only outsiders... are willing to defend this piece of trash... that maligns our town and the people in it?" " Tell them, Mrs. Carter!" " Can anybody here answer that?" "Yes!" "I can answer, Mrs. Carter!" "It's because only people who've been outside can see Peyton Place the way it really is-- one of the last strongholds of social bigotry and false morality!" "Sit down, Theodore." "Which the influential elders of the town have tried to impose... on the rest of the community." "And anyone among you who refuses to live by their archaic and narrow... standards of morality is cast out!" "That's the kind of insolent, bad manners... you've learned from your foreign wife." "There's an example of an elder's tolerance!" "How many of you will stand and say you're proud of that remark?" "Well, uh, why does everybody else have to defend Allison?" "Why can't she speak for herself?" "Because, Mrs. Carter, as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to defend." "All I did was tell the truth about Peyton Place." "And I have only one question to ask of you." "If this book had been written about any other small town... would the school board still have kept it out of their library?" "Yes." "Because it was a-a vulgar book that... tried to destroy the reputations of respectable people." "Are you talking about me, Mrs. Carter?" "I'm Selena Cross, the girl Allison wrote about." "For those of you who don't know..." "I was beaten up and raped... by my stepfather." "I killed him." "And I was acquitted by a jury." "But a lot of you turned your backs on me." "You made me feel what happened was my fault." "And after a while, I" " I began to believe it." "You never said anything." "You just made me feel dirty and unwanted... like I had an incurable disease or something." "Mr. Moderator... do we have to go into all this again?" "Mrs. Carter, you said you wanted the truth." "Well, you'll find it in Allison's book." "I say, put it in the library." "Let everyone read it." "Are you so-- so proud of what happened to you?" "No." "I'm not proud." "But I'm not ashamed anymore." "Thank you, Allison." "Well, if you all feel this way... about Peyton Place... why don't you just leave and go to Boston or New York... or wherever suits you?" "We won't leave, and we won't be driven out." "We intend to stay here and live as equals." "But we won't be chained to the past." "And we and our children... will not live by your rules in the future." "Well, uh... what do the rest of you think of that for an answer?" "Roberta." "It seems the young people of our town are deserting us." "And maybe it's what we deserve... because we expect them to sit quietly... and let us lead their lives for them." "I don't believe that." "I'm not asking you to." "I'm simply saying that, like many parents..." "I, uh" "I couldn't accept the fact that my daughter was no longer a child." "I guess I just didn't want to let her go." "I was wrong." "My, uh, husband once said... the love between parent and child... is the only love that should grow toward separation." "And tonight, for the first time, I" " I know what he meant." "Now I" " I want my daughter to be free... and, uh, I want her as a friend." "I stand with the young people of Peyton Place... and I'll trust them and I'll have faith in them... as my husband always has." "And I" " I do hope that any of you who might feel as I do will-- will stand with them too." "Oh." "Well" "By this vote... which only appeals to you... emotionally... you are renouncing... all the traditions... and the safeguards of the past... that have made Peyton Place... a decent and respectable town in which to live." "You are-- are permitting... influences from the outside... to change known values... which we have lived by all these years." "And I warn you... you will all live to regret this action... you have taken today... and y"" "Samuel's Castle will be put in the school library... and Mr. Rossi will be returned to his post as principal." "All in favor, say "aye?" "Aye!" " All opposed, say, "nay?" " Nay." "What's your objection, John?" "No objection just don't like anything unanimous." "Don't seem democratic." "The ayes have it." "I move we adjourn." " All in favor" " Aye!" " All opposed" " Nay." "Town meeting adjourned." "Allison?" "Hi, there!" "Hello." "I had a hunch I'd find you here." " Beautiful, isn't it?" "Yeah." "I, uh" " I have to get back to New York." "I'm not going back with you." "I didn't think you were." "You know, it's the first day I've been able to look down at the town... in my whole life and not feel lonely." "You've come of age." "Suddenly, I no longer feel like a stranger." "I guess there's a time in every young person's life... when he feels that... the world of the adults is a private club." "It's more than a private club." "It's a secret society." "And now you've joined." "Yeah." "It's kind of a strange feeling." "The whole world seems changed." "I understand." "And now that you've become a member of-- of the adult world... you'll probably go on making the same mistakes they do." " No, I won't." " That so?" "What makes you so sure?" "Every person has the right to make up their own mind... and I'll never help to make it a private club." " You really believe that?" " Yes, I do." "Then write it." " You think I can?" " I know you can." "And I'll bring you all the words." "And I'll be your Max Perkins." "Who's Max Perkins?" " Bye, Allison." " Good-bye, Lewis." "Good-bye." "Good-bye, darling." "" " English "