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. I won't.
Good. Now, you run on home now, hmm?
- Thank you, Doctor. - That's a good girl.
Yes. 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.
I talked to him about how to get to college.
He said he might be able to wrangle me a scholarship.
And 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.
I guess I picked the wrong time.
I'll come back tomorrow when you're feeling better.
["Washington Post March"]
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 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.
[Whistle Blows]
[Blows Whistle]
Nothing's as dull as a Labor Day speech.
[Laughter]
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.
[Crowd Cheering]
And there's more to come.
Meet me halfway, and you'll never be unemployed.
[Cheering]
Not as long as men and women don't go back to wearing fig leaves.
[Laughter]
And if they did, I'll bet we'd be in the fig-leafbusiness...
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.
[Band Resumes]
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 ofJoey. - You'll just have to keep trying.
I've been trying all my life.
Got a husband who is 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.
- [Man] Are you ready? - [Kids] Yeah!
- Are you ready? - Sure.
Ready, set, go!
[Man] Gimme two hot dogs with mustard.
- I'll take five. - [Overlapping Chatter]
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. - Outin's 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.
[Overlapping Chatter]
- Oh - 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
Oflong ago
- Let's go swimming or something. Huh? 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.
[Bicycle Bell Rings]
- 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.
[Giggles] 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?
[Whistles]
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.
- [Chuckles] - All gone.
Thank you.
["Beautiful Dreamer"]
Naked as the day they were born, not a stitch on 'em.
- Saw them with my own eyes. - [Door Closes]
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.
Look. 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 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.
[Car Engine Starts]
[Car Drives Off]
[Telephone Rings]
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. - [Door Opens]
- 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!
[Door Slams Shut]
[Allison] Nellie.!
Allison.
[Gasps]
[Dr. Swain] 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're 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. - 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 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.
[Allison Narrating] 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 ofhurried 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.
- 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 little 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.
Oh, 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.
[Dr. Swain] 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. - Reilly. - Clark. Reilly.
- Culver. - Jones. - Culver. Jones.
- Harvess. - 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 everyone.
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 know, you can write to her later on government stationery.
Good-bye, folks.
[Allison Narrating] 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.
[Allison Narrating] 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.
["Taps"]
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 kind of nice. Can I try it on? - Sure. Come on.
["'Joy To The World'"]
[Doorbell Rings]
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, l-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...
l... 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. - [Knocking]
I'll get it.
- Merry Chris... - Ain't you going to 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 out... 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.
You 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, l-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!
You're still a wildcat, ain't you?
[Blows Continue]
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.
[Together] 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, you do. Remember?
- You were always afraid, and everything frightened you. - Yeah. 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.
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? - 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.
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 ofTed.
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.
[Intercom Buzzes]
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.
- Well, 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.
[Chattering]
[Jazz]
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.
[Buzzer Sounds]
Court will come to order.
Everybody rise.
Be seated, please.
The recess in the trial of the State v. Selena Cross is over.
Gentlemen, you may proceed.
Prosecution wishes to recallJoseph Cross to the stand.
- Joey... - I told you this morning my name was Joseph.
- [All Laughing] - 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.
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.
[Joseph] He was a strong man. We were both afraid.
[Prosecutor] 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? - Well, I might have looked away once or twice.
Did you see Selena hit him the first blow?
L... I don't know.
Is there any doubt in your mind as to how that first blow was struck?
L... I don't know. It all happened so fast.
Mm.
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?
[Selena] 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... - Please answer the question.
Yes. But it was a dirty shack and nothing else.
But you had the freedom to come and go...
and 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 ofhim.
- Why? - Don't know.
I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop.
[People Murmuring]
When you finally did kill him, why didn't you call the police?
I wanted to.
I wa... I was afraid.
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.
Apowerful 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.!
Burying the remains of a man you murdered requires careful thought.
- You knew what you were doing. - I didn't! 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 ofbodily 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 whole 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 your presence prevented things from going further.
- I know it did. - You don't know. You assume.
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.
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.
[Judge] 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 whole 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 he deserted her, and...
- Uh, Mrs. MacKenzie... - and she committed suicide...
over the kind oflife Lucas brought them to.
- We're not concerned here with Mrs. Cross's suicide. - I don't see why not.
There was something terribly wrong in the Cross family life.
- 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...
Mrs. MacKenzie, doesn't your daughter ever bring home her problems?
How many times do I have to answer your questions?
Well, till 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!
[People Murmuring]
The court will adjourn for a short recess.
[Sobbing]
- [Knocking] - Come in.
Oh, what have I done to Selena?
You had no choice.
But I did have a choice.
Maybe the wrong one, but...
but 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.
[Indistinct]
[Buzzer Sounds]
- [Gavel Raps] - [Bailiff] 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, 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.
[All Murmuring]
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.
[People Murmuring]
I said it was Lucas Cross's baby that Selena Cross carried.
[Prosecutor] I object to admitting any such statement as evidence.
[Judge] On what grounds do you base your objection?
[Prosecutor] It's the unsupported conclusion of the witness.
[Dr. Swain] Except that it happens to be true.
[Prosecutor] Can you testify of your own knowledge?
- [Dr. Swain] I can. - [Judge] Objection overruled. Continue.
I have here a complete admission of guilt...
signed by Lucas Cross.
[People Murmuring]
[Judge] 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 ofbeing forced to submit to him again.
And then she hid her crime for fear ofhow 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...
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 ofher 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.
[Judge] The foreman will read the verdict.
[Foreman] We find the defendant not guilty.
- [Gavel Raps] - [Judge] Court is adjourned.
Come on, Joey. You come home with me.
Selena, would you like to go now?
- [All Clamoring] - [Man] Good going!
Oh, Selena, we're so very happy for you.
[Woman] Selena!
[Train Whistle Blowing]
Mother?
Come on, Norman.
[Allison Narrating] We'd finally discovered that season oflove.
It is only found in someone else's heart.
Right now, someone you know...
is looking everywhere for it...
and it's in you.