The first soap opera to become a runaway hit in primetime television leads off these new DVDs released this week.
"Peyton Place: Part One" (Shout!/Fox, 1964, b/w, five discs, $39.99)."Peyton Place: Part Two" (Shout!/Fox, 1965, b/w, five discs, $39.99). First came the bestselling novel, then the hit movie, followed by this dramatic series about scandal, betrayal and revenge in a seemingly placid small town in New England.
At its peak, the half-hour program aired three times a week and made stars of two young actors, Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal. (For most of its run, it was on twice a week.) The program aired year-round and never went into reruns; every episode was new.
The primary plot of the movie also leads off this series, as Constance MacKenzie (Dorothy Malone) harbors a sordid secret concerning the birth of her daughter Allison (Farrow). Meanwhile, Allison aspires to be a writer and begins dating hot-shot rich kid Rodney Harrington (O'Neal), who doesn't know that his previous girlfriend Betty (Barbara Parkins) is pregnant.
Among the many other characters and plots are Dr. Rossi (Ed Nelson), who comes to town to take over the medical practice; Betty and Rodney eventually getting married; Rodney and Betty's parents having an affair … well, you get the idea.
The second set's episodes have Betty running away to New York, Allison's father showing up and setting off a series of unexpected repercussions, Betty's father being institutionalized and a shooting that also has a domino effect. (Look for Mariette Hartley, and Mickey Dolenz, who would become one of "The Monkees" a year later.)
Hey, I said it was a soap. TV trappings of the day are also here as the music swells to signal a dramatic revelation just before each commercial break, and at the end of each episode, there are previews of the next one. Although sex and other subjects are less graphic than today's TV soaps, the writing here is good, the cast is appealing and it can become addicting. Which is, of course, the idea.
The first set has all the episodes from the show's debut in September 1964 through the end of the year. The second picks up the January 1965 episodes and goes through June. And if these sell well, there are plenty of sets to come; the show produced 514 episodes altogether.
Extras: full frame, 31 episodes ("Part One"), 33 episodes ("Part Two")
"The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies" (PBS/Blu-ray, 2008, $29.99). This hourlong documentary is a gorgeously photographed (enhanced by this hi-def transfer) look at the monarch butterfly, which travels 2,000 miles across North America to reach a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico. How do these remarkable creatures manage such a feat of endurance? Ah, that's the question.
Extras: widescreen
"Charlie's Angels: The Complete Fourth Season" (Sony, 1970-80, six discs, $39.95). Believe it or not, the first two episodes of this penultimate season are a two-part story set aboard "The Love Boat," with cast members of that show intermingling with the three Angels as they investigate an art theft. This is the season Kate Jackson left and Shelley Hack signed on. Farrah Fawcett shows up for three guest appearances, and other guests include Kim Cattrall, Ray Milland, Barbara Stanwyck and Patrick Duffy.
Extras: full frame, 26 episodes
"The Madoff Affair" (PBS, 2009, $24.99). This "Frontline" episode looks at the rise and fall of Bernie Madoff and the Ponzi scheme that recently brought him down.
Extras: widescreen
e-mail: hicks@desnews.com