Peyton Place

I have just seen episode 514 of this remarkable series. I first started watching in 1968 when it was on daily at a time when I was making my way home from college. If I got on the right bus I would sometimes get to see the second half of the programme on two days of the week and on Fridays when we finished early I saw a full programme! During my summer and other holidays I could get to see a full weeks worth if I had the right temping jobs - I became a real groupie! It has always been my favourite series and I always rated other soaps against it, the only two coming close were "Dallas" before it became silly and "Falcon Crest." Then when we got cable TV [30 years after the original screening] I saw the series again from about half-way through - missing again, Constances' wedding! Then at the end of the run the series was restarted again and after the first episode the channel was pulled! That was about 10 years ago - finally I have bought the set on DVD and have just watched it all again! At a rate of about 4 episodes a night and 10 a day at weekends, it was a most satisfying experience! Rubbish ending, but at least the mop-up film tidied up the areas that had never been resolved in the series and the series, although left up in the air had obvious story-lines that did not need a conclusion - other than who killed Fred Russell - my money's on the blonde kid!