# A stupid question about Return to Peyton Place

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 1, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142 "2002-04-01T01:03:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142/1 "2002-04-01T01:03:03Z")

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Why does Constance’s husband change names for no apparent reason from Peyton Place to Return to Peyton Place? He’s Tom Markris in the first book, then Mike Rossi in the second. It’s still the same guy, 'cause there’s all that stupid beautiful Greek Adonis description about him, and when Tom/Mike buys the lease to her house, he says her name as “Constance MaidenName MacKenzie Rossi”, leaving out Markris.

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142/2 "2002-04-01T06:48:33Z")

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SPOILERS

Constance was born Constance Standish. She had her affair with Allison MacKenzie and bore his child (whom she named Allison) out of wedlock and returned to Peyton Place claiming to be Constance MacKenzie, widow of Allison. She marries Mike Rossi in the first book and becomes Constance Rossi. She’s Constance Rossi in the second book too, and Mike is still Mike.

Obviously I didn’t re-read Peyton Place before typing this up, but I don’t remember a Tom Markris from the first book. Where are you finding him?

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**Author:** ![ThisYearsGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@ThisYearsGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisYearsGirl)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142/3 "2002-04-01T15:33:50Z")

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Tom Markris is his character’s name in the entire first book. I have to read it for a class, in the edition of the book that I have (which has both Peyton Place and the sequel), his name is Tomas Markris is the entire first book. Why would they change it for this edition?

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**Author:** ![tf0928](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tf0928](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tf0928)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142/4 "2016-02-25T21:54:11Z")

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This bothered me, too. I just found out that in the first edition(s) of Peyton Place, the character’s name was Tom Makris, which was actually a real man’s name who the author knew and used as inspiration. When it became a movie, he sued for libel, and the author changed his name to Mike Rossi in all reprintings of Peyton Place and in the sequel.

I kept thinking that the first couple of chapters would explain that Constance remarried or was widowed, but nope.

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-stupid-question-about-return-to-peyton-place/101142/5 "2016-02-25T22:15:19Z")

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Now we know…!