# Peyton Place

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peyton-place/185614>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [July 1, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peyton-place/185614 "2003-07-01T17:34:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac91a4/32.png) [@Knighted\_Vorpal\_Sword](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knighted_Vorpal_Sword)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peyton-place/185614/1 "2003-07-01T17:34:26Z")

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What can anyone tell me about the show “Peyton Place?” Why was it so controversial?

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**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peyton-place/185614/2 "2003-07-01T18:45:15Z")

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The reason (IMO) that Peyton Place was controversial was:

It dealt with child abuse, sexual abuse, abortion, and pre-marital sex (I think) in a time when those things were pretty much not talked about (which was also a point the movie made).

I haven’t seen it in a while, but that was my take on it.

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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:** [July 1, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/peyton-place/185614/3 "2003-07-01T18:46:00Z")

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Never saw the TV show but I have read the book and seen the movie.

The book was controversial because it dealt with such topics as pre-marital sex, unwed motherhood, rape, abortion, incest, adultery, suicide, etc. in America in the 1950s. The movie was controversial because it dealt with many of the same topics, albeit more obliquely because of censorship.