Constance MacKenzie
Encyclopedia
Constance MacKenzie is a fictional character in the 1956 novel
Peyton Place
by Grace Metalious. In the subsequent film adaptation
, she was played by Lana Turner
; in the sequel Return to Peyton Place
, by Eleanor Parker
; in the primetime television series, by Dorothy Malone
(and briefly by Lola Albright); and in daytime soap opera
Return to Peyton Place, by Bettye Ackerman
.
Constance Standish was born and bred in the small New Hampshire
community of Peyton Place; living with her widowed mother, Elizabeth Standish. Like most people in that community, she was repressed. She met, acquired a job with, and eventually fell in love with a man named Allison MacKenzie, who ran an exotic fabric shop in New York
.
They had an extramarital affair (he was married and had two children and a wife in Scarsdale, New York
), and from that affair, her daughter, Allison MacKenzie
, his namesake, was born. (Allison, according to the book, was a year older than she really was, because Constance and her mother doctored the birth certificate.) After the birth of Allison, Mr. MacKenzie died, and left her some money in a discreet bank account. With this money and what she had saved while her former lover was alive, she opened a clothing store in her hometown.
In the novel, it was named, the Thrifty Corner Apparel Shoppe; in the movie, it was simply called, The Tweed Shop; and in the television series, she didn't own a clothing store, but operated the town's book store.
Constance and Allison had a strained relationship, especially with dealing with her daughter's moods and feelings and choices of her work. Constance didn't approve of Allison's friendship with the much poorer Selena Cross
, but eventually, she saw something good in her, and offered her a job at the Thrifty Corner; later on, she became manager. She met the new school principal, Michael Rossi
(named Tomas Makris in the novel's initial printing), and they fell in love, and eventually married.
Before they married, Constance, in a fit of rage, called Allison a bastard. This shocked Allison, as she found out about her birth, and that her mother had never been married. This stemmed from her and neighbor Evelyn Page, falsely accusing both Allison and Norman Page (Evelyn's son) of having sex. (They had been on an innocent picnic, but both mothers believed the worst.) Also adding to the tension was the death of Selena's mother, Nellie, by suicide. These events only added to the estrangement between Allison and Constance, and led up to Allison leaving Peyton Place for good to move to New York.
In the movie, Constance and Michael were a couple, but were not married. It wasn't until the sequel, Return to Peyton Place, that Constance and Michael married. In the sequel, Allison's book was published, and was met with scathing reviews by the more hypocritical people in Peyton Place, namely Marion Partridge
and Roberta Carter, who were dealing with their own skeletons in their closets.
Also, the fact that Allison, ironically, also had an affair with a married man, (book publisher Lewis Jackman), much like Constance herself did, helped the two bond once more. In fact, Constance assured Allison that life went on, and although her daughter didn't have a child to live for, as Constance had, she reminded her that living for Lewis meant her returning to her work writing, which Allison did.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
Peyton Place
Peyton Place (novel)
Peyton Place is a 1956 novel by Grace Metalious. It sold 60,000 copies within the first ten days of its release and remained on the New York Times best seller list for 59 weeks. It was adapted as both a 1957 film and a 1964–69 television series....
by Grace Metalious. In the subsequent film adaptation
Peyton Place (film)
Peyton Place is a 1957 American drama film directed by Mark Robson. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes is based on the bestselling 1956 novel of the same name by Grace Metalious.-Plot:...
, she was played by Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
; in the sequel Return to Peyton Place
Return to Peyton Place
Return to Peyton Place is a 1959 novel by Grace Metalious, a sequel to her best-selling 1956 novel Peyton Place.-Plot summary:After the phenomenal success of her first novel, Metalious hastily penned a sequel centering on the life and loves of bestselling author Allison MacKenzie, who ironically...
, by Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Parker
Eleanor Jean Parker is an American screen actress. Her versatility led to her being dubbed Woman of a Thousand Faces, the title of her biography by Doug McClelland.- Early life :...
; in the primetime television series, by Dorothy Malone
Dorothy Malone
Dorothy Malone is an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years she played small roles, mainly in B-movies. After a decade in films, she began to acquire a more glamorous image, particularly after her performance in Written on the Wind , for which she won the Academy...
(and briefly by Lola Albright); and in daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Return to Peyton Place, by Bettye Ackerman
Bettye Ackerman
Bettye Ackerman was an American actress primarily known for her work on television.Ackerman was born in Cottageville, South Carolina and grew up in Williston in Barnwell County in southwestern South Carolina, one of four children. She graduated from Columbia College in South Carolina in 1945 and...
.
Constance Standish was born and bred in the small New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
community of Peyton Place; living with her widowed mother, Elizabeth Standish. Like most people in that community, she was repressed. She met, acquired a job with, and eventually fell in love with a man named Allison MacKenzie, who ran an exotic fabric shop in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
They had an extramarital affair (he was married and had two children and a wife in Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale, New York
Scarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
), and from that affair, her daughter, Allison MacKenzie
Allison MacKenzie
Allison MacKenzie is a fictional character and one of the protagonists in the novel Peyton Place, its sequel Return to Peyton Place, the subsequent film adaptations of both, and the primetime television series and daytime soap opera they inspired....
, his namesake, was born. (Allison, according to the book, was a year older than she really was, because Constance and her mother doctored the birth certificate.) After the birth of Allison, Mr. MacKenzie died, and left her some money in a discreet bank account. With this money and what she had saved while her former lover was alive, she opened a clothing store in her hometown.
In the novel, it was named, the Thrifty Corner Apparel Shoppe; in the movie, it was simply called, The Tweed Shop; and in the television series, she didn't own a clothing store, but operated the town's book store.
Constance and Allison had a strained relationship, especially with dealing with her daughter's moods and feelings and choices of her work. Constance didn't approve of Allison's friendship with the much poorer Selena Cross
Selena Cross
Selena Cross is a fictional character in the novel Peyton Place, as well as its sequel, Return to Peyton Place and the films based on the novels.-In the novel:...
, but eventually, she saw something good in her, and offered her a job at the Thrifty Corner; later on, she became manager. She met the new school principal, Michael Rossi
Michael Rossi
Michael Rossi, is a fictional book character from Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. Set in a small New England town whose peaceful facade hides love and passion, scandal and hypocrisy...
(named Tomas Makris in the novel's initial printing), and they fell in love, and eventually married.
Before they married, Constance, in a fit of rage, called Allison a bastard. This shocked Allison, as she found out about her birth, and that her mother had never been married. This stemmed from her and neighbor Evelyn Page, falsely accusing both Allison and Norman Page (Evelyn's son) of having sex. (They had been on an innocent picnic, but both mothers believed the worst.) Also adding to the tension was the death of Selena's mother, Nellie, by suicide. These events only added to the estrangement between Allison and Constance, and led up to Allison leaving Peyton Place for good to move to New York.
In the movie, Constance and Michael were a couple, but were not married. It wasn't until the sequel, Return to Peyton Place, that Constance and Michael married. In the sequel, Allison's book was published, and was met with scathing reviews by the more hypocritical people in Peyton Place, namely Marion Partridge
Marion Partridge
Marion Partridge was a character in the novel Peyton Place and in the subsequent film. In the film, Marion was played by actress Peg Hillias....
and Roberta Carter, who were dealing with their own skeletons in their closets.
Also, the fact that Allison, ironically, also had an affair with a married man, (book publisher Lewis Jackman), much like Constance herself did, helped the two bond once more. In fact, Constance assured Allison that life went on, and although her daughter didn't have a child to live for, as Constance had, she reminded her that living for Lewis meant her returning to her work writing, which Allison did.