Betty Anderson
| Betty Anderson | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Peyton Place character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Barbara Parkins | ||||||||
| First appearance | September 15, 1964 (#1) | ||||||||
| Last appearance | May 19, 1969 (#512) | ||||||||
| Created by | Grace Metalious | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Motorcycle shop co-worker Personal assistant Nurse |
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| Residence | Peyton Place | ||||||||
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| Family |
Leslie Harrington (father-in-law) Catherine Harrington (mother-in-law) (deceased) Martin Peyton (grandfather-in-law) (deceased) Norman Harrington (brother-in-law) |
|---|---|
| Parents |
Julie Anderson (mother) George Anderson (father) |
| Aunts and uncles | Lois (aunt) |
| First cousins | Tommy (cousin) |
Betty Anderson is a fictional character in the novel Peyton Place, written by Grace Metalious, as well as the subsequent films and TV series based on the novel. In the film, she was played by actress Terry Moore; and in the TV series, she was portrayed by actress Barbara Parkins; in the short-lived daytime soap opera, she was played by actress Julie Parrish and later Lynn Loring. In a later TV movie, Murder in Peyton Place, Janet Margolin performed the role of Betty.
Betty is the daughter of millworker John and Berit Anderson, and lived in the small community of Peyton Place. She is known for her less than moral behavior, and used her sexuality for power over men. In the book, she was described as "having not only the morals but the claws of an alley cat". She had a crush on Rodney Harrington, the son of mill owner, Leslie Harrington. Betty and Rodney had gone on a drive to a nearby lake, and then it was discovered that she was pregnant; some time later, Rodney had died in a car accident. She eventually had a son named Roddy, whom she adored.
For some time, (in the second book, Return to Peyton Place) she lived in New York, where she worked as a waitress; then after Roddy was born, she returned to Peyton Place, with a former neighbor in New York, Agnes Carlisle, who often watched Roddy. The family eventually moved to a house on Laurel Street, and they lived as well as they could.
For a planned but never written third book of Peyton Place, author Grace Metalious considered depicting Betty as the mother of Rodney, Jr., as well as her relationship with her father-in-law. Furthermore, she was supposed to fall in love with a Swede named Karl Gustafson.
There were only a few differences from Betty's portrayal in the 1956 novel and the 1957 film. In the film, set in the early 1940s, she is the school's most popular girl who is involved with Rodney. Quiet girl Allison MacKenzie looks up to her, but at the same time falls in love with her boyfriend Rodney. She is invited to Allison's birthday party, where she pours alcohol in the drinks, dims all the lights, and starts heavily making out with Rodney. This enrages Allison's mother Constance, who disapproves of Betty and sends her away.
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