Historian Mac Smith

It is a well-known fact that Peyton Place, a blockbuster considered scandalous and controversial at the time of its release, was filmed in Camden, Maine and the surrounding towns in 1957. But how did the movie come to be filmed in Maine, who was involved in getting it here, and what did local folk think about 20th Century Fox shooting a big-budget film in their front yards? What was it like when Hollywood met Maine?

Historian Mac Smith (Mainers on the Titanic, Maine’s Hail to the Chief) has done the research and presents a fascinating account of the events of that magical, and controversial, summer on the Maine coast. Beginning with the arrival of Hollywood executives intent on choosing a location in the state, Smith traces the making of the movie, what happened after the crews left, and the premiere of the film, which was held in Camden.

A Navy veteran of the First Gulf War and former news reporter for the Bar Harbor Times, Mac Smith lives in Stockton Springs, Maine, in the village of Sandy Point, where he is restoring the family homestead. He is a graduate of the University of Maine. This is his third book.

This event will take place in person at the Rockland Public Library, located at 80 Union Street, Rockland, Maine. For more information, email elewis@rocklandmaine.gov.