Kim Schuster is a fictional character on the television drama '' Peyton Place''. She was portrayed in 33 episodes by

Kimberly Beck Kimberly Beck (born January 9, 1956) is a former American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Trish Jarvis in Joseph Zito's '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984). Her other film roles include Alfred Hitchcock's ''Marni ...

, between 1965 and 1966.

Character history

Kim is the six-year-old

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

daughter of David Schuster (

William Smithers William Smithers (born July 10, 1927) is an American actor, perhaps best known for his recurring role as Jeremy Wendell in the television series ''Dallas''. He appeared in the series in 1981 and from 1984 to 1989. Early life and career Smith ...

) and his wife Doris Schuster (

Gail Kobe Gail Kobe (born Gabriella Kieliszewski; March 19, 1932 – August 1, 2013) was an American actress and television producer. Early years Kobe was born Gabriella Kieliszewski in Hamtramck, Michigan (near Detroit) to Benjamin and Theresa Kobe. She ...

). She is very fond of her father, who is often at work and doesn't see her much. However, she doesn't like her mother, blaming her for having moved from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to Peyton Place. She often ignores her attempts to bond with her and feels she doesn't love her as much because of her hearing impairment. It is implied her rebelliousness against her mother is actually a cry for attention, as she also steals to get attention. David at one point thinks it was a mistake for having come to Peyton Place. In New York, she had her own private teacher, Amy Warren, but after arriving in the small town, she refused to talk. Doris suggests she be sent to a reform school in Boston. She is shocked and decides to run away, but

Allison MacKenzie ''Peyton Place'' is a 1956 novel by the American author Grace Metalious. Set in New England in the time periods before and after World War II, the novel tells the story of three women who are forced to come to terms with their identity, both as ...

(

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera '' Peyton Place'' and gained further recognition for her subsequent ...

) soon finds her. They bond and Allison becomes her babysitter. This upsets Doris very much, because she wants to have the same relationship with Kim as Allison has. Besides Allison, she doesn't bond with many girls. The girls from her own age bully her for being different.Describal episode 93
/ref> One night, Kim runs away for a second time and witnesses

Rodney Harrington Rodney "Rod" Harrington is a fictional character in the 1956 Grace Metalious novel '' Peyton Place'', the 1957 film adaptation, and the 1960s television adaptation '' Peyton Place''. He was portrayed by Barry Coe in the film, and by Ryan O'Neal i ...

(

Ryan O'Neal Ryan O'Neal (born April 20, 1941) is an American actor and former boxer. He trained as an amateur boxer before beginning his career in acting in 1960. In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC nighttime soap opera '' Peyton Pla ...

) and Joe Chernak fighting. Joe eventually dies the same night. A long murder trial follows and Kim has to be called to the witness stand. This upsets her very much, because the events of that night have become very traumatic for her. Doris notices Peyton Place is becoming too much for Kim and decides to leave with her for New York.

References

Peyton Place characters Fictional deaf characters Child characters in television Literary characters introduced in 1965 {{drama-tv-char-stub