The Patty Duke Show
Encyclopedia
The Patty Duke Show is an American sitcom which ran on ABC
from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke
. A total of 104 episodes were produced, most written by Sidney Sheldon
.
section of New York City (and as the lyrics to the theme song point out--"Patty loves to rock 'n' roll, a hot dog makes her lose control!"). Her father is the managing editor of the New York Daily Chronicle. In the unaired pilot episode, her "identical cousin
" Cathy Lane (also played by Duke), whose father also works for the Chronicle as a foreign correspondent, arrives in the United States from Scotland to live with Patty's family and attend school.
The show's premise is that Cathy is more worldly and demure than identical looking cousin Patty. The remarkable physical resemblance that Patty and Cathy Lane share to each other is explained by their fathers being identical twin brothers.
Duke played a third lookalike role in the second season episode "The Perfect Hostess", in which Patty and Cathy come face to face with their southern belle doppelganger when distant cousin Betsy visited from Chattanooga, Tenn.
as Patty's father Martin Lane (Schallert also played Cathy's father Kenneth in a handful of episodes), Jean Byron
as Patty's mother Natalie Lane, Paul O'Keefe
as Patty's brother Ross Lane, and Eddie Applegate
as Patty's boyfriend Richard Harrison.
In the pilot episode only, Mark Miller
played Patty's father and Charles Herbert
played Patty's brother. The pilot episode was not aired as such, but parts of it were used in the last episode of the first season, with Schallert and O'Keefe in their respective roles.
Special guest stars included singing duo Chad and Jeremy
; teen-heartthrob singers Frankie Avalon
, Bobby Vinton
, Frank Sinatra, Jr.
, and Robert Goulet
; Jimmy Dean
; Sal Mineo
; Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford
, and a then-unknown James Brolin
.
In all episodes, Duke appeared as both characters in the same frame through use of a split-screen
effect. The technically ambitious traveling matte process was also used from time to time, particularly in the pilot
. To complement these effects, child actress Rita McLaughlin was used as Duke's double (almost always seen only from behind). In order to differentiate the two characters to the viewing public, the character Patty wore a flip-fall hairpiece, while Cathy's character wore a more conservative turn-under hairstyle.
.
, still originated from New York, whereas most other productions moved out West. The Patty Duke Show would prove to be the exception for the time, as it was filmed in New York and not in Hollywood.
When the series unaired pilot episode was filmed in early 1963, featuring actors Mark Miller and Charles Herbert in the roles of Charles and Ross Lane respectively, the show was filmed in Hollywood with San Francisco as the setting for the series. However, when the series was picked up by ABC it was realized that Duke's age, which was at the time 16, would prove to be a challenge. California's strict child labor laws, known informally as the Coogan Laws
after famed 1930's child actor Jackie Coogan
, curtailed the number of hours that child actors could work. It was thus decided that the show would originate from New York, as New York, by contrast, did not have such stringent laws. This would allow producers to devote more time to the production, a distinct advantage, since Duke effectively carried the show. With the switch to the East Coast it was decided to reset the show in Brooklyn Heights with the Chelsea Studios
in Manhattan serving as the filming location.
Duke turned 18 during the 1965–66 television season; consequently ABC wanted to shift the show's production to Hollywood. To the network's displeasure, Duke refused to make the move; at the time, she was in the midst of breaking off her relationship with her managers, who were insisting upon the move. Although the series kicked off in New York at the beginning of the season, a few of the last shows were in fact filmed on the West Coast. Had the show continued it would have stayed in California but its cancellation made it a moot point.
decided not to renew it for the 1966–67 season on the basis that filming it in color would have been prohibitively expensive (at the time all three networks were switching their entire prime time lineups to color production).
Duke wrote in her memoir Call Me Anna that United Artists
, which produced the series (as well as The Miracle Worker
), refused ABC's demand for a switch to color. Duke suspected that United Artists executives said no as "a negotiating ploy" with the hope that ABC would respond with an offer to pay more money for the series. Instead, ABC decided not to renew the series.
from September 19, 1988 to August 30, 1993. On June 30, 1995, Nick at Nite showed one episode of the series during their 10th anniversary celebration. In 2005, both Nick at Nite and TV Land
aired an episode of Patty in honor of Nick at Nite's 20th anniversary.
As of November 1, 2008, The Patty Duke Show is currently being syndicated on This TV
as part of an early morning classic TV block. Prior to this, the show had not appeared in national syndication since Nick at Nite dropped it from its lineup. As of March 2009, the show was being broadcast daily on World Harvest Television, the cable/satellite channel operated by televangelist Lester Sumrall
's LeSEA Broadcasting
.
aired the TV movie The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' In Brooklyn Heights, which reunited the original cast, including Duke, Byron, O'Keefe, Schallert, and Applegate. In Still Rockin, Patty and Richard married after high school, had a son, and were amicably divorced (though toward the end of the movie, they reconcile). Cathy is a widow living in Scotland and has a teenage son. Most of the plot revolves around Patty's old rival Sue Ellen's plans to buy Brooklyn Heights High School (where Patty works as a drama teacher), raze it, and replace it with a mall, which is opposed by Patty, Cathy, and the rest of the Lane family.
has released all 3 seasons of The Patty Duke Show on DVD in Region 1.
(PSA) for The Social Security Administration
, in which Patty asked Cathy about where she got her information about how to get Social Security benefits and other questions, such as how to apply online. The PSA was targeted toward baby boomers who were born or grew up in the 1960s.
In 2010, the main cast of The Patty Duke Show (except Jean Byron, who died in 2006) reprised their roles in a series of PSA
s, again for the Social Security Administration.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from September 18, 1963, until May 4, 1966, with reruns airing through August 31, 1966. The show was created as a vehicle for rising star Patty Duke
Patty Duke
Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...
. A total of 104 episodes were produced, most written by Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon was an Academy Award-winning American writer. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created The Patty Duke Show , I Dream of Jeannie and Hart to Hart , but he became most famous after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Game ,...
.
Plot
Patty Lane (Duke) is a normal teenager living in the Brooklyn HeightsBrooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights is a culturally diverse neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as 'Brooklyn Village', it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of...
section of New York City (and as the lyrics to the theme song point out--"Patty loves to rock 'n' roll, a hot dog makes her lose control!"). Her father is the managing editor of the New York Daily Chronicle. In the unaired pilot episode, her "identical cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
" Cathy Lane (also played by Duke), whose father also works for the Chronicle as a foreign correspondent, arrives in the United States from Scotland to live with Patty's family and attend school.
The show's premise is that Cathy is more worldly and demure than identical looking cousin Patty. The remarkable physical resemblance that Patty and Cathy Lane share to each other is explained by their fathers being identical twin brothers.
Duke played a third lookalike role in the second season episode "The Perfect Hostess", in which Patty and Cathy come face to face with their southern belle doppelganger when distant cousin Betsy visited from Chattanooga, Tenn.
Characters and cast
Rounding out the cast were William SchallertWilliam Schallert
William Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
as Patty's father Martin Lane (Schallert also played Cathy's father Kenneth in a handful of episodes), Jean Byron
Jean Byron
Jean Byron was an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for the role of Natalie Lane, Patty Lane's mother in The Patty Duke Show.-Early life and career:...
as Patty's mother Natalie Lane, Paul O'Keefe
Paul O'Keefe
Paul O'Keefe is an American actor best known for his work on The Patty Duke Show and in the film The Daydreamer. Born in Boston, he began his schooling at the Immaculate Conception School and at the New England Conservatory of Music. He appeared on television with such stars as Sid Caesar, Sarah...
as Patty's brother Ross Lane, and Eddie Applegate
Eddie Applegate
Eddie Applegate is an American television actor, best-known for his work in the 1960s, most notably in the role of Richard Harrison, the boyfriend of Patty Lane on The Patty Duke Show.-Early life and career:...
as Patty's boyfriend Richard Harrison.
In the pilot episode only, Mark Miller
Mark Miller (actor)
Mark Miller is an American television actor/writer who made more than forty appearances in television programs and films since 1957. He co-starred with Joanne Dru and J...
played Patty's father and Charles Herbert
Charles Herbert
Charles Herbert is a former American child actor of the 1950s and 1960s. Before reaching his teens, Herbert was renowned by a generation of moviegoers for an on-screen broody, mature style and wit that enabled him to go one-on-one with some of the biggest names in the industry, and his appearances...
played Patty's brother. The pilot episode was not aired as such, but parts of it were used in the last episode of the first season, with Schallert and O'Keefe in their respective roles.
Special guest stars included singing duo Chad and Jeremy
Chad and Jeremy
Chad & Jeremy are an English singing folk rock duo originating in the 1960s, comprising eyeglasses-wearing Chad Stuart , and Jeremy Clyde...
; teen-heartthrob singers Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton
Bobby Vinton is an American pop music singer of Polish origin. In pop music circles, he became known as "The Polish Prince".-Early life:...
, Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Frank Sinatra, Jr.
Franklin Wayne Sinatra , professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor....
, and Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
; Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...
; Sal Mineo
Sal Mineo
Salvatore "Sal" Mineo, Jr. , was an American film and theatre actor, best known for his performance as John "Plato" Crawford opposite James Dean in the film Rebel Without a Cause...
; Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford
Peter Lawford
Peter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
, and a then-unknown James Brolin
James Brolin
James Brolin is an American actor, producer and director, best known for his roles in soap operas, movies, sitcoms, and television. He is the father of actor Josh Brolin and husband of singer/actress Barbra Streisand.-Early life:...
.
Music
The show's theme song, which has since been parodied many times over in pop culture, illustrates the two girls' differences:- Meet Cathy who's lived most everywhere, from ZanzibarZanzibarZanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
to Berkeley SquareBerkeley SquareBerkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
; - But Patty's only seen the sights a girl can see from Brooklyn Heights — what a crazy pair!
- But they're cousins, identical cousins all the way;
- One pair of matching bookends — Different as night and day.
- Where Cathy adores a minuetMinuetA minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
, the Ballets RussesBallets RussesThe Ballets Russes was an itinerant ballet company from Russia which performed between 1909 and 1929 in many countries. Directed by Sergei Diaghilev, it is regarded as the greatest ballet company of the 20th century. Many of its dancers originated from the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg...
, and crepes suzette, - Our Patty loves to rock and roll — A hot dog makes her lose control — What a wild duet!
- Still, they're cousins, Identical cousins and you'll find
- They laugh alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike.
- You can lose your mind ... when cousins are two of a kind!
Visual effects
The dual role for Duke challenged special effects for its time, considering that television special effects were rare in the early 1960s, particularly for a sitcom.In all episodes, Duke appeared as both characters in the same frame through use of a split-screen
Split screen (film)
In film and video production, split screen is the visible division of the screen, traditionally in half, but also in several simultaneous images, rupturing the illusion that the screen's frame is a seamless view of reality, similar to that of the human eye...
effect. The technically ambitious traveling matte process was also used from time to time, particularly in the pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
. To complement these effects, child actress Rita McLaughlin was used as Duke's double (almost always seen only from behind). In order to differentiate the two characters to the viewing public, the character Patty wore a flip-fall hairpiece, while Cathy's character wore a more conservative turn-under hairstyle.
Reception
Already a budding star in her own right, Duke was further thrust into the public consciousness through the show. As the series went on, her star power from the series allowed her to enter the realm of popular music, releasing a Top Ten single, "Don't Just Stand There", in 19651965 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is sold to CBS for $13 million.*January 12 – Hullabaloo premieres on NBC. The first show included performances by The New Christy Minstrels, comedian Woody Allen, actress Joey Heatherton and a segment from London in which Brian Epstein...
.
Filming locations
By the early 1960s most sitcoms were being produced in Hollywood, whereas previously they had been produced in New York. New formats and innovations such as filmed shows, video tape, and coast to coast coaxial cable service allowed for this change. By 1963 mostly game shows, such as What's My Line, and soap operas, such as The Secret StormThe Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
, still originated from New York, whereas most other productions moved out West. The Patty Duke Show would prove to be the exception for the time, as it was filmed in New York and not in Hollywood.
When the series unaired pilot episode was filmed in early 1963, featuring actors Mark Miller and Charles Herbert in the roles of Charles and Ross Lane respectively, the show was filmed in Hollywood with San Francisco as the setting for the series. However, when the series was picked up by ABC it was realized that Duke's age, which was at the time 16, would prove to be a challenge. California's strict child labor laws, known informally as the Coogan Laws
California Child Actor's Bill
The California Child Actor's Bill is a law applicable to child performers, designed to safeguard a portion of their earnings for when they enter adulthood....
after famed 1930's child actor Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
, curtailed the number of hours that child actors could work. It was thus decided that the show would originate from New York, as New York, by contrast, did not have such stringent laws. This would allow producers to devote more time to the production, a distinct advantage, since Duke effectively carried the show. With the switch to the East Coast it was decided to reset the show in Brooklyn Heights with the Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios is a television studio and sound stage at 221 West 26th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.-History:The building was originally an armory that was home to Ninth Mounted Calvary which moved to 14th Street in 1914....
in Manhattan serving as the filming location.
Duke turned 18 during the 1965–66 television season; consequently ABC wanted to shift the show's production to Hollywood. To the network's displeasure, Duke refused to make the move; at the time, she was in the midst of breaking off her relationship with her managers, who were insisting upon the move. Although the series kicked off in New York at the beginning of the season, a few of the last shows were in fact filmed on the West Coast. Had the show continued it would have stayed in California but its cancellation made it a moot point.
Cancellation
Although the series was still very popular during its final season and getting high Nielsen ratings, ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
decided not to renew it for the 1966–67 season on the basis that filming it in color would have been prohibitively expensive (at the time all three networks were switching their entire prime time lineups to color production).
Duke wrote in her memoir Call Me Anna that United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, which produced the series (as well as The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker
The Miracle Worker is a cycle of 20th century dramatic works derived from Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life. Each of the various dramas describes the relationship between Keller—a deafblind and initially almost feral child—and Anne Sullivan, the teacher who introduced her to...
), refused ABC's demand for a switch to color. Duke suspected that United Artists executives said no as "a negotiating ploy" with the hope that ABC would respond with an offer to pay more money for the series. Instead, ABC decided not to renew the series.
Syndication
The Patty Duke Show was rerun on Nick at NiteNick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
from September 19, 1988 to August 30, 1993. On June 30, 1995, Nick at Nite showed one episode of the series during their 10th anniversary celebration. In 2005, both Nick at Nite and TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
aired an episode of Patty in honor of Nick at Nite's 20th anniversary.
As of November 1, 2008, The Patty Duke Show is currently being syndicated on This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
as part of an early morning classic TV block. Prior to this, the show had not appeared in national syndication since Nick at Nite dropped it from its lineup. As of March 2009, the show was being broadcast daily on World Harvest Television, the cable/satellite channel operated by televangelist Lester Sumrall
Lester Sumrall
Lester Frank Sumrall was an ordained American minister who formed the LeSEA broadcast network.-Biography:...
's LeSEA Broadcasting
LeSEA
LeSEA Broadcasting , also known as World Harvest Television, is an American Christian television network with over 40 affiliate stations in a number of U.S...
.
Reunion movie
In 1999, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
aired the TV movie The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' In Brooklyn Heights, which reunited the original cast, including Duke, Byron, O'Keefe, Schallert, and Applegate. In Still Rockin, Patty and Richard married after high school, had a son, and were amicably divorced (though toward the end of the movie, they reconcile). Cathy is a widow living in Scotland and has a teenage son. Most of the plot revolves around Patty's old rival Sue Ellen's plans to buy Brooklyn Heights High School (where Patty works as a drama teacher), raze it, and replace it with a mall, which is opposed by Patty, Cathy, and the rest of the Lane family.
DVD releases
Shout! FactoryShout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
has released all 3 seasons of The Patty Duke Show on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 37 | September 29, 2009 |
| The Complete Second Season | 36 | February 9, 2010 |
| The Complete Third Season | 32 | August 24, 2010 |
Social Security campaigns
In 2009, Duke reprised her dual roles from the show in a public service announcementPublic service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
(PSA) for The Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
, in which Patty asked Cathy about where she got her information about how to get Social Security benefits and other questions, such as how to apply online. The PSA was targeted toward baby boomers who were born or grew up in the 1960s.
In 2010, the main cast of The Patty Duke Show (except Jean Byron, who died in 2006) reprised their roles in a series of PSA
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, again for the Social Security Administration.