The Patty Duke Show (1963–1966) User Reviews (23)

Cute teen series features polar opposite identical cousins

[roghache · 8/10 · 4 May 2006]

I grew up on this really cute series as a teenager myself, and only wish today's adolescents had more programs of its quality and sense of genuine fun. The Patty Duke Show is shades of Hayley Mills's Parent Trap. In fact, every young girl's heroines back then were Patty Duke, Hayley Mills, and Sally Field (star of Gidget & The Flying Nun). The teen magazines were full of this trio of stars.

The series portrays the story of two identical cousins, Patty and Cathy Lane. Cathy, the daughter of a globe trotting journalist, comes to live with her aunt & uncle, Martin & Natalie Lane. They have a daughter, Patty, who's the same age as Cathy and the absolute spitting image. However, aside from looks, these two teenage girls are completely opposite in personality, taste, and life experiences.

Patty Duke charmingly captures the dual roles of the cousins and manages to make the viewer think that there are actually two different teenagers here. There are some great special effects for that era when the 'two of a kind' cousins appear together on screen. Whether realistic or not, the show had a great story idea with a variation on the identical twins with contrasting personalities theme. Making them cousins with totally different childhood experiences, the screenwriters could make this pair of lookalikes seem really diverse.

In fact, their personality and culture clash forms the basis of the series. Since Patty and Cathy are such polar opposites, they have trouble understanding each other. The urbane, sophisticated Cathy is a quiet and serious young lady, who has been living in Scotland with her father and has traveled abroad in Europe. Patty is a typical peppy, outgoing, and very social American teenager living in Brooklyn Heights. Cathy is studious and scholastically excellent, while Patty receives average grades and is more concerned with fashions, fads, friends, fun, and sleepovers than with schoolwork. Cathy's taste in music runs to classical ('the minuet and ballet Russe') while Patty likes to bop around to the rock & roll music of that era. Even their taste in food...well, Cathy prefers gourmet cuisine such as the elegant Crepes Suzette, while Patty chooses hot dogs, ice cream, and junk food.

However, although jealousy and conflict arise (always humorously conveyed of course), it's much like a sibling relationship. Underneath it all, the cousins really do care about one other and sometimes even conspire together to pull off pranks or get themselves out of scrapes. (Typically Patty gets into the scrape and Cathy must help her out of it!) Also, the cousins are not actually that different in some important ways. Patty desires popularity and Cathy at least some sense of acceptance. And of course both young ladies are interested in BOYS. Patty would accurately be described as boy crazy, while Cathy conveys her interest a bit more subtly. The girls don't always go for the same type, but in one episode, the pair are actually rivals for the attentions of the new boy next door. I note among the episode list that once there's even a double date, have forgotten the details, but would predict some sort of switcheroo or mix up.

Patty's father, Martin Lane, is managing editor of a fictitious New York newspaper, the New York Chronicle, for which Cathy's father (Martin's brother) works as a foreign correspondent. The two brothers are identical twins, presumably explaining their daughters' close physical resemblance. Cathy's father wants her to complete high school in the States before returning to Scotland.

The father in this series really stands out in my mind these many years later. William Shallert is absolutely wonderful in the role of Patty's father, Martin Lane, the classic kind & caring American dad who's often at his wit's end over his teenage daughter's antics. This actor also plays Cathy's father in a few of the episodes. I don't remember the mother, Natalie Lane, but that isn't to say the actress wasn't competent. It's been quite a few decades!

Overall, it was wonderful programming that the teenagers of that era could relate to. No sex and drugs on screen back in the Good Old Days. However, many of the classic teen story lines are featured, including parties, dating, school football stars, teachers, baby sitting, kid brothers, and peer rivalry. Patty spars with her own younger brother, Ross, and must also cope with an annoying school rival, Sue Ellen. Probably most young viewers preferred the extroverted chatterbox, Patty, but personally, being shy and bookish myself in those days, I identified more with the introverted, academic Cathy. The Patty Duke Show was very popular among all my own school friends and quite deservedly so. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it in re runs, but suspect that even some of today's teens might still get a kick out of it.

Unique Show For The Time

[ideabook · 8/10 · 7 January 2015]

Patty Duke was a very popular actress at the time, one of a handful of teen/child stars who was taken seriously. To take advantage of that the Patty Duke Show was conceived. It ran for 3 years on ABC network.

The program featured Duke in dual roles as herself (Patty) and her Scotch cousin (Cathy). The two are very different: Patty supposed to be the 'average' American era teen and Cathy the more mature and traveled counter. The show was set in Brooklyn Heights, New York.

The format, with Duke playing dual roles, was a real first for TV at the time. TV, films and music were riding a wave of teenage girls in the early 60's. Duke was an actress, although she, like many other girl teen stars gave singing a go and appeared on several music shows in the mid-60's.

The program itself was one of the last actually filmed and produced in New York. Others, such as 'The Naked City' and 'Car 54 Where Are You?' had gone off the air by the time Duke's program started. The Duke program, taking advantage of New York states lax child labor rules, was made there due to Dukes age (16) when production began. The program actually moved to Hollywood for a few of the final episodes. Although filmed in New York, and unlike most New York produced programs, the program was filmed in studio with no outside or remote scenes.

TPDS evolved over its broadcast run. At times a source of conflict, Patty and Cathy come to terms and eventually co-conspirators in many antics. Patty's boyfriend manages to stick around during her many flights of fancy, chasing other boys and generally using him and taking advantage. He provides a base and sense of continuity. Patty's family are all wary of her (from experience) but are supportive. Many guest stars appeared as well, most from the music field and popular with teens at the time.

William Asher was involved with the show, leading a team of successful producers and directors. Asher eventually left to focus on 'Bewitched'.

Although still doing well in the ratings, TPDS show was canceled after its 3rd season (105 episodes).

One of my personal questions about the program was why the use of look alike cousins? The whole premise was far-fetched and probably not needed to make it successful. Cathy's part in the plots were often superficial and didn't contribute much. Asher had noted it was used as a 'hook' or 'gimmick' to stand out, however, you can easily argue Duke was talented enough to carry the program as just the Patty character. Cathy's on screen time and lines were reduced over the programs run, and she was actually not in at least 5 episodes in season three. Something to ponder.

Worked Well When It Aired

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 26 February 2017]

There are several reasons this series worked well, even though it is evident in a lot of episodes that ABC did not invest much money in the production. The First reason is the now late Patty Duke. In this show she gets to play both sides of being a teenager, wild and crazy, and prim and proper. As in real life Duke had a split personality disorder of sorts, she makes this work to her advantage here.

The supporting cast is another strength here. William Schallert and others really helped bring this over. The show has a feel much like the original Disney Film - The Parent Trap- because it has a strong mother and father and 2 teenage girls who are really related, though not twins like the Disney movies, and they get into all kinds of trouble.

The teaming of Sidney Sheldon and William Asher (Bewitched meets I Dream of Jeannie) is a part of the success here too. While the writing is sometimes lacking, the direction and production are as good as any 1960's sitcom. It really did not hurt that Duke had won an Oscar before this got going as well.

The late William Schallert's Martin Lane character never hurt this show either. Somehow, if Patty and Cathy got into something too deep he would come along and fix things.

Charming Relic

[earlytalkie · 29 July 2013]

The Patty Duke Show stands as a testament to the acting ability of Patty Duke, who truly created two completely different characters as Patty and Cathy Lane. The stories, written in the main by Sidney Sheldon are heartwarming and typical of early 1960s sitcom scripts. William Schallert and Jean Byron were wonderful as Martin and Natalie, and wasn't Jean Byron one of the most gorgeous of all sitcom moms? Paul O'Keefe was suitably mischievous as little brother Ross, and Eddie Applegate was fine as the slightly oafish Richard Harrison, Patty's boyfriend (most of the time). Patty Duke herself was going through some really rough times during the filming of this show, and only in recent years has she been able to embrace what a good show it was and how truly good her performances were in it. How she escaped winning a best-actress Emmy for this show is beyond me. To this day there are those who still think that two actresses played these roles. Other actresses tried to emulate playing dual roles on their series, but Patty was absolutely the best at it. It must have been grueling work to essay two parts on a week-to-week basis. The series was filmed in New York for it's first two seasons because of the more relaxed child labor laws which allowed the producers to work Ms. Duke more hours than would have been possible if the show were filmed in California. The Patty Duke Show is fondly remembered by those who grew up watching it. It certainly holds up better than the current crop of sitcoms will in the future. And the theme song is maybe one of the all-time best.

Teenage Misadventures

[JordanThomasHall · 7/10 · 11 September 2020]

Following Patty Duke's Academy Award-winning performance in "The Miracle Worker", producer Sidney Sheldon looked to star the 15-year-old in a television show. He invited her to spend a week with his family and began observing how she had two distinct personalities (later diagnosed as bipolar disorder). From this, he began writing the basis for the sitcom.

Patty Lane (Patty Duke) is a typical American teenager living in the New York City suburb of Brooklyn Heights. Her caring father, "Poppo", Martin Lane (William Schallert) is the managing editor of the New York Daily Chronicle where his identical twin bother Kenneth is a foreign correspondent. Kenneth's daughter Cathy (also Duke) has moved to the United States from Scotland to live with Patty and her family. This includes Patty's mother Natalie (Jean Byron) and her pesty younger brother Ross (Paul O'Keefe). Cathy looks identical to Patty, but the resemblances end there, as Cathy is a cultured, studious young lady. Episodes center around Patty and Cathy's misadventures, often involving Patty's boyfriend Richard Harrison (Eddie Applegate). The classic sitcom ran for three seasons from 1963-66.

Reflecting on the series after reviewing each episode, "The Patty Duke Show" spent three seasons trying to settle into a particular style, but was carried by the talents of Patty Duke and William Schallert. In fact, the best episode of the series may be the sole dramatic offering, "Do You Trust Your Daughter?", where the two channeled an emotional side yet shown. With few exceptions, Natalie's character served as a straight man of sorts. Ross grew to become an accomplice or nemesis in schemes. Richard was perhaps too goofy and air-headed, but was the only type who could put up with such bad treatment from Patty, and it created some comedy. The cast carved out their own identities to draw the viewer in to buying into them. Most impressively was Patty Duke's tremendous job convincing viewers that Patty and Cathy are two different people. You really buy into the separate characters.

Halfway through the first season the comedy picked up with some light life lessons on gained perspectives. In that time the series ran five episodes that were clearly taken from "I Love Lucy" scripts- "The Million Dollar Idea"="The Tycoons" AND "This Little Patty Went to Market", "Sales Resistance"="The Con Artist", "Charm School"="The Perfect Teenager", and "Pioneer Woman"="Patty, the Pioneer". The plot of "The Friendship Bit" near the end of Season One was taken from The Dick Van Dyke Show, "Gesundheit, Darling" (1962). In it, Patty is confronted as having two personalities, which again, did happen latter in Duke's life.

There's definitely an emphasis for more comedy in the third and final season. The series evolved from chronicling teenage troubles to moral-driven lessons, and finally more of the typical sitcom format that still encompasses the two former. While the series does have some funny moments and episodes, on the whole it is more whimsical in nature. It's a fun teenager show with some nice life lessons throughout.

Now Showing on THIS TV!

[bestactor · 10/10 · 24 January 2009]

This is a very good classic sit-com and gives a real sense of the mid 1960s America. The writing, direction and cast are superior to more famous shows from the same time. These episodes hold up surprisingly well. The writing is fairly intelligent and easy to take. Until now, only a few episodes have been available to see. THIS TV seems to be running the entire series right now. The films look excellent. This series is a real testament to Patty Duke's incredible acting. Her Cathy and Patty characters are so believably different. This is probably the finest performance of one actor portraying 2 different people in the same movie. This show was not highly regarded when it was first produced. Seeing it now, one must acknowledge that it was among the best of its time. William Schallert also deserves recognition for his wonderful, pivotal performances.

Recommendations

[gjw · 7/10 · 31 May 2022]

If you like The Patty Duke Show, you should enjoy these other gentle family sitcoms from the 1960s: Gidget, Leave It to Beaver, The Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best, Bewitched, My Three Sons, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and (If you don't mind a rural flavor to your sitcoms) The Andy Griffith Show and Petticoat Junction.

Love this show

[pcofhod · 10/10 · 21 December 2004]

I was born in the middle of this show being in its heyday, but thanks to syndication, I got to see it and grow up with it as a child, and again as an adult on Nick At Nite. Patty Duke has always been among my favorite actresses, and the sheer simplicity of this show was a relief in and of itself. Surrounded today as we are by base violence and drug problems and other things, the simplicity of the Patty Duke Show is a welcome respite from all that. It wouldn't win any awards for compelling writing, possibly, but its a cherished and loved show from my younger days all the same and I hope TV Land resurrects this gem of a show as well.

In contrast to today's world, where TV revolves around inane writing and situations, this show truly showcased the acting talent of the actors and actresses within it, especially the fabulous Anna Marie "Patty" Duke-Pearce. Though the vehicle itself was simplistic and even somewhat "childish" in nature at times, she used the talent she had to forge two very distinct and different personalities, so distinct and different that you actually catch yourself believing there ARE two cousins, instead of one actress in two parts. The stories were very situation and character driven, without the absurdity of some of the things that we see in modern TV today. They actually had a plot, even if it was over the top and hare brained at times.

The true joy of the show was the subtle morals and family and personal values the show portrayed. Like good television of any era, and especially of that time period, lessons were brought to us by wonderful fictional characters that we could identify with, that we felt we knew, recognized and loved dearly. How many times have you watched the show and wished your parents were as understanding and easy to get along with as Martin and Natalie Lane were? That your parents showed you the sort of interest that they did their daughter, son and niece? Life today is much faster and much more hectic, and often we miss out on the simplistic idea of our parents taking time out as this particular set did.

The entire show was one filled with good, solid values and a lot of pure, real fun, portrayed in a very realistic, but also very funny, way. We learned to laugh at ourselves and keep ourselves going from watching this show. We learned that while life is serious, we shouldn't be overly serious with it, and that just because we laughed at a situation or ourselves, it didn't subtract from the seriousness of it.

In my personal opinion, you'll find very little TV today with similar merits, honestly. The casting and acting of the show was brilliant, and I think the writing was excellent, perfect for what it was intended to be: life lessons delivered in a contemporary and fun way. I think everyone should be exposed to this show, and ones of its caliber to relearn what real, honest, good and just plain fun really is. You'd probably find yourself surprised.

The Patty Duke Show

[raysond · 9/10 · 16 April 2007]

Teenage actress Patty Duke,fresh from her riveting motion picture triumph in the 1962 film "The Miracle Worker",co-starring Anne Bancroft for which Duke won an Academy Award for her brilliant performance was ready to make the jump from feature films to starring in her own weekly television series. Patty Duke plays a dual role in this light-hearted family comedy titled "The Patty Duke Show",which was on ABC-TV from September 18,1963 until the final episode of the series on April 27,1966 with repeated episodes airing until August 31,1966. In all,a total of 105 episodes were produced all in classic black and white and produced through Miss Duke's own production company(the youngest person ever to be an executive producer in charge of production)Chersaw Productions in association with United Artists Television. The show ran for three seasons on the air in prime-time and it survived the network's transformation years as some of the programs that were in black and white were about to make the jump to color in the show's final season. However,this series was still in black and white in its final season and never got the chance to make the change to color,and it was there that ABC pulled the plug on the series in the spring of 1966 after four seasons. Under the creation of Sidney Sheldon and William Asher(who also served as executive producers of this series),this was a show that was patterned after the classic 1961 Disney film "The Parent Trap" starring Hayley Mills(who also played dual roles in the film)and here on "The Patty Duke Show",Miss Duke plays dual characters. As Patty Lane she was a perky,bubble-gum chewing loudmouth teenager who digs Paul Anka tunes,worships The Beatles,dances to the latest teen-oriented musical tunes,and has "slumber parties",with her girlfriends.

As Cathy Lane,she was Patty's intellectual Scottish cousin,newly arrived from overseas to live with the Lanes,complete with bagpipes and burr. The girls confused everybody in their middle-class Brooklyn Heights,New York neighborhood by mischievously switching personalities at critical moments. Since they were exact look-alikes,no one could tell them apart. The rest of the family consisted of the father figure Martin Lane(William Schallert),who was Patty's harried father, a newspaper editor for the New York Times;Natalie Lane(Jean Byron),the mother was the stay-at-home housewife who basically kept the kids at bay while daddy was away at work or whatever he was implied to doing. The 12-year old Ross Lane(Paul O'Keefe)was the younger brother,who was constantly at war with the girls and basically got blamed for everything that he didn't do but in just about every episode the girls get away with their mischief while poor Ross gets severely punished for something he didn't do,but was forgiven for it. Richard Harrison(Eddie Applegate)was Patty's boyfriend who was a part-time Western Union messenger(she liked men in uniform). If that is not all,Patty also had a rival who was always after the affections of Richard too,the underhanded Sue Ellen(Kitty Sullivan). The show itself was hilarious to boot with Patty coming up with one hair-brained scheme after another and of course always got in some kind of trouble with Cathy or Dad for help her out of a tight situation.

The show was so good that several guest stars made appearances. One episode I do recall had two of the hottest British musical acts of their day which was the hit recording duo of Chad and Jeremy. The others featured Bobby Vinton,teen heartthrobs Fabian and Frankie Avalon and not to mention appearances by Sammy Davis,Jr. really help the show's popularity among the teenage audience too. In filming some of the episodes for the show however was difficult since having one actress play two parts did present many problems during production especially when both girls were in the same scene. The young woman who served as Patty/Cathy's double,and was seen from the back as one girl while Patty Duke faced the camera as the other was Rita McLaughlin,who was the exact look-a-like complex of Miss Duke herself. In perspective, "The Patty Duke Show",brought out some of the things that teens in the 1960's faced especially when dealing with football games,parties,and other things of interest and this show handled that very well. However,a reunion of the original cast came back in 1999 for ABC however in a two hour television movie based on the hit series from the 1960's with Patty Duke again in the dual roles that made her a household name.

Yay for the 60's

[kristen_skywalker · 10/10 · 4 June 2014]

I love love love 60's shows. I didn't grow up on them sadly but I watch them all the time now. This is one of my favorites and I'm watching a few episodes every day. The values are so much better than TV now. One of the reasons I like this show is how the parents are portrayed. I've always had a problem with how TV portrays parents as embarrassing bumbling idiots(watch any cartoon). As a child I thought out was annoying and inaccurate. Now as a parent I feel this does a disservice to parents. With patty duke you see kids respecting their parents and vice versa. Plus there always seems to be a lesson to be learned. Sometimes a parent learns something and sometimes it's a kid. Party keeps me laughing, I want to throttle Richard, and Cathy makes me relax knowing someone with sense will keep it all together

Sorry, I cannot support the raves of other user reviews

[stancym-1 · 5/10 · 14 July 2016]

I have seen a few episodes recently. The show is predictable and not particularly funny! If you want a funny 60s show, watch the Dick Van Dyke show or Leave It To Beaver. Patty Duke is a fine actress but in her show she has without doubt the WORST British accent I have ever heard on a movie or television screen. Just appalling that a dialect coach did not work with her a bit more. Of course we now have the backstory that Duke was exploited, and was suffering from bipolar disorder to boot, while making the show. I commend Duke for having to perform double duty under these circumstances.

In the episode recalling Cathy arriving for the first time, she is supposed to be coming from Scotland, is that supposed to be a Scottish accent? Good grief, that would be an even worse slaughter of accents. Even assuming she is English, but arriving from Scotland, you don't get any sense of that part of the world being her former lifestyle in her vocabulary or habits, let alone the accent. I just couldn't get past this major flaw. Apologies to the late Miss Duke, a fine actress.

Every "Baby Boomers"Dream!

[FORREST136 · 28 March 2001]

Having grown up in the 60's I like thousands of other boys fell in love with Patty Duke! Wednesdays at 8:30 on ABC were reserved for our date with Patty and Cathy! The show was so well done and Patty was wonderful as the 2 completely different cousins! It is a shame that television does not offer such wholesome entertainment today! I am a teacher and have shown my class clips from this show and believe it or not even inner city kids found this 60's relic entertaining! I hope TV Land brings it back!

Funny and odd show, but whoever heard of identical cousins????

[matt_tawesson-1 · 10/10 · 22 August 2006]

The Patty Duke Show is quite a remarkably funny show, but also an odd one, because it deals with two teenage girls who are.....identical cousins!!! I first saw this show back in the early 90s when it was on Nick at Nite. I really liked this show and I thought Patty Duke did a remarkable job. She had said in her autobiography "Call Me Anna" that she thought it was quite a dumb show and that she didn't really like doing it. Maybe it was because of the dual role she had to play, but who knows? I thought it was cool and fully enjoyable. I also like the theme song from this program, titled "Cousins, Identical Cousins", which I also thought was funny and odd as well (there is no such thing as identical cousins, which is probably why some people regard this program as a dumb one; well, I don't). I had not seen this program for quite some time since Nick at Nite had it. After Nick at Nite stopped showing it, I was shocked, and thought it would probably resurface on that network again later, but it hasn't. I would really love to see this show become available on DVD, even though it ran for only three seasons. I wish it could have been shown in color, but according to Patty's autobiography "Call Me Anna", United Artists Television thought it would be too expensive to have it shown in color, which might be why it was cancelled in 1966 after its third season. Patty's co-stars were wonderful. William Schallert played the dad, Jean Byron played the mother (I found out that she died earlier this year; God bless her), Paul O'Keefe played Ross, who was Patty's brother (Patty stated in her book that "Ross" was a name she tried to avoid saying, because it was the name of this middle aged couple she had lived with in real life, John and Ethel Ross, who were also her managers). Uuuuuggghh!!!! So, this is a great program and I would love to see this on DVD sometime. Even though Patty hated doing this show, I thought she was incredibly funny.

splendid, awe-inspiring, ingenious, delightful show

[lukejbarnett2002 · 10/10 · 20 September 2014]

The Patty Duke Show is about a girl who is between 15-18 years old who is shown doing normal girl things in high school as well as extraordinary, adventuresome things outside of high school. She is an American girl named Patty Lane, and she has a British cousin whose name is Cathy Lane, who looks almost exactly like her. Her cousin is supposed to be her identical cousin as a joke. She also has a brother who often innocently fights with her in normal brother-sister ways.

The two main characters, Patty Lane and Cathy Lane, the two identical cousins are both played by Patty Duke.

The first time I watched it a few days ago I wasn't going to watch it. I just went to one of my retro TV channels, Antenna TV to see what was on. I noticed it was on and then I looked away from the screen and wasn't really paying attention to it but I listened to it. As I started listening to the main Patty character talk something happened in me which sparked a curiosity. I noticed that some of the things she said, she said in really interesting ways. Then in curiosity I started watching the show. I noticed right away that the Patty Lane character was extremely interesting, uniquely original, and lively, and singularly unique. She was a revelation to me, and she was compulsively watchable, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was mesmerizing and I had never seen a character like her before. What made her so compulsively watchable and lovable, and appealing and intriguing to me was not the writing of the character and not what she said but how she said what she said, and her personality. Everything she said and did was fresh and new and completely unique and original to me. So, that to me is an amazing thing. It's also a magical thing to me because it's a very rare thing to watch anything at my age, 36(having grown up on TV shows)which I've never seen, heard, or experienced before in a TV show. She's so affable, lovable, appealing, and entertaining to me also.

Also, the show is ingenious in the ways in which things happen in creative, original, entertaining, and unique ways.

One thing that's important for me to say about this show is it's very entertaining and never boring. It's very rare for a show made in the '60s to totally capture my attention and my imagination while watching it because usually shows made in the '60s to me are boring because of the old way in which they were made, the old style of TV shows. But this show has never bored me, I've been engaged in and enjoyed every moment of it and I've watched about 5 episodes of it so far.

Captured Its Time Well

[rdms87-149-612072 · 8/10 · 15 March 2017]

Patty Duke was one of the most accomplished actresses who made the transition from child star to adult success. When her self titled series debuted, I was a teen myself, and was naturally caught up in it. I never missed this show--it had all the typical teen plots, and featured the trends, fashions, and some of the music of the 1960's. It's pure escapism, and I like the black and white look. Antenna TV now airs it, and I'm glad to see it once again. William Schallert as Patty's Dad, is also a skilled comic actor, and appeared in many movies and TV shows throughout his long career. Her alter ego, Cathy, isn't featured as much in the show, which is a shame.

Triplets!!!

[kanejulie · 8/10 · 20 April 2020]

In one of the episodes Patty Duke plays Betsy Lane a relative from Atlanta in the episode titles The Perfect Hostess .

A Hotdog Makes This Girl Lose Control

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 11 February 2009]

Fresh from winning her Oscar for The Miracle Worker in 1962, those in control of Patty Duke's career decided that a weekly television show about as far away from the serious drama of The Miracle Worker was the way to go.

Thus was fashioned The Patty Duke Show set in Brooklyn Heights, an area I'm somewhat familiar with and which was not in any way captured by the show which never got closer to Brooklyn than ABC studios back lot. It was about two cousins who could have been identical twins.

As we learned from that theme that still runs through my brain, Cathy Lane was a girl who enjoyed the minuet, Ballet Russe, and crepe Suzette, while Patty Lane suffered from the fact that a hot-dog made her lose control and of course enjoyed the latest teen music. Cathy was the cousin brought up in the United Kingdom where apparently she missed the revolution in music that was happening in Liverpool. She spoke with a proper posh English accent while Patty was your typical American teen, but hardly spoke Brooklynese.

So Cathy was her living with her American relations in Brooklyn Heights which consisted of Patty, her younger brother Paul Linke and parents William Schallert and Jean Byron. The situations were no different than you would have found on any of the other comedies aimed at the teen audience.

Of course the playing of twins is a challenge to any player and Patty Duke met the challenge. Patty was so wholesome in her image that one forgot she had won an Oscar for a challenging role. She had good reason to worry when this show ran its course whether her career like so many other teen idols would get back on track.

I did and always have liked William Schallert who's had one of the longest careers going and in his eighties is still working. He was a great father figure and got to do it all again as the Gidget series was remade in the Eighties.

The Patty Duke Show did no harm to its star's career and I'm sure the residuals are nice. One thing always bothered me thought. The local teen hangout was referred to as 'the shake shop'. I've not heard that term used in my generation, my parent's generation, nor in any succeeding generations ever. If anyone ever heard that term outside the Patty Duke Show, please document.

One thing's certain, you won't find a 'shake shop' in Brooklyn Heights.

An utterly charming and very funny sitcom from days gone by

[GusF · 10/10 · 23 March 2013]

I only stumbled across this classic 1960s sitcom about two months ago, having been vaguely aware of its existence beforehand and only knowing Patty Duke - who I couldn't have picked out of a line-up - as being Sean Astin's mum. After watching the insanely catchy opening credits, I decided to watch an episode of the series for two main reasons: (a) I've always been a big fan of the wonderful character actor William Schallert, who is probably best known for playing Nilz Baris in the classic "Star Trek" episode "The Trouble with Tribbles" and who still occasionally acts at nearly 91 and (b) there was an adorable Old English Sheepdog. Having previously owned one, I'm extremely partial to the breed! I wasn't expecting much, if I'm honest, but I found it to be an utterly charming and very funny series from the get go and began watching it from the beginning. Well, the dog disappeared without explanation about halfway through the first season but otherwise no complaints from me!

The series' premise may be a bit far-fetched but, considering the 1960s produced sitcoms featuring witches, genies and talking horses, it's pretty damn realistic, comparatively speaking. It concerns 16-year-old Cathy Lane (Patty Duke), the daughter of a globetrotting foreign correspondent, going to live with her uncle Martin (William Schallert) and aunt Natalie (Jean Byron) in Brooklyn Heights. Martin and Natalie have a daughter named Patty who is the same age as Cathy and just happens to look absolutely identical to her. The "explanation" for this is that Cathy and Patty's fathers are identical twins, which is quite funny as Patty Duke doesn't resemble William Schallert (who plays Cathy's father Kenneth in a few episodes) even slightly! While the premise is certainly gimmicky, the cousins' resemblance is used as a plot device far less than you might think. It's mostly an excuse for Patty Duke to play two completely different characters, the constantly scheming and slightly crazy Patty and the quiet, polite and demure Cathy, which she does to perfection. I sometimes forget that they are played by the same person. She won an Oscar at the age of 16 and it's easy to see why. Rounding out the main cast are Paul O'Keefe as Patty's wisecracking little brother Ross and Eddie Applegate as Richard Harrison, her gormless but good-natured half-puppy, half-ape of a boyfriend.

Most episodes focus on Patty's dating life or feature her jumping into a new project or scheme with a huge amount of (i.e. too much) enthusiasm, realising that she's gotten in over her head and being rescued by either Cathy or her parents. Cathy often acts as Patty's conscience and puts her back on the right track. The best thing about Patty is that, rather unusually for sitcoms of the era, she was a multi-faceted character who could at turns be kind, manipulative, sweet, egotistical, vulnerable and a fire storm. Cathy is a bit more one note at times but that's okay as she was designed as a foil for Patty anyway. William Schallert and the late Jean Byron are both extremely good as Patty's kind, patient, loving and often extremely understanding parents as they make Martin and Natalie seem like real people. They have fast become one of favourite TV fathers and mothers.

The humour is the series is gentle, generally producing a steady stream of chuckles and the occasional belly laugh in this fan, with many of the funniest lines being delivered (perfectly) by Paul O'Keefe, who was only 12 when the series started, almost all of which are at Patty's expense. It's a shame that he never got another big role (and only a few small ones) after the series ended. From what I can tell, the series is an accurate if idealised depiction of middle class 1960s America with Patty being a typical American teenager of the era, albeit one who faces more farcical situations and less serious problems than her real life counterparts. Overall, the Lanes feel like a real family, which isn't often the case with sitcom families of the era.

One thing that I found refreshing about the series is that quite a few of the extras, particularly in the school scenes, are African-Americans, which again wasn't common in late 1950s and early 1960s sitcoms. Apparently, only one single solitary black person appears in "Leave It to Beaver", which ran for 234 episodes. However, none of them are in Patty and Cathy's circle of friends and in the first two seasons only two black people - one of them being Sammy Davis, Jr. - have any dialogue. Still, it was a baby step in the right direction.

I'm curious to see how well and how fondly remembered the series is by people who watched it while it was originally on from 1963 to 1966. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, I can't recommend it highly enough. The acting, particularly from Patty Duke and William Schallert, and comic writing are both top notch. As an Irish person born in 1987, I'm proof that you don't need to be an American baby boomer to enjoy the series!

No "Oscar-Worthy" Performance Here

[StrictlyConfidential · 3/10 · 23 July 2018]

(*Lyrics excerpt from TV theme song*) - "Our Patty loves to rock and roll.... A hotdog makes her lose control!"..... (Oh!? Really!??)

While watching these episodes from the first season of "The Patty Duke Show" (1964-1965) - The one question that kept coming to my mind was this - "Was Patty Duke really an admired and emulated role-model for teenage girls (and trans-gender wannabes) back in the early 1960's?"

IMO - This show's preposterous "Identical Cousins" shtick got real tiresome, real fast. And this flimsy premise for generating laughs was certainly not near enough to carry this program and keep it interesting and entertaining throughout its episodes.

And, finally - Even though Patty Duke had won an Oscar 2 years earlier for her portrayal of the young Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" - She sure didn't come anywhere near to proving her Oscar-worthy abilities here in this decidedly dumb TV Sit/Com. No way, Jose.

An Oldie but Goodie

[dbaker6 · 4 December 2005]

I grew up on the Patty Duke show. I looked forward to coming home from school and watching it with my friends. We would take turns watching it at each other's houses. It had everything. It was funny. Some of the pranks were hilarious. It taught family values and, even if you didn't always see eye to eye all the time, how important your family was. The Patty Duke Show also taught morality. It showed kids how to have a good time just being with friends and family without any of the vices that kids unfortunately rely on today. It basically showed just how to enjoy being young. I have three teen-age boys. They love old music and old shows, and I just wish I had the opportunity to share this very special show with them. I would really appreciate it if you could bring it to TV Land.

The Patty Duke Show

[hodgespodges2003 · 6 August 2008]

I remember seeing this show for the first time about 4 years after it stopped premiering. I fell in love with Cathy Lane. I really didn't want to believe that she and Patty were in and of the same person. There was even a board game at my house on Patty and Cathy. The photographic scenes of the two cousins together were phenomenal for that era. In the last scene of the first season Patty and Cathy initially glare at each other and are actually seen pacing around each other in disbelief. The rear stand-ins were average. At times you could see the faces of the doubles.

The younger sibling, Ross, started out as a pranking brat of a brother. Eventually he segued into a closer relationship with Patty; although he never really had any bouts with his cousin Cathy. Patty's boyfriend Richard reminded me of a teen-aged Donald Hollanger (the boyfriend of Ann Marie--THAT GIRL). In spite of Patty's constant antics, he was often tolerant, understanding, and forgiving. Martin and Natalie Lane, Patty's ever forbearing parents, were ideal for a teenager like their daughter. Martin often gave Patty wise counsel while Natalie tended to be more understanding from a female point of view. Patty and Martin's most touching scene was in the 3rd season when Patty allegedly broke her curfew. Any explanation Patty could give fell on the deaf ears of her father, which caused a rift between the two. Her father finally realized Patty was telling the truth and the result was an emotional dialogue between father and daughter that made Patty Duke's acting stand head and shoulders above any actor her age at that time. Parenthetically her performance in that particular episode was probably a reflection of the difficult times she actually had growing up.

I thought the funniest episodes were when Cathy and Patty were in competition--whether it be for the affections of a boy or as class president. In the final season of TPDS we saw less of the character of Cathy...five episodes without her, to be exact. This was something I did not appreciate. But maybe Miss Duke was getting tired of the dual roles, which could have made it a challenge for her to find herself and discover her place in society.

Losing Control Over Hot Dogs

[redryan64 · 17 July 2014]

WE ARE ALL familiar with that oft used standard plot which has been labeled "the Evil Twin" threat. In it, a double for some character suddenly appears and does awful and ungodly acts; which are in turn blamed on the innocent hero/heroine.

AND IT DOESN'T matter that the "twin" is not a true twin or even any Blood Relative at all. There are only two qualifications necessary:

1) That the perpetrator of bad deeds looks like the protagonist.

2) That the double be evil.

IN THE CASE of this series, THE PATTY DUKE SHOW, the "Evil TWIN" idea is turned on its ear.* Instead of being anti-social and harmful, the double is benevolent and helpful. In taking the whole premise to an even higher level, the "Double", Brit, Cathy Lane, is a refined and highly sophisticated lady. "Cousin", Patty Lane is a quintessential example of what the World views as a typical American airhead.

AS WELL WE all know, both characters are portrayed by the very talented Miss Patty Duke; with a little help from split screen photographic special effects and a stand in for rear view photography. But, photographic tricks not withstanding, it is Miss Duke's ability to become another on screen person that makes the whole thing work.

JOINING IN AND offering the best of support are the other principal players: the solid, dependable William Shallert (Martin Lane-Father), lovely & statuesque, Jean Byron (Natalie Lane-Mother)and Paul O'Keefe (little brother, Ross).

ALTHOUGH THIS PARTICULAR series was not one of our favourites, it was watched regularly and we did find it to be more than just a trifle amusing. Some of the episodes even approached that favored comedy genre of the 1930s,known as "Screwball."

NOTE: This same format was reworked into the two future series: DOUBLE TROUBLE and SISTER, SISTER; but in both cases, real life identical twins were featured.

Misunderstood Theme Song Lyric ...

[dweilermg-1 · 5 October 2017]

When hearing the Patty Duke Show theme song I may have been one of millions of young viewers who thought "What the heck are Ballet Roofs?" since we had no idea what Ballet Russes was. Similarly many of us also mis-heard lyrics of theme songs of other shows such as All In The Family (By The Wigglin' Millibalde was really Boy The Way Glenn Miller Played and Gee Are All Us Soured Grapes was really Gee Our Old LaSalle Ran Great) and The Flintstones (Though The Courtesy of WHAT?!?!?) ☺