RIP Patty Duke
March 29, 2016 10:34 AM Subscribe
Patty Duke, star of both stage and screen of The Miracle Worker, well known for her dual roles in The Patty Duke Show, and spokesperson for people with bipolar disorder (discussed in her excellent autobiography Call Me Anna), has died at age 69.
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posted by inconsequentialist at 10:37 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by inconsequentialist at 10:37 AM on March 29, 2016
Man. 2016 is really out for vengeance or something.
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posted by Thorzdad at 10:38 AM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
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posted by Thorzdad at 10:38 AM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Wow, another one taken much younger than I expected. I'm growing wearing of 2016, and we aren't even 1/3 of the way done.
I have so many memories of Patty Duke being so many different ages across so many different ages of my own life, it feels like she is some fractal, hyper dimensional being who is both playing identical cousins at the same time she is Anne Sullivan playing against the Hellen Keller role she was lauded for decades before.
Somehow she's always going to be around.
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posted by hippybear at 10:42 AM on March 29, 2016 [9 favorites]
I have so many memories of Patty Duke being so many different ages across so many different ages of my own life, it feels like she is some fractal, hyper dimensional being who is both playing identical cousins at the same time she is Anne Sullivan playing against the Hellen Keller role she was lauded for decades before.
Somehow she's always going to be around.
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posted by hippybear at 10:42 AM on March 29, 2016 [9 favorites]
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posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:44 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:44 AM on March 29, 2016
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posted by Faint of Butt at 10:44 AM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:44 AM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
. and its identical cousin .
posted by Gelatin at 10:48 AM on March 29, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 10:48 AM on March 29, 2016 [8 favorites]
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posted by magstheaxe at 10:48 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by magstheaxe at 10:48 AM on March 29, 2016
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I find her death very depressing. She was an inspiration for me, whether playing two versions of herself in the Patty Duke show, showing her serious acting chops as Helen Keller, or speaking out about mental illness.
posted by bearwife at 10:49 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
I find her death very depressing. She was an inspiration for me, whether playing two versions of herself in the Patty Duke show, showing her serious acting chops as Helen Keller, or speaking out about mental illness.
posted by bearwife at 10:49 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by ogooglebar at 10:50 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by ogooglebar at 10:50 AM on March 29, 2016
Eff this. (And ugh, ruptured intestine?)
Yes, she took her own troubled life and helped others by sharing.
I just rewatched The Miracle Worker recently. My god, that dining room scene with her and Bancroft was so intense. What acting by a kid.
Condolences to her children, husband, etc.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:54 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
Yes, she took her own troubled life and helped others by sharing.
I just rewatched The Miracle Worker recently. My god, that dining room scene with her and Bancroft was so intense. What acting by a kid.
Condolences to her children, husband, etc.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:54 AM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by mondo dentro at 10:58 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by mondo dentro at 10:58 AM on March 29, 2016
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I knew this was gonna be a tough year, but wow.
posted by Sphinx at 10:59 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I knew this was gonna be a tough year, but wow.
posted by Sphinx at 10:59 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
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 minuet,
The Ballet Russes, and crepe 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.
posted by fairmettle at 11:01 AM on March 29, 2016 [20 favorites]
Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere,
From Zanzibar to Barclay Square.
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 minuet,
The Ballet Russes, and crepe 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.
posted by fairmettle at 11:01 AM on March 29, 2016 [20 favorites]
Someone who could go from Miracle Worker to a tv sitcom to Valley of the Dolls is an amazing actress indeed. Loved her in everything she did.
posted by xingcat at 11:03 AM on March 29, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 11:03 AM on March 29, 2016 [8 favorites]
Duke also played the first woman president on the short-lived Witt/Thomas/Harris sitcom Hail to the Chief, so seeing news of her death trending on Facebook right under the death of James Noble, who played the governor on Benson (also a Witt/Thomas/Harris production), unsettled me in a way it took me a moment to realize. (This is a danger of growing up with your best friend being the television.)
Thanks to Duke for being awesome in lots of things I liked, even shows like that and movies like Valley of the Dolls that weren't necessarily beloved by all.
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posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:05 AM on March 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
Thanks to Duke for being awesome in lots of things I liked, even shows like that and movies like Valley of the Dolls that weren't necessarily beloved by all.
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posted by MCMikeNamara at 11:05 AM on March 29, 2016 [10 favorites]
When my wife reads now, she has to read aloud to short-circuit her OCD. Otherwise she'll read a paragraph over and over for an hour. Last year she did Call Me Anna so I'm just a little more than familiar with it. And it made me want to find where the Rosses are buried just to relieve myself on their graves. There's a lot of scum in show business but they were pretty high up on the scale of despicable shitheels.
Poor Anna, RIP doll, you were one of a kind.
posted by Ber at 11:15 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Poor Anna, RIP doll, you were one of a kind.
posted by Ber at 11:15 AM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
But they're cousins / Identical cousins all the way.
Along with "Why can't the Professor fix the boat?" exactly how you could be an identical cousin was one of the great mysteries of my childhood.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:16 AM on March 29, 2016 [11 favorites]
Along with "Why can't the Professor fix the boat?" exactly how you could be an identical cousin was one of the great mysteries of my childhood.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:16 AM on March 29, 2016 [11 favorites]
awww, I feel like she was my spirit animal.
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:24 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:24 AM on March 29, 2016
octobersurprise -- I know! right?
Patty Duke was an amazing actor and courageous human. So sad that she died so young.
posted by pjsky at 11:36 AM on March 29, 2016
Patty Duke was an amazing actor and courageous human. So sad that she died so young.
posted by pjsky at 11:36 AM on March 29, 2016
Along with "Why can't the Professor fix the boat?" exactly how you could be an identical cousin was one of the great mysteries of my childhood
My dad had a couple cousins that married two sisters. Out of those two unions there were several kids but two of the daughters were the same age and jebus, you really had to look twice to tell who was who. It faded when they reached their adult years but as teens they created a lot of havoc.
So yeah, I totally buy the identical cousin thing but I can see where most people wouldn't.
posted by Ber at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
My dad had a couple cousins that married two sisters. Out of those two unions there were several kids but two of the daughters were the same age and jebus, you really had to look twice to tell who was who. It faded when they reached their adult years but as teens they created a lot of havoc.
So yeah, I totally buy the identical cousin thing but I can see where most people wouldn't.
posted by Ber at 11:53 AM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by Joey Michaels at 11:54 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:54 AM on March 29, 2016
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posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 11:58 AM on March 29, 2016
posted by Radiophonic Oddity at 11:58 AM on March 29, 2016
I just now learned that Sean Astin is her son, which is now completely obvious because they have exactly the same face.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 12:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [2 favorites]
I know she was ashamed of the movie & disowned it, but she was fucking awesome in Valley of the Dolls. She had the best lines ever, such as "My psychiatrist says I'm self-destructive. SO WHAT?!" as she knocks back a vodka and a 'doll' at 8am.
RIP Patty, you were great even when you thought you were terrible. Neely O'Hara for ever.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:22 PM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
RIP Patty, you were great even when you thought you were terrible. Neely O'Hara for ever.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:22 PM on March 29, 2016 [6 favorites]
Along with "Why can't the Professor fix the boat?" exactly how you could be an identical cousin was one of the great mysteries of my childhood.
Because their fathers were identical twins, of course. That's how it works (on TV).
And the whole concept fit perfectly with 1960s popular culture's fixation with doubles, dopplegangers, evil twins, body/mind swaps, and so on.
Fortunately, neither part required her to wear a goatee.
posted by Herodios at 12:33 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Because their fathers were identical twins, of course. That's how it works (on TV).
And the whole concept fit perfectly with 1960s popular culture's fixation with doubles, dopplegangers, evil twins, body/mind swaps, and so on.
Fortunately, neither part required her to wear a goatee.
posted by Herodios at 12:33 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by AugustWest at 12:46 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by AugustWest at 12:46 PM on March 29, 2016
Jeepers, the people this rotten year has already taken away....
* (not a simple dot, because she was always a star)
posted by easily confused at 12:47 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
* (not a simple dot, because she was always a star)
posted by easily confused at 12:47 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
This hit our family particularly hard. My mother is the same age as Patty Duke, and she also happens to be a twin. And we still hadn't quite gotten over my aunt's death about a year-and-a-half ago.
Rest in peace, Patty. You've earned it.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:43 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Rest in peace, Patty. You've earned it.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:43 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I only saw Valley of the Dolls on Netflix recently and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't like The Room or anything truly awful. The Patty Duke Show has been playing on broadcast reruns over the last year or so and it has aged just as well as anything from that era (Beaver, Lucy) and is markedly more entertaining than later syndicateds (like Empty Nest and Dear John). I've long known about her struggles and her transformation over the years was awesome. Fare well
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posted by rhizome at 2:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by rhizome at 2:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Pas de deux?
I wonder how old I was when it occurred to me that the concept of identical cousins is somewhat problematic. I'm sure the show was off the air by then.
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posted by MtDewd at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wonder how old I was when it occurred to me that the concept of identical cousins is somewhat problematic. I'm sure the show was off the air by then.
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posted by MtDewd at 2:21 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
It was probably about the time you accepted James Noble as a realistic governor.
posted by rhizome at 2:24 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by rhizome at 2:24 PM on March 29, 2016
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posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:44 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by Sheydem-tants at 2:44 PM on March 29, 2016
The correction that was never made: they were look-alike cousins, not identical. And it was the differences in personality and mannerisms (and accent; Cathy sounded veddy British) that made this a more complex acting gig than any other 'sitcom teenager'... ever. Some give credit for that to her bipolar disorder but that was totally unfair - it takes a good actor to swap characters on demand.
Her marriage to John "Gomez Addams" Astin was a match made in TVLand (and proved that Morticia really wasn't his type). 1985, the year she divorced Astin was also the year she was elected Screen Actors Guild President AND played the POTUS on the short-lived "Hail to the Chief" (based on the episode synopses of that show, she was mostly reacting to other characters' "wacky hijinks").
She had a 60-year acting career in 69 years. That was quite an impressive run.
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posted by oneswellfoop at 3:18 PM on March 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
Her marriage to John "Gomez Addams" Astin was a match made in TVLand (and proved that Morticia really wasn't his type). 1985, the year she divorced Astin was also the year she was elected Screen Actors Guild President AND played the POTUS on the short-lived "Hail to the Chief" (based on the episode synopses of that show, she was mostly reacting to other characters' "wacky hijinks").
She had a 60-year acting career in 69 years. That was quite an impressive run.
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posted by oneswellfoop at 3:18 PM on March 29, 2016 [7 favorites]
The correction that was never made: they were look-alike cousins, not identical. And it was the differences in personality and mannerisms (and accent; Cathy sounded veddy British) that made this a more complex acting gig than any other 'sitcom teenager'... ever.
I could probably talk all day about The Patty Duke Show but that the show went for 3 seasons and went AWAY from relying on the "swapping identities" plot so quickly speaks to how crazy good (and overworked) Patty Duke was. They looked alike but it didn't often matter to the story.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:48 PM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
I could probably talk all day about The Patty Duke Show but that the show went for 3 seasons and went AWAY from relying on the "swapping identities" plot so quickly speaks to how crazy good (and overworked) Patty Duke was. They looked alike but it didn't often matter to the story.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 3:48 PM on March 29, 2016 [4 favorites]
I watched "The Miracle Worker" in junior high. I have this very specific memory of some asshole kid in my classroom making fun of her performance and miming one of her scenes. It was very rude and unfortunately our teacher had stepped out of the classroom during this moment. (Kids can be jerks.) What I do remember, outside of that one idiot kid in my classroom is that final dinner scene and what a tense performance.
I was not aware of her advocacy for mental health, but at someone who has recently struggled with depression, I feel that we've truly lost someone special.
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posted by Fizz at 4:30 PM on March 29, 2016
I was not aware of her advocacy for mental health, but at someone who has recently struggled with depression, I feel that we've truly lost someone special.
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posted by Fizz at 4:30 PM on March 29, 2016
The correction that was never made: they were look-alike cousins, not identical.
That's how my mother and Aunt were - they weren't technically identical twins, but they resembled each other so closely but they were often mistaken for each other when they weren't together.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:35 PM on March 29, 2016
That's how my mother and Aunt were - they weren't technically identical twins, but they resembled each other so closely but they were often mistaken for each other when they weren't together.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:35 PM on March 29, 2016
Patty was a dazzling powerhouse from the get-go, one of the most precocious public teens of that era. There is no question about her influence - or that, like Garland, she paid a heavy price.
posted by Twang at 4:51 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by Twang at 4:51 PM on March 29, 2016
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Related: David Trinidad's poem, "The Patty Duke Show: The Complete First Season." Like his other Patty Duke poems (e.g. "Double Trouble" and "The Ten Best Episodes of The Patty Duke Show"), it's sort of absurdly plain and literal, but I like that it comes from a genuine appreciation of the show.
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
Related: David Trinidad's poem, "The Patty Duke Show: The Complete First Season." Like his other Patty Duke poems (e.g. "Double Trouble" and "The Ten Best Episodes of The Patty Duke Show"), it's sort of absurdly plain and literal, but I like that it comes from a genuine appreciation of the show.
posted by Wobbuffet at 5:20 PM on March 29, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've always been very fond of Sean and John Astin and Patty Duke. Goonies has always been my favorite movie, and I grew up watching the Patty Duke Show and the Addams Family reruns. When I was younger, as an only child, I often imagined I was part of their family. My childhood imagination took a big hit today.
Also, she was so damn brave for speaking publically about her mental illness. She undoubtedly helped me and so many others live openly and honestly.
posted by Ruki at 6:26 PM on March 29, 2016
Also, she was so damn brave for speaking publically about her mental illness. She undoubtedly helped me and so many others live openly and honestly.
posted by Ruki at 6:26 PM on March 29, 2016
side note: My father told me stories about James Cagney's cousin who lived in a Chicago neighborhood. The absolute spitting image of his famous cousin, and he could do great Cagney impressions.
posted by Chitownfats at 6:29 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by Chitownfats at 6:29 PM on March 29, 2016
NEELY O'HARA
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As some others have mentioned, Call Me Anna is a very good (and horrifying) read.
If you're looking to watch something Patty-related, this YouTube channel has got you covered.
posted by DRoll at 6:39 PM on March 29, 2016
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As some others have mentioned, Call Me Anna is a very good (and horrifying) read.
If you're looking to watch something Patty-related, this YouTube channel has got you covered.
posted by DRoll at 6:39 PM on March 29, 2016
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posted by SisterHavana at 7:55 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by SisterHavana at 7:55 PM on March 29, 2016
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posted by Anhedonic Donkey at 8:25 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by Anhedonic Donkey at 8:25 PM on March 29, 2016
She was an idol for a brief time in my early kidhood. RIP, Patty.
posted by Lynsey at 8:35 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by Lynsey at 8:35 PM on March 29, 2016
valley of the dolls was a masterpeice, and she was masterful in it.
posted by PinkMoose at 9:05 PM on March 29, 2016
posted by PinkMoose at 9:05 PM on March 29, 2016
My mom, Ann Althouse, wrote this as the heading of her blog post about Patty Duke's death (which I'm not linking to because of Metafilter policy):
And so, it's hot dogs and crêpes Suzette in Heaven today....
posted by John Cohen at 10:40 PM on March 29, 2016
And so, it's hot dogs and crêpes Suzette in Heaven today....
posted by John Cohen at 10:40 PM on March 29, 2016
My deceased ex wife was also bipolar, so Patty was an important touchstone in our lives.
On wings, Patty Duke, on wings.
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posted by evilDoug at 11:17 PM on March 29, 2016
On wings, Patty Duke, on wings.
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posted by evilDoug at 11:17 PM on March 29, 2016
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Identical cousins was one of the plot points of Anne's House of Dreams
posted by brujita at 8:50 PM on March 30, 2016
Identical cousins was one of the plot points of Anne's House of Dreams
posted by brujita at 8:50 PM on March 30, 2016
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I still haven't gotten over the loss of John Spencer, and my first thought upon hearing about Patty Duke's passing was that Spencer had once played Patty Lane's boyfriend on The Patty Duke Show.
The last thing I recall seeing her in (though surely not the last thing in which I actually saw her) was a guest turn on Judging Amy as a foster mother going through early-onset Alzheimer's. She was riveting.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 9:05 PM on March 30, 2016
I still haven't gotten over the loss of John Spencer, and my first thought upon hearing about Patty Duke's passing was that Spencer had once played Patty Lane's boyfriend on The Patty Duke Show.
The last thing I recall seeing her in (though surely not the last thing in which I actually saw her) was a guest turn on Judging Amy as a foster mother going through early-onset Alzheimer's. She was riveting.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 9:05 PM on March 30, 2016
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This kind of hits me because she was one of the first celebrities to speak out about her mental illness, helping remove the stigma. I wouldn't be able to be so frank about my struggles if it weren't for people like her giving a voice to people like Glenn Close and Carrie Fisher, two heros of mine.
Patty Duke is a loss of a brave woman.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 10:37 AM on March 29, 2016 [26 favorites]