The Duke is Dead

Former living legend, Patty Duke has passed away at the young age of sixty nine. The exact cause had something to do with “sepsis”. A particularly nasty word for when the body attacks itself in response to an affection.

Patty Duke was an actress of the golden age. Not that she was an Elizabeth Taylor by any stretch of the imagination. Instead she was a Ricky Nelson. A teen idol. A blonde cornerstone of American youth.  

I actually have such a relationship with Patty Duke. She's been apart of my life. I always used to watch The Patty Duke Show with my great aunt. It was our thing along with The Price is Right and The Dick Van Dyke Show.  

I used to catch up with The Patty Duke Show in high school. I would have it on the TV in the morning. It came on at 5:30. I would get dressed and blearily watch it. Patty Duke was my bitch.  

The Patty Duke Show was a good sixties sitcom. It was in black and white. Patty Duke pulled some Haley Mills, Parent Trap voodoo, she played two identical cousins. They were Patty and Cathy. It was full of innocent, heterosexual reassuring past times. The comedy was classic and pure and child friendly. The show only had 3 seasons, but they packed in over a 100 episodes. It was a time to be alive.  

This show was the foundation of her career. It's her namesake and what she is more then likely most well known for.

She did a lot of stage acting later in her career, but she also played Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. That's an iconic movie. It had Anne Bancroft in it. The movie dealt with Helen and Anne Sullivan helping her come to terms with and deal with her physical impairments. It's classic viewing if you have a love for Helen Keller.

Patty Duke had other mature roles, but none that are truly noteworthy.

Except, for her turn as Neely O'Hara in Valley of the Dolls. The movie is kind of shit if we're being real, but it's some good shit. It's trashy fun. I live for it.  

The movie does not do justice to the pop culture classic that was the book of the same name by Jacqueline Susann. This movie has it all. Pill popping, big boobs. It also had Sharon Tate in it. One of the many Charles Manson murder victims.

Patty Duke also had a singing career. She only had one sizeable hit, but it hit the top ten so that's nothing to scoff at. “Don't Just Stand There” hit number eight and she also had a top forty hit with “Say Something Funny”. Her albums didn't sell, but that's okay. She's a culture icon.

Buy "Don't Just Stand There"

I know Patty Duke hadn't been doing anything recently, but it's sad to see her go. She was a cultural staple of an earlier more racist, homophobic society. And, I for one loved Patty Duke. She will be missed.