40 Behind-The-Scenes Secrets From The Patty Duke Show That'll Have Fans Feeling Super-Nostalgic
Children of the ’60s know The Patty Duke Show aired from 1963-1966 before suddenly disappearing from the airwaves. What happened? Well, maybe a few of these little-known secrets from behind the scenes of the program may shed some light on that. And they’re sure to give you an insight into Patty Duke’s extraordinary life as well.
40. Duke Has A Famous Son
So you know about The Patty Duke Show. But did you know of the connection between it and iconic movie franchise The Lord of the Rings? Duke is the mother of actor Sean Astin who played Samwise Gamgee in the series. That’s not Astin’s only claim to fame: he was also in cult movie The Goonies and web TV sci-fi sensation Stranger Things, among other hits.
39. Writers Noticed Duke Had “Two Personalities”
Sidney Sheldon, one of the writers for the show, came up with the idea of Duke playing “identical cousins” after noticing that the young actress sometimes seemed to have “two personalities” within her. Of course, this was really bipolar disorder, there just simply wasn’t a name for it back then.
38. Duke Was A Singer, Too
In 2013 Duke remembered to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, “I had delusions I could sing. I was beyond excited until I got into the studio. I felt about an inch-and-a-half tall. I just was frozen. So they had to put a person in the booth with me so they could point to me when it was time to sing.” Sure, it was all part of the marketing for the show, but Duke’s singing wasn’t anywhere near as bad as she thought.
37. Sheldon Enjoyed Writing Strong Women
When Sidney Sheldon died in 2007 an old quote of his from 1982 resurfaced. He had once told the media, “I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity. Women have tremendous power – their femininity, because men can’t do without it.” That’s the ethos he brought to The Patty Duke Show.
