Brother Discount: The Patty Duke Show: Season Two

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Patty Duke Show: Season Two

The Patty Duke Show: Season Two Review

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The Patty Duke Show: Season Two Feature

PATTY DUKE SHOW, THE-SEASON 2 (DVD MOVIE)

"Don't touch that dial, please," Sammy Davis Jr. urges viewers. "This is The Patty Duke Show." How Sammy Davis, then knocking 'em dead on Broadway in Golden Boy, came to appear in an episode of The Patty Duke Show is just one of the delightful surprises of the second season, which aired in 1964-65. Another is the episode featuring Chad & Jeremy as an unknown British musical duo whom Patty helps get their big break. And that's Sal Mineo who renders Patty speechless in the episode "Patty Meets a Celebrity." But the effervescent Duke gives this tailor-made star vehicle all the wattage it needs in her iconic dual role as typical suburban teen Patty and her more "solid, four on the floor" cousin Cathy. As the classic theme song says, they're identical cousins, "one pair of matching bookends, different as night and day." Perhaps incorrectly remembered as a trading-places sitcom, The Patty Duke Show is brimming with teen spirit. The energetic and resourceful Patty is a whirlwind of mad crushes, schemes, and shenanigans that invariably backfire. The great William Schallert costars as Patty's father, Martin, a sage voice of reason whom TV Guide ranked among TV's top 40 dads. Paul O'Keefe is Ross, the quintessential smart-alecky younger brother. Beyond the spunky charms of its star, there is much to dig about The Patty Duke Show, including the '60s teen lingo ("gonesville") and time capsule references to the Beatles, President Johnson, and the breakup of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (Broadway buffs will get a charge as Patty walks past a gallery of posters for then-current hits Hello Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Barefoot in the Park, and others in the Sammy Davis episode). Bonus features include a segment about the technical wizardry that made Duke's dual role so convincing and newly filmed public service announcements in which Duke reprises her roles as Patty and Cathy on behalf of Social Security. In the episode "This Little Patty Went to Market," Patty sells stock in herself. Patty Lane, Inc., may be a bust, but this boxed set is a wise investment that will only appreciate with age. "Are you sure there's a demand for it?" her brother asks of the "product." Get with it! The Patty Duke Show is an absolute blast. --Donald Liebenson Identical in appearance, but diametric opposites in personality, Patty and Cathy Lane are back for more fun and antics with the second hysterical season of The Patty Duke Show, starring Academy Award-winner Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker), William Schallert and Jean Byron (The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis), Paul O Keefe and Eddie Applegate.

For the first time, all 36 laugh-filled episodes of the off-the-wall sophomore season are now available for you to own in one 6-DVD collection!