April 1, 2016, Prescott-  I close my eyes and see her adorable face, times two, engaged in banter- with itself.  Such was the life of “identical cousins”, with whom, the snappy theme song promised, “You could lose your mind”.  Patty Duke, Hayley Mills, Debbie Watson, and Ann Jillian had my adolescent brain quite engaged, in the days when my female contemporaries were screaming about the Beatles.  I enjoyed the lads’ music, along with that of just about every one of their fellow British invaders, and American/Canadian imitators.  Until the likes of Marianne Faithfull and Mary Hopkin, though, I found my  thrills more on the TV and movie screens, than on vinyl.

Patty Duke had substance, as well, playing one of  recent history’s most complicated characters:  Helen Keller, in her breakout role.  Her range allowed a redo of “The Miracle Worker”, on television, and she made playing Anne Sullivan look easy.  I was not allowed to go to see “Valley of the Dolls”, but even at 17, I was discerning enough a movie goer, that I would have passed on it-Patty or no.

Teens grow up, and so Patty became, for a time, Mrs. John Astin- and gave us Sean, of the Rings, and dozens of other film roles. She continued herself, in television, periodically and never quite left our generation’s collective psyche.  Now, she is at rest and it is for the boy of long ago to look back, and say “Thanks, my beautiful screen friend.  You played your part in a magnificent youth, very, very well.  I’m only sorry there was pain attached.”