Each week, we will be taking an in depth look at some of the best sitcoms and comedy shows from both the UK and the USA.

Today we will be looking at a comedy that as of 2017,the lead actress is still the youngest individual, at 16 years old, to ever have a self-titled U.S. television series – The Patty Duke Show

Opening Sequence / Theme Tune

About the Show

Summary of Plot

Cathy Lane, teen-aged daughter of a globe-trotting journalist, comes to live at the home of her uncle, a newspaper editor in New York City. Curiously, Cathy is the spitting image of her uncle’s daughter, Patty. Appearances aside, however, the urbane Cathy is nothing like her cousin Patty, who is the typical American teenager – IMDb

Number of Seasons / Episodes

3 seasons

Characters:

Patty Duke – Patty Lane

Jean Byron – Natalie Lane
William Schallert – Martin Lane
Paul O’Keefe – Ross Lane

Trivia

• The reason that Patty and Cathy looked exactly alike is that their fathers were identical twins, both played by William Schallert
• For most of the scenes featuring both Patty and Cathy, actress Rita Walter played “the back of either Patty’s or Cathy’s head”, as appropriate. She can also be seen in several episodes as a background character.
• As of 2017, Patty Duke is still the youngest individual, at 16 years old, to ever have a self-titled U.S. television series.
• Although their characters were the same age, Eddie Applegate was actually 11 years older than Patty Duke. Duke was 16, Applegate was 27.
• The character ‘Martin Lane’ was ranked #39 in TV Guide’s list of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time” (20 June 2004 issue).
• William Schallert and Jean Byron both had recurring roles on Dobie Gillis as teachers. Schallert was Dobie’s high school teacher and Byron played his college professor

Clips

Patty Meets A Celebrity

Tonsils Clip Coffee