Thank you, Patty Duke

"The Patty Duke Show" was one of my favorites. I remember watching it with my sister as we sat in front of the television wearing fluffy pink slippers that made us feel like teenagers, even though we were only in grade school. We wanted to be Cathy, who "lived most everywhere, from Zanzibar to Barclay Square" and idolized Patty, even though she only saw "the sights a girl can see from Brooklyn Heights" ... what a crazy pair.

Who doesn't remember every word of the opening song to "The Patty Duke Show"? The lyrics are 20 snappy lines emblazoned in our memory. (Click here and sing along.)

Meet Cathy, who's lived most everywhere, 
From Zanzibar to Berkeley Square. 
But Patty's only seen the sight. 
A girl can see from Brooklyn Heights -- 
What a crazy pair! 

But they're cousins, 
Identical cousins all the way. 
One pair of matching bookends, 
Different as night and day. 

Where Cathy adores a minuet, 
The Ballet Russes, and crepe suzette, 
Our Patty loves to rock and roll, 
A hot dog makes her lose control -- 
What a wild duet! 

Still, they're cousins, 
Identical cousins and you'll find, 
They laugh alike, they walk alike, 
At times they even talk alike -- 

You can lose your mind, 
When cousins are two of a kind.

We will miss Patty Duke, Oscar-winning actress and mental health advocate, for the joy she brought us every week in the nonsensical comedy about two identical cousins. We also honor Ms. Duke for her powerful, and unforgettable, performance as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker."

Thank you, Patty Duke.