him as an intellectual .’” Once again , when push comes to shove , Cathy wins him through thought-out techniques . Her rational side , rather than Patty ’ s emotional side , carries the day .
Most critics who have commented on The Patty Duke Show have focused on Patty , and with good reason : she demands attention and occupies the most screen time . Patty is the teenager who acts impulsively , makes mistakes , and creates problems . What teenager isn ’ t ? Cathy , however , is her essential other side . She gains knowledge and maturity . What teenager doesn ’ t ? In essence , The Patty Duke Show enabled young audiences to identify with two parts of the same whole : mirror-image females who confront romantic situations and play them out , trying various strategies , learning from trial and error , and solving their own problems with bemused adults watching from the side . Cathy imparts wisdom in a series that is , at its core , about growing up , learning effective strategies , and developing understanding .
When The Patty Duke Show first hit the airwaves in 1963 , there was nothing like it on television . In her book , Prime-Time Hits , Susan Sackett characterizes 1960s television as “ silly .” “ Cowboys were still reaching for the sky and top 10 ratings ,” she writes , “ but witches , monsters , Munsters , Martians , and a man who thought he was a bat were giving chase . And their southern cousins were soon a-hankerin ’ for some o ’ them Nielsen ratin ’ s ” ( 98 ). Among the top shows of the first half of the 1960s : Andy Griffith , Rawhide , Candid Camera , The Untouchables , Bonanza , Hazel , Dr . Kildare , The Beverly Hillbillies , The Lucy Show , Ben Casey , Petticoat Junction , My Favorite Martian , Bewitched , Gomer Pyle , The Fugitive , Peyton Place , and Combat : none explored the lives of teen girls . The closest
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