Popular Culture Review 30.1
their development through various ages and ‘ stages ’ of life ” ( 5 ).
Patty Duke , who at the age of sixteen won the 1962 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker , plays a very different part in her namesake series , The Patty Duke Show . Entertainment writer Ramin Setoodah , who claims the show was her favorite when she was growing up , calls Duke ’ s character “ a high-school version of Lucy Ricardo , except she didn ’ t have Ethel . She had something better : an identical cousin .” As Setoodah reflects , “ The Patty Duke Show spoke to me as a kid because it was like a serialized version of The Parent Trap . But ... I also realized it was one of the first TV shows to feature a strong , single , opinionated young woman . You could say that it paved the way for The Mary Tyler Moore Show , Rhoda , Murphy Brown , 30 Rock , even Hannah Montana ” ( Setoodah ). Although Patty has an affable boyfriend Richard , she does not center her life on pleasing him . Instead , she functions as a force in her high school . In one episode , Patty , whose father is a New York journalist , becomes editor-in-chief of her high school newspaper and has her own ideas about news ; in another , Patty plans celebrity musical events for her high school prom and even sings with the band . However , Patty ’ s aspirations take her beyond Brooklyn Heights High as she explores many career options . Other endeavors include starting a babysitting business ( even though she has no babysitters ), marketing one of Cathy ’ s popular handmade dresses to the masses , selling stocks for a company she calls Patty Lane , Inc ., campaigning for a family friend ’ s bid for a Congressional seat , writing a novel , and joining the Peace Corps . Cathy , Patty ’ s quiet , reserved , and serious cousin , succeeds in school , appreciates the arts and travel , and provides a different role model for tween and teen viewers . She is tapped for student of the year ,
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