Bonus History Lesson of the Day: On this date in 1959, 12-year old Patty Duke debuted on Broadway, in The Miracle Worker. The play ran for 700 performances. One of Dukes first acting jobs was on the soap opera The Brighter Day, in the late 1950s. She also appeared in print ads and in television commercials. At the age of 12, in 1959, Duke appeared on The $64,000 Question and won $32,000. Her category of expertise was spelling. Three years later, in 1962, it was revealed that the game show was rigged and she was called to testify before a panel of the United States Senate.[7] In 1959, Duke appeared in a television adaptation of Meet Me in St. Louis as Tootie Smith (the role originated in the film version by Margaret OBrien). Dukes first major starring role was playing Helen Keller (with Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan) in the Broadway play The Miracle Worker, which ran for nearly two years (October 1959 – July 1961). About midway through the production-run, her name was placed above the title on the marquee. The play was subsequently made into a 1962 film, for which Duke received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At 16, Duke was the youngest person at that time to receive an Academy Award in a competitive category.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 17:19:47 +0000
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