Call Me Anna - Patty Duke

The Star--The public saw her as a gifted child
star: the youngest actor to win an Oscar for her role
as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and the
youngest actor to have a prime-time television series
bearing her own name.

The Nightmare--What the
public did not see was Anna Marie Duke, a young girl
whose life changed forever at age seven when
tyrannical mangers stripped her of nearly all that was
familiar, beginning with her name. She was deprived
of family and friends. Her every word was
programmed, her every action monitored and criticized. She
was fed liquor and prescription drugs, taught to
lie to get work, and relentlessly drilled to win
roles.

The Legend--Out of this nightmare emerged
Patty Duke, a show business legend still searching
for the child, Anna. She won three Emmy Awards and
divorced three husbands. A starring role in
Valley of the Dolls nearly ruined her
career. She was notorious for wild spending sprees,
turbulent liaisons, and an uncontrollable temper.
Until a long hidden illness was diagnosed, and her
amazing recovery recovery began.

The Triumph--
Call Me Anna is an American success
story that grew out of a bizarre and desperate
struggle for survival. A harrowing, ultimately
triumphant story told by Patty Duke herself--wife,
mother, political activist, President of the Screen
Actors Guild, and at last, a happy, fulfilled woman
whose miracle is her own life.