Back in 1982, ABC launched a new show called ‘It Takes Two" with Ms. Duke and Richard Crenna as a married couple (doctor and lawyer) who try and juggle careers and family. The show was of little consequence except for a few items: it co-starred Helen Hunt (what was she, like 10) and Anthony Edwards (of Top Gun and ER fame, not to mention "Revenge of the Nerds").

Also notable was that ABC went to the expense of sending the two leads on a national tour to promote the show. At their Seattle stop, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Duke and Crenna at a fancy lunch or dinner, or something. Crenna was a wonderfully warm man who loved to talk about his days in "Our Miss Brooks" and "The Real McCoy" as well as a new film about to be released (at the time) which he said was tentatively titled, "Sweet Ginger Brown." It later was released as "The Flamingo Kid."

As for Ms. Duke, she was an absolute gem and a real highlight from my career as a TV critic. She is about 5-foot 1 in heels and just funnier than all get out. I sat next to her and the meal and got to the comfort level of singing the theme from "The Patty Duke Show." ("Here’s Cathy who’s been most everywhere, from Zanzibar to Barclay Square…") She howled.

Since then, I have been a huge fan. I wish her a VERY happy birthday.