Just when you think Patty Duke can't outdo herself - she does! In this ep, there are THREE Patties - Patty, Cathy and "Betsy" - the southern belle from h*ll. Woww whee - Patty looks AMAZING as a blonde. And what a treat to see her playing a third character--the conniving Betsy who ends up getting the tables turned on her. Also very nice is seeing Patty do the switch into Cathy - because she is such a FANTASTIC actress I can sometimes forget its one person playing the two parts.

If you haven't seen this ep go to it! It's wonderful.

I'm still going through all the eps - I've probably watched 1/2 of the series by now. But I bet this is likely the best ep of the series. Your thoughts?

Just my opinion, but to me this is one of the weaker episodes. I think they went too far this time with the "look alike" gimmick, just how many look alikes did she have anyway? :lol: There aren't any really bad episodes of the Patty Duke Show, but this one isn't among my favorites.

Just my opinion, but to me this is one of the weaker episodes. I think they went too far this time with the "look alike" gimmick, just how many look alikes did she have anyway? :lol: There aren't any really bad episodes of the Patty Duke Show, but this one isn't among my favorites.

Well, the one thing we DO seem to agree on is there are NO really bad eps. I was esp. taken by how different she looked as a blonde.

What I like about this forum is we can all agree to disagree. And of course it comes down to personal likes. But I liked seeing her do three characters in one show, and do them all well. More than four, or more eps playing off Patty doing multiple personalities, would have begun going into overkill.

On a slightly different note, I also really liked the ep where Cathy tells Aunt Paulina to pretty much bite it. (an S#1 ep near the beginning of the season)

Patty's a great actress, no doubt about that. The early 1st season episode where Cathy tells off Aunt Pauline is not one of my favorites either but I like it a little better than The Perfect Hostess episode.

Woww whee - Patty looks AMAZING as a blonde.

I'm in full agreement on that. I just watched the episode again. For a lot of actresses, I actually prefer their natural or darker haircolor. But I think Patty's blonde look was fantastic.

She also later had much longer hair when she did an episode of Hawaii Five-O -- not bright blonde though.

Patty's a great actress, no doubt about that. The early 1st season episode where Cathy tells off Aunt Pauline is not one of my favorites either but I like it a little better than The Perfect Hostess episode.

Hi retroTVfan4ever, just curious, what ep's from the show are your favorite? I'm still going thru the series (have seen roughly 1/2). The one where Patty thinks her parents are trying to marry her off is kind of funny (in a Lucy-esque kind of way)

Hi retroTVfan4ever, just curious, what ep's from the show are your favorite? I'm still going thru the series (have seen roughly 1/2). The one where Patty thinks her parents are trying to marry her off is kind of funny (in a Lucy-esque kind of way)

A few favorite episodes are:

The Elopement
Slumber Party
How To Be Popular
Song Writers
Let Em Eat Cake
Con Artists
Slight Case Of Disaster
Leave It To Patty
Patty And The Newspaper Game
Little Brother Is Watching You
Patty The Practical Joker
The Daughter Bit
Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow (Patty singing Funny Little Butterflies is a classic TV moment)
Girl From NEPHEW
Patty The Candy Striper
History Paper Caper
Very Phon-y Situation
Ross Runs Away But Not Far
Patty Leads A Dogs Life
Do You Trust Your Daughter
Don't Bank On It
Three Little Kittens

I like this episode myself.

I don't think that this was a weak episode, but a rather strong one, because of how Betsy gets both Patty and Cathy to look at each other differently with her attempt to break up their friendship, and try to convince Cathy to leave. It explores how the two girls see each other, and how, despite their differing personalities, they are still very close. We should all be as fortunate to have as close a friendship with someone as Patty and Cathy have. I also like how they found a good way to resolve it without just banishing cousin Betsy from the Lane household as persona non grata. People may make mistakes, but they deserve a second chance, especially family. It is a shame Betsy never made a return appearance on The Patty Duke Show, although I'll admit that is is likely because it would have been difficult to find a good reason to bring her back,

Yes!!! That too! So far its my favorite ep (out of the 50 or so I've seen)

It's a fine episode. Quite a feat, one actress portraying three distinct characters, all interacting to one another, done so adeptly that you can't help but totally buy into the proceedings. Of course, I'm always partial to episodes in which Patty or Cathy switch identities (although it was wise that the writers didn't do this 'too' much, as its inherently gimmicky nature could have easily worn thin from constant repetition). I wish, however, there might have been a few more instances in which Cathy, perhaps reluctantly, was recruited into disguising herself as Patty. Could have been a goodly amount of humor to be mined in such situations. We expect such precocious shenanigans from Patty, after all!

It's a fine episode. Quite a feat, one actress portraying three distinct characters, all interacting to one another, done so adeptly that you can't help but totally buy into the proceedings. Of course, I'm always partial to episodes in which Patty or Cathy switch identities (although it was wise that the writers didn't do this 'too' much, as its inherently gimmicky nature could have easily worn thin from constant repetition). I wish, however, there might have been a few more instances in which Cathy, perhaps reluctantly, was recruited into disguising herself as Patty. Could have been a goodly amount of humor to be mined in such situations. We expect such precocious shenanigans from Patty, after all!

I like it when they do the ol swictheroo too! I was really taken aback by how gorgeous she was as a blonde. Patty was attractive alright but as Betsey she was ravishing. For me there is no such thing as too much Patty. Love her then and love her now. She really is a lovely woman - so free of all the attitude and hoity-toitedness of many celebs.

I like this episode, too. It's one of my favorites. Yes, the idea of a third identical cousin suspends belief, but its fun to see Patty play another character. Love the blonde hair so she's not as easily recognizable.

Another thing about this episode is on the DVD it mentiones one of the guest starts is Scott Glenn. His name is listed in the credits of the epidose but I cant seem to find him anywhere. Does anybody know what scene he is in.


I know I probably wouldnt recoginize him because he was so young back then.

I like this episode, too. It's one of my favorites. Yes, the idea of a third identical cousin suspends belief, but its fun to see Patty play another character. Love the blonde hair so she's not as easily recognizable.

She is wonderful! Truly one of the most versatile talents around! Then & now

"The Perfect Hostess" is a great episode BUT one of my favorites is "A Visit From Uncle Jed" when Patty has the formal dinner party. Such a great episode! I wasn't sure what to expect when another relative was visiting but this one turned out to be one of the best episodes! :)

"The Perfect Hostess" is a great episode BUT one of my favorites is "A Visit From Uncle Jed" when Patty has the formal dinner party. Such a great episode! I wasn't sure what to expect when another relative was visiting but this one turned out to be one of the best episodes! :)

I haven't seen that one yet. I'll get around to it this weekend!

Another thing about this episode is on the DVD it mentiones one of the guest starts is Scott Glenn. His name is listed in the credits of the epidose but I cant seem to find him anywhere. Does anybody know what scene he is in.


I know I probably wouldnt recoginize him because he was so young back then.

I believe Scott Glenn's scene was in the Shake Shop. IIRC he might have been a waiter.

As for the episode itself, it was a pretty good one. It was great seeing Patty Duke do triple duty opposite herself. I particularly liked the scene towards the end where Cathy catches Patty doing what Patty does best. ;)

Does anyone know a place where this episode is available to watch online? I don't have any tapes so...

For those of you wanting to see what the fuss is about, "The Perfect Hostess" will be on Antenna TV this Monday at 9amET/6amPT.

I watched this the other night. I wonder if they taped Patty's face up to give it a slightly different look than the Patty and Cathy characters. Her eyes looked different, slightly slanted, etc. It may have been the way the blonde wig was fastened on. In the book TV Land To Go (2002) that ranks TVLand's 100 Top Episodes of All Time, this came in at #42 and was the only episode of the series to make the list. I do think it's one of the best, but the banjo music constantly playing kind of annoys me, and there are a few others I like better, like "Let Em Eat Cake", "Patty the Chatterbox", "Double Date", or "Patty Pits Wits: Two Brit Hits".