....and I woiuldn't say that Sidney Sheldon's previous attempt at creating a "identical twin" idea- for a projected Ginger Rogers TV sitcom in 1961- was similar. He was supposed to create an idea for a Patty Duke series after Peter Lawford's production company and United Artists had sold ABC the idea of a weekly series on Patty's name alone. Sidney initially didn't want to write for a weekly TV show, but changed his mind after meeting her, and then having dinner with her and his family. He decided she'd play identical twin sisters...but producer William Asher [who claimed a co-creator's credit] insisted they be
cousins instead (perhaps he was aware of how close the "twin sisters" idea seemed to "The Parent Trap", and didn't want to take any chances in stirring up any legal obstacles in producing the show).
