Patty Duke - Lebendiger denn je

Like visiting old friends again after over 30 years. Makes me want to again watch copies of the original shows but with more appreciation and enjoyment than ever before. Surprising to learn that Eddie Applegate is 63 and Patty only 52 yet they were high school sweethearts in the series. Oh well, guess that's show biz as they say.

Reunion movie of a show so old only senior citizens are alive that remember the original...reruns included. I believe this may actually set a record for reunion shows as far as time difference between original and reunion ("Leave it to Beaver" was about 22 years). The original Patty Duke show went off the air in 1966 making it a 33 year difference! The only thing close is "Burke's Law" which saw a return after 28 years in 1994 (of course that was more of a return than a reunion). I think the best bet here was just to do a remake with new cast (which actually was done with the TV series DOUBLE TROUBLE using real twins). Hayley Mills returned in several movies based on THE PARENT TRAP but that feature film had been rather accessible through the years (and even after the sequel mill ran dry was re-made with a new cast). First of all let me say I love Patty Duke. I liked her in the Helen Keller films (the original and the re-make), I liked her as a teen and as an adult actress, as an Astin and an after-Astin. I applaud her personal triumphs. But if nothing else, Patty Duke has shown us we must move forward not backward. Her guest spot on "Touched by an Angel" blew me away. This woman can act. Put this lady in a brand new sitcom and I'm there. Ask me to remember references from 1966 and I'll deny I was even born yet. Can you imagine in another 10 years having a reunion from our favorite shows of the seventies? Oh no. Oh no, just don't go there.

It's fun for Nostalgia's sake even if the "Sue Ellen" is not the one from the original show's run & no wonder because even if it's not real the true actress would feel that it would deface her character.Anyhow & even if it would just be for fun I'd still like to see @ least one more sequel with the once seen Texas cousin,also played by Patty Duke."When cousins are three of a kind."And the buck doesn't even stop right there either.I'd still like this feature to be seen in reruns & released on VHS & DVD.I even remember from when I was a kid seeing these episodes in reruns.I also liked seeing in this reunion special how Patty & Richard despite being divorced are still Friends & now Patty & Cathy are even friendlier than when they were kids & as kids their friendliest time was when they were each up against their Texan cousin.The best reflection of the their 60's show in their '90's reunion is when the 2 both play Juliet in the play as a team when before they each played Cleopatra in the play but as a competition that ended up as this team up did in making it a better show & for the audience to be amused.

Truthfully ,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a. "Ste" of Framingham,MA.USA

The Patty Duke show was one of my favorites as a kid. "Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights" is a nicely done reunion, preserving the tone of the original show with appropriate updates. The main change is that Duke's acting has matured incredibly over the years, and her solid performance in both roles is what makes this piece work. The cast are comfortable reprising their old roles, and do a good supporting job. Duke does a good job of differentiating Patty and Cathy, much deeper than the shallow characters of the original show -- while remaining true to the originals. The movie has a few critical weak points that make it Yet Another TV Movie. First of all, the plot is merely a Disney-style formula from the 50s and 60s. No real surprises, simple characters, ending predicatble from minute 20. Penny Marshall as the antagonist is a cartoon villain (by the way, she's turning the school into a mall, not tearing it down), joined in shallowness by the principal as sidekick. Finally, the rest of the Lane family characters aren't augmented as much as Patty and Cathy over the years, and the balance suffers a little. Still, if you liked the show in the 60s, this is well worth the time. The cast enjoys the reunion, despite aging, weight, and a little trepidation over Duke's personal life back then.

It was wonderful to see that Jean Byron still has the prettiest smile since Sara Allgood (How Green Was My Valley).

Otherwise, fluffy, with a script a bit on the lame, predictable side, this story got tired in a short time. I don't even think I stayed with it till the end. It was good to see the cast again, though Paul O'Keefe could have phoned his part in. Perhaps there were too many new characters to give the originals enough tube time.