Me, Natalie

I was 13 when I saw Me, Natalie on Swedish television. I thought it was great, especially the scene where Natalie tries to kill herself, it was so funny and heartbreaking. I enjoy the memory of this movie, and intend not to see it again.

It's tough to make Patty Duke into an ugly duckling. Her fierce determination, wiseass manner, and throwaway good humor are attractive qualities--and they each serve to save her "homely" character from heartbreak. Natalie is a textbook plain Jane from Brooklyn who finally makes a break from her parents and moves to the Village; she gains strength in her independence, but her self-consciousness (and keenly-honed sense of dramatics) cause her to hit a comedic bump or two. Martin Balsam has a wonderful and sensitive supporting role as an adoring uncle, and James Farentino is very fine playing an artist with whom Natalie falls in love. Their relationship is surprisingly free of the usual clichés, making this a sweet, warm, funny movie that has stood the test of time. *** from ****

I remember going into Center City Philadelphia with a friend and walking along Chestnut Street right past a line of hippies waiting to get into Easy Rider. Of course, we went to see Patty Duke as we were fans of her TV show. I enjoyed the That Girl mixed with pathos. Yes, it was a tad preachy but the golden girl attracting trouble, a little schadenfreude on Patty's part? But, all too soon, Patty became involved with the wrong man, too. There was a lot of good in the movie for us young girls to see. Natalie graduating from school, getting a job and her own place complete with the bed cut of a bathtub seemed preferable to doing the deed in a New Orleans graveyard as in Easy Rider.

Part of this movie was shot right across the street from me, in an apartment building on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, NY, when I was a kid. One of my friends lived there, and when I came out of his apartment, I talked to Patty Duke who was sitting with some crew in the lobby, for a couple of minutes before they ushered me out. I was a major fan of the Patty Duke show, so I was thrilled, and she was very nice. It's the only movie I can ever remember shot in my neighborhood, and it caused quite a thrill. I don't remember much about the movie except the Brooklyn street scenes of neighborhoods I was familiar with. I'd love to see this movie again to relive some of those moments. Is it ever played on TV on one of the movie channels that specialize in older movies like AMC or Turner Classic Movies?

This movie really shaped my adolescence. James Farentino was so dreamy in it. I cried when she left him even though I knew it was the right thing for her to do. The use of humour as a defence mechanism was truly touching. Philip Sterling and Martin Balsam's performances also stand out in my mind --- and what a creep Bob Balaban was! A well-done memory everlasting.