Actor Recalls "The Patty Duke Show"

Eddie Applegate starred in 88
episodes of The Patty Duke Show

In 1963 Eddie Applegate landed the role of Richard Harrison, Patty Duke’s boyfriend in The Patty Duke Show. Applegate went on to guest star in several other television series, including I Love Lucy, Daktari, and Gunsmoke. His most recent role is in a thriller, Rain from the Stars, premiering in May 2013.  

While starring in a Las Vegas stage production of Bye, Bye Birdie, Eddie was approached by producer Joe Pasternack about a movie comedy called Moon Walk, soon renamed A Ticklish Affair. He signed on for the part of a yeoman and was cast alongside Shirley Jones, Carolyn Jones, Gig Young and Red Buttons. He recalls a problem early in that filming, when suddenly his lines were no longer bringing laughter from the crew. During a break, the cinematographer told him that director George Sidney’s diversion of Applegate in scenes was dulling the movie’s humor.  “Eddie, it’s a part of the journey,” his agent told him. “Directors are in control, and there’s nothing we can do about it; just enjoy what you can.”

“Which I did,” Applegate says. “I still had a good time making it. But when we were doing some voiceover after the film, the producer said, ‘No, don’t do it that way—do it this way.’ Eddie responded, ‘That’s the way George Sidney wanted me to do it.’ And he looked at me with stern eyes and he said, ‘Mr. George Sidney is not here now. Do it this way.’ So we did it that way.”

James Pylant: How soon after A Ticklish Affair came The Patty Duke Show?

Eddie Applegate: Not too long. A couple of months at the most. We did the pilot for The Patty Duke Show in San Francisco. Then, as it turned out, The Patty Duke Show did sell as a series, but it didn’t go on until the following year. We were all asked to go to New York City to shoot the series because Patty could work longer hours in New York City versus the limited hours as a 16 year-old could work in California. And in the east she could come to school at any hour and get her school work done. Whereas in Hollywood you had to put in certain hours each day—minimum day—and took up the actual hours she could work on a film. So that’s why we went to New York City. Well, we stayed for two years. And then the third year we came back to California.

I was eleven years older than Patty Duke, and I played her boyfriend of 18.

JP: Did you get the role on The Patty Duke Show as a result of being in A Ticklish Affair?

EA: I got that as a result of a lot of recommendations here in Hollywood. Bill Asher, the director who hired me during the pilot, said to me, “Eddie, you’ve been recommended by all kinds of people. Choreographers from New York have talked about how you are and your personality, and that’s why we called you in. We would like to hear your version of the script." So I read it. Then he looked at me afterwards and said, with a big smile, “A problem, Eddie. Patty Duke is only 16. She’s a short gal and at the age where she might suddenly shoot up—grow tall. And we don’t know that that’s not going to happen, so we have to protect ourselves. Every actor recommended to us has been short. Eddie, you’re short, too.” With that, I said very nonchalantly—and I don’t know why I said it or where it came from—‘Well, that’s not a problem. I can wear shoes with lifts in them, and I can be six-foot tomorrow with no problem at all.’ He looked at me, smiled, slammed the desk, and said, “Eddie, you’re hired! I’ll call your agent.”

JP: Of all the actors you’ve worked with, who would you say was your favorite?

EA: Oh, I’m prejudiced—Patty Duke. She’s just wonderful; a true humanitarian, always worrying about everyone else. In 1990 we did a movie version of the series called Rockin’ Again. We were up in Canada, in Toronto. I didn’t know the story of it, but in my opinion it sums up Patty Duke. She was doing a scene and she was working around the pool table and fell and hit her wrist and ribs. The next day I didn’t know her whole middle section was taped because of these cracked ribs, and she came up to me and she said, “Eddie, how is everything?” I said, “Fine.” She said, “I just wanted to make sure your trailer is big enough. Is it big enough for you?” And I said, “Yes, it’s fine, just fine.” Here she is—bandaged up, working and worrying about one of the actors and whether his trailer for wardrobe is big enough. She tried to take care of everybody.