ME, NATALIE (1969)

 

Patty Duke was a gifted actress who accomplished some important milestones in her long career. In 1963, at the age of sixteen, she became the youngest person to win an Oscar, for her role as Helen Keller in THE MIRACLE WORKER (1962). She then became the youngest performer to have her own television series, THE PATTY DUKE SHOW (1963-66). After her Oscar win, however, her career in feature films peaked. Most of her subsequent success would be found in television up until her death in 2016 at the age of sixty-nine. Miss Duke's aggressive, physically charged acting style in THE MIRACLE WORKER set the bar for her other films of the 1960's. In BILLIE (1965), she played an energetic teenager who excels at athletics and challenges the social standards of her community to be able to compete with boys. In VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967), partly due to poor direction, her aggressive style failed her. Duke's interpretation of self-destructive singer/actress Neely O'Hara was so overwrought that audiences, rather than being moved, were simply exhausted. 

Following the now legendary embarrassment of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, two years would pass before Duke would appear again on the big screen. This time it was in ME, NATALIE, directed by Fred Coe. Duke was once again playing a teenager. Natalie Miller is an unattractive girl living with her loving, working-class parents in Brooklyn. Natalie has become so used to her unfortunate looks (teeth slightly buck, nose too big) that she has grown up with a cynical outlook toward life and other people. Having learned to expect rejection, she lashes out with loud, unkind remarks and dark humor. She works hard to cover up her insecurity and loneliness. She's a lost soul, the kind who refuses to dance with an awkward, overweight boy at a party, calling him a loser, and then instantly regretting it. Natalie's one joy in life is her closeness to her Uncle Harold (Martin Balsam), who encourages her to believe in herself and that someday she will find love.

Following some dramatic events in her life, Natalie, at age 20, leaves her parents and gets an apartment in Greenwich Village. She finds a job as a waitress in a nightclub and slowly begins to find her own identity. And yes, she also finds love, in the form of handsome artist David Harris (James Farentino), who lives in her building. But Natalie learns that love can have its complications. 

Patty Duke and James Farentino

This film is an uneasy combination of character study and urban fairy tale. Soon after Natalie's move to the Village, she blossoms into a free spirit/fledgling hippie, riding around Manhattan on a motorcycle acquiring bizarre furnishings for her quirky apartment. And she becomes more attractive with each successive scene. Apparently, there is something magical in the atmosphere over the Village that gradually straightens teeth and causes noses to shrink. All of this wonderment is accompanied by a Henry Mancini score and songs written and performed by Rod McKuen. Patty Duke does a good job with a character that is irritating and unlikable much of the time. Natalie's incessant crankiness and loud, insulting comments almost take the character into Neely O'Hara territory. It is a credit to Duke's talent that she makes the most of Natalie's quieter moments and makes her more sympathetic as the story progresses.

There is a strong TV Movie of the Week feel to the production. That may be due to the fact that most of Fred Coe's work was in television dramas. The only other film he directed was A THOUSAND CLOWNS (1965). He was also a very successful Broadway producer. He produced both the stage and film versions of THE MIRACLE WORKER. 

James Farentino underplays the role of Natalie's handsome, complicated boyfriend, making a nice contrast with Duke's freneticism. Also featured are Salome Jens, Nancy Marchand, Philip Sterling, and Bob Balaban. Elsa Lanchester, always a welcome name on any cast list, has a cameo as Natalie's landlady. And Al Pacino, making his film debut in a party scene, manages to get your attention.

Patty Duke won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a motion picture musical or comedy.