In the Presence of Greatness Lib/E: My Sixty-Year Journey as an Actress

by William J Jankowski

Patty first gained national attention and praise playing Helen Keller in both the Broadway stage and film versions of The Miracle Worker. As identical cousins on The Patty Duke Show, her name became an American household word. Her later work in Valley of the Dolls, Me, Natalie, My Sweet Charlie, a later television remake of The Miracle Worker, and dozens of other productions established her as one of America's leading actresses. Patty's previous autobiographical works, Call Me Anna and A Brilliant Madness, achieved New York Times bestseller status. Now, her indelible show business legacy echoes enduringly with untold stories of her six-decade career and the legends of her time, including Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, Helen Hayes, Fred Astaire, Anne Bancroft, Judy Garland, President John F. Kennedy, Helen Keller, Margaret Cho, Garth Brooks, Gloria Vanderbilt, Lucille Ball, Darren Criss, Richard Crenna, Patricia Neal, Liza Minnelli, and Helen Hunt. For the first time, Patty also talks openly of her friendship with actress Sharon Tate and her grisly murder at the hands of Charles Manson.

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Tv, Audiobook, Autobiography

Audio CD

First published February 13, 2018

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am having a very hard time doing a review of this because I read it on my kindle not hardcover. Anyway, here is one more try to do a book review. I was so happy to find out that Patty Duke had been working on a book with a friend before she died. It is about her sixty year career in show business. She started out as a child on television and went on the star in "the Miracle Worker" and the movie later on. She had her own show "The Patty Duke Show" and for sixty years starred in countless tv movies. and a few more tv show series. She writes about all the actors, actresses, directors etc she has worked with over her long career. She has a lot of nice things to say about most of the people she worked with and a couple critical things as well. I had a great time reading her walk down memory lane. Anyone who is a fan of Patty Duke {like I am}may have fun reading this book.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was absolutely devastated by the death of actress Patty Duke. Not only did I have a teenage crush on her, but over the years I savored the exquisite acting of this Academy Award winning actress. Recently, I re-read her 1987 memoir Call Me Anna. I finished the book wishing I could know more about her life and roles since 1987. That was when I discovered In the Presence of Greatness, My Sixty-Year Journey as an Actress. The book is a series of interviews/tales told to family friend and writer William J. Jankowski, who shares writing credit. Jankowski apparently completed the book after Duke’s death, for he details in an afterword how her husband encouraged him to finish the book and how he, Jankowski, had given Duke edited chapters that she approved of and thus, after her death, he continued to edit. What we have here are an exhaustive collection of memories of Duke’s work and her co-stars with some stories of her mental illness, eventually diagnosed as Bipolar Disease, thrown in. It was interesting to see her take on the many people she worked with and her experiences on various projects. I did find her obsession with Method acting to be off-putting. “Method,” of course, is the technique taught at New York’s Actors Studio, and it was made famous by such actors as Marlon Brando and others. Duke, however, begins far too many passages about her fellow actors with “I don’t know if he is a method actor, but…” Frankly, I wanted more personal observation and less technical assessment. By biggest problem with this book is Jankowski. He admits he had personally known and been friends with Duke for at least twenty years. I think his affection for her definitely clouded his judgment. In the old days, a celebrity would “write” a memoir, and a professional writer would be hired to shape the words of the celebrity into readable prose. That writer often got no credit and was called a “ghostwriter,” because of that lack of credit. Thus the reader believed every word was the subject’s. Now, “ghostwriters” are usually credited, so we know the subject is being edited. Patty Duke was an incredible actress, a tireless advocate for mental health, and, from what I’ve read, a good friend to many, her fans included. She worked from early childhood until her death, so her formal education was limited. She comes across as an intelligent woman, and her performances prove that, for anyone who could act as sensitively and skillfully as she had to have had intelligence. Jankowski, though, seemed to simply transcribe his interviews with her. Her words could have used some judicious editing to eliminate repetition, some word choice substitutions to clarify, and above all, some actually listening to her words so as to not transcribe something she didn’t say at all. I doubt seriously that Patty Duke said “outer body experience” when the accepted phrase is “out of body experience.” But the stars in Jankowski’s eyes must have overlooked that and other similar statements. And finally, I do wish someone had given him a list of comma rules, for his misuse of commas is rampant. But something like that should have been caught by an editor, for not all writers are proficient in grammar. The publisher apparently offered little or no editing. The grammar sometimes is atrocious, the punctuation is lacking, typos abound, and I’m convinced any professional editor would have caught that “outer body” thing. This book is for fans. Any other readers won’t be very much enlightened.

[Jeffrey Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patty Duke and her friend William J. Jankowski (a friend of mine) wrote an engaging, touching book recounting Duke's sixty-year career and the people she met along the way (from Helen Keller and John Kennedy to Garth Brooks and Mel Brooks). The details are insightful. One is that crew members in the wardrobe and hair/makeup departments contributed to her characters in ways that would not be obvious to a viewer. The book is a must-read for any fan of hers or anyone moved and inspired by any of her performances.

[Patricia Gaborski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm memories of some great Hollywood stars.

This is not an actual "biography" / It is Patty Duke's memories of the great people she worked with and background memories of some of the film's she starred in. We tells stories of some of the biggest stars she worked with and loved. A great look into stars, movies and TV.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortly before her death in 2016 at age 69, actress Patty Duke (with coauthor William J. Jankowski) surveyed her six-decade career on TV, film and stage and produced IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS. It is a delightful, engaging and upbeat salute to the talented people with whom she worked. "Some of this book is going to sound like I lived an enchanted life, but when I went to work, I often did," writes Duke.

When 16-year-old Duke won an Academy Award re-creating her Broadway performance of Helen Keller in the film THE MIRACLE WORKER, she had already co-starred with Richard Burton, Kim Stanley, Laurence Olivier, Helen Hayes, David Niven and Gloria Vanderbilt (who provides the book's heartfelt foreword, calling Duke "the daughter I never had."). Although this memoir focuses on her career with incisive, thoughtful and revealing anecdotes about her coworkers, there is plenty of juicy details about her personal life, including her romantic relationships (dating both Frank Sinatra and his son), a suicide attempt and her battles with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. This is an essential follow-up to her 1987 autobiography CALL ME ANNA. She corrects misinformation from her earlier book (John Astin is not the father of her son Sean Astin) and revises old perspectives (she learned to embrace VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and devotes six chapters to the creation of this camp classic).

Patty Duke was a dazzling talent who never stopped working. Her insightful reflections on her 60-year career and coworkers will be catnip to movie buffs. This photo-filled book is a total delight. Patty Duke's upbeat, insightful and delightful reflections on six decades of costars and coworkers is an irresistible treat for movie buffs.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a long time Patty Duke fan I knew I would like this book. However after reading it, I found I loved it. It is a warm, honest, respectful, reverent, and witty recollection of Hollywood legends, told by a legend herself. Ms. Duke truly respected talent and goodness in people and it was a pleasure to read the tales of old Hollywood and its elite. Along those lines she herself was talented good and kind.

This book is a true gift, a litany of Hollywood legends told in a casual format. Its just like sitting down with Ms. Duke and hearing the tales. I wanted to read more but alas Ms. Duke is now among the days of old.

This book is a must read for Duke fans and fans of Hollywood.

[Deidre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna was more than an actress

During the coronavirus I read this book to my friend. It was a way to be together even though apart.
It's amazing all the people she met and connected with during her six decades of work. She met President Kennedy and so many others along her journey. I got a kick out of her meeting Valerie Harper from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. In this example there was good and bad involved.
I felt she gave it to you straight. I would recommend this book for adults to read. There was some bad language used in the book.
I look up to her for the attention she gave to mental health. Thank You!!!

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having been a huge Patty Duke fan and a lover of her book "Call Me Anna" this was extremely disappointing both to read and to listen to. It just felt like she needed the money so she wrote a book.. I became extremely bored with "I knew this famous person" and "I knew that famous person" and she had really liked to have worked with them or worked with them one more time. I'm sorry she died before the author was quite finished with her yet, but in the end it just wasn't well written and was poorly edited. To top it all off the audio book was extremely poorly read. Sorry Anna, but this was not your finest work.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the Patty Duke show on Nick at Nite in the 1980's. It was about the same time Duke wrote her first book describing her struggle with, and diagnosis of bipolar disorder. A lifetime has passed since that first book, and I was curious to find this book included for free as part of the Audible Plus subscription.

I like that you get what is advertised with this book: Duke's experiences with a wide variety of actors over her decades-long career. She really did work with and was one of the best. Those who complain about all the name-dropping clearly didn't read the book's synopsis!

[Karen J. Dikes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring

They could have called this book "I met famous people and nothing happened.". Chapter after chapter of name dropping, saying she loved the person, and then hoping they will hire her in the future. Most of the names she dropped were unknown to me, but even the big names were uneventful. A whole chapter was given to a single phone call with Gregory Peck, whom she never met personally. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up watching "The Patty Duke Show" and loved Patty Duke since then. I have also read her autobiography "Call Me Anna", which is a Must-Read! This wonderful book is like having a conversation with Anna (her real name). It was so beautiful, with memories and photographs of her life. I'm so glad she decided to write this book with William J. Janowski. It will be such a treasured piece for any fan.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and honest stories about the people Anna worked with during her long career. Her humor shines and her spirit soars. I'm sorry that she's no longer with us but am so happy she and Bill were able to document her legacy.

[Toni Skaff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprised myself by not loving this book. I found it just a great big Thank you letter to everyone that Patty Duke worked with. Definitely good spirited but a little shallow for what we know her life was.

[Vicki Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all of Patty Duke fans!!!

Growing up, I watched the Miracle Worker, and the Party Duke Show...as millions of others did also. This book is absolutely fantastic!! Lots of inside info on quite a few famous people. A loving tribute...

[James Siejak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, classy lady. Patty Anna Pierce Duke is an icon, amazing actress, and advocate for mental health. She also recounts her many theater and screen appearances with grace and class. While she left us way too soon, she left behind an incredible account of her career.

[Heather Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Patty Duke as an actress and I sympathized with the life she had; the many trials and health issues. Her recollections of various famous actors were interesting. The book was okay, but just okay.

[Patrick Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining read of Patty's remembrances of her work with legends of the Golden era. I enjoyed it and in the process learned a little more about Patty and her career.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book of recollections, there was a lot of repetition. But I am a lifelong fan of Anna's so I appreciate the time and effort writing this took..

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very discursive series of memories of people that Patty (Anna) Duke worked with, mostly loved, and rarely hated. Like a TV show in which a guest rambles on about everything she's done over her career. Mildly interesting.

[Laura Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read

I have always loved Anna as an actress. Didn't realize she had a third son. She was a true lady.

[Allison G. Zerr · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor representation of Anna

This book is unbelievable. Written by a fanatic that admits he followed the actress and then coincidentally meets her and becomes her "friend"?

[Tonya Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I was a huge fan of Patty Duke. Her acting was incredible. This book is very well written. Rest in peace

[Nancy M Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely boring...

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute.

This book was so true and the truth .OF EVERYONE IN IT LOVED , ALL THE MOVIES INFO. Thank you!

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating snippets of the many esteemed Hollywood greats (and not so greats) that Patty Duke worked with during her wonderful career.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice salute to the very talented people she worked with over 60 years. Amazing the people she worked with.

[Lisa Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Patty Duke🤗

[Melinda Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great look into the people who shaped and interacted with Patty during her long career. Some interesting tidbits and glimpses behind the curtain.

[Sparky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honest and funny, just like the lady

Reading this was like sitting across a kitchen table and chatting with Anna. Gone from this life far too soon, she left a lifetime of work to touch generations to come. I genuinely enjoyed this book.

[Roland Boudreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patty and Friends

Patty has always entertained me throughout my life. It was nice to find out that she had a treasure of also famous friends...