( CNN ) -- For those of us who remember a time when many families did n't have color TV , a remote control or even video games , hearing the theme song from `` The Patty Duke Show '' -- `` They 're cousins / Identical cousins , all the way '' -- takes us back to black-and-white television sets and split-screen special effects . Patty Duke says she has many fond memories of working on `` The Patty Duke Show . '' `` Back then it was very crude , how we did split-screen , '' star Patty Duke said of playing the dual roles of Patty and Cathy Lane in the show , which was developed specifically for her . `` Now with all-digital applications , it looks antique . But the show 's values are still what we want to impart on our children . '' The first complete season of `` The Patty Duke Show , '' from 1963 to 1964 , is now out on DVD . Duke told CNN that she 's excited her five granddaughters will finally be able to see what `` Nana did when she was a teenager . '' `` I am tickled , just tickled , '' she said . In the sitcom , which ran for three seasons on ABC , Patty was a rambunctious teenager who always managed to find herself in some kind of trouble ; cousin Cathy was a demure , worldly Scottish teenager who came to New York to live with the Lane family to finish her schooling . Duke , who was not quite 17 when the series began , says it took a lot of energy to play two different characters . She preferred the quieter Cathy , `` because I thought she was dignified and gentle and rational . When it was time to be Patty , I would have to deal with my embarrassment of her stupidity . '' Duke was already a successful actor by the time the sitcom debuted , winning an Oscar for 1962 's `` The Miracle Worker '' just months before the show premiered . But she describes herself as sheltered . `` I was a very isolated teenager . When it came time to do some of the school dances [ on the show ] , they had to bring in real teenagers to teach me how , '' she says . `` I did n't know the dances , did n't know the music . '' She says , however , the show was a relief during what were troubled times for her . She wrote about her tormented childhood in her autobiography , `` Call Me Anna , '' discussing her struggles with mental abuse at the hands of her managers , which she says led to alcohol and drug addiction . She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder , and she now helps others who have the disease . `` I believe that show [ gave me ] the tools that helped me survive through my youth until I got my diagnosis , '' Duke said . `` I think 'tormenting ' is one of the most perfect words for what you feel [ with bipolar disorder ] , because you have no control over it . I did occasionally , very occasionally , hear voices , but mostly my instincts were messed up : If it was dangerous , then I should do it . '' The show , she said , `` was where I went for safety . '' `` It was a troubled time on the personal level , but the show was never troubled , '' she said . She speaks fondly of her co-stars , especially William Schallert , who played her father , Martin Lane . `` He has always been able to make me laugh until I had to spit up , '' she said of the now 87-year-old actor . `` He was also a solid , solid figure to me and still is . To this day , the relationship has grown , and he is always there for me . '' She remains close to the other surviving members of the cast , including Paul O'Keefe , who played her brother . Jean Byron , who played mother Natalie Lane , died three years ago . Duke was able to transition from child star to adult actor of stage and screen , and she even had a hit single , 1965 's `` Do n't Just Stand There . '' After `` The Patty Duke Show , '' she played a drug-addicted alcoholic singer in `` Valley of the Dolls '' and won an Emmy for the TV movie `` My Sweet Charlie . '' To date , Duke has won one Academy Award , three Emmys and two Golden Globes . Duke is also acting onstage in the musical `` Wicked '' in San Francisco , California . She plays the witch Madame Morrible , and though she finds the energy for eight shows a week a challenge , she loves the theater . `` To me , it is almost a religious experience , the exchange between those strangers out there in the dark and us , '' she said . `` To me , that 's communication at its best , and that 's really what I enjoy . '' Duke says she lets little faze her . `` I 've gotten to the age where I 'm comfortable with just about everything -- except getting old ! '' she said . Even there , she 's willing to look at the situation without blinking . She teamed up with the Social Security Administration to do public service announcements encouraging seniors to sign up online -- using her old `` Patty Duke Show '' characters . `` On a positive side , I know about acceptance , '' she says . `` What 's negative for me is all very superficial . The incredible lines in my face . '' But she says the wisdom that comes with aging -- and , of course , maintaining a sense of humor -- helps her deal with that . `` Without a sense of humor , '' she said , `` I would have been gone a long time ago . '' Patty Lane works for CNN Radio -- and yes , that is her real name .
First season of `` The Patty Duke Show '' out on DVD . In program , Duke played identical cousins Patty and Cathy Lane . Duke remembers show as haven during tough times as teenager . Actress later was diagnosed as bipolar ; she now helps people who have disease .