Call Me Anna

Patty Duke wrote an insightful, funny, rough-hewn book about her career as an actress, her crazy-quilt love-life, and her manic depressive episodes and suicide attempts which almost put her away for good. With such rich material to draw from, one would think a crack TV-director like Gilbert Cates could bring it all together on film, but "Call Me Anna" is a pale shadow of Duke's autobiography. For those who haven't read the book, the sketchy narrative (leaping forward in time) isn't absorbing, we are never allowed to get our bearings with what's happening, and the production seems stunted by a tight budget. The cast--including Duke playing herself in the latter scenes--is disappointing, and the need to steer the narrative towards Patty/Anna's ultimate diagnosis and mental freedom leaves out many opportunities for involving drama in the process. *1/2 from ****