Call Me Anna

Call Me Anna
Genre	Biography Drama
Based on	Call Me Anna by Patty Duke Kenneth Turan
Written by	John McGreevey
Directed by	Gilbert Cates
Starring	Patty Duke Timothy Carhart Howard Hesseman Deborah May Ari Meyers Millie Perkins
Composer	Garry Sherman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Sheldon Pinchuk
Producers	Gilbert Cates Anna Duke-Pearce
Cinematography	Mark Irwin
Editor	Lee Burch
Running time	97 minutes
Production companies	Call Me Anna Company Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions Gilbert Cates Productions Mianna Pearce Productions
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	November 11, 1990 (1990-11-11)

Call Me Anna is a 1990 American made-for-television biographical drama film directed by Gilbert Cates and written by John McGreevey. It is based on the 1988 book Call Me Anna by Patty Duke and Kenneth Turan. The film stars Patty Duke, Timothy Carhart, Howard Hesseman, Deborah May, Ari Meyers and Millie Perkins. The film premiered on ABC on November 11, 1990. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Plot

The film traces Duke’s rise to fame, beginning with her early years under the management of John and Ethel Ross, who changed her name from Anna Marie Duke to Patty Duke. It highlights her breakthrough role as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, for which she won an Academy Award at age 16. The narrative also explores her struggles with bipolar disorder, tumultuous personal relationships, and eventual advocacy for mental health awareness. - IMDb

Cast

• Patty Duke as Anna Marie Duke
  • Ari Meyers as Patty Duke (youth)
  • Jenny Robertson as Patty Duke (young adult)
• Arthur Taxier as John Astin
• Howard Hesseman as John Ross
• Deborah May as Ethel Ross
• Millie Perkins as Frances Duke
• Timothy Carhart as Harry Falk
• Matthew Perry as Desi Arnaz Jr.
• David Packer as Glenn Bell (pseudonym for Michael Tell)
• Karl Malden as Dr. Harold Arlen
• Woody Eney as Fred Coe
• Dana Gladstone as Fred Maxwell
• François Giroday as Bob McLaren
• Lora Staley as Anne Bancroft
• Ray Duke as John Patrick Duke
• Glenn Quinn as George Chakiris
• Cory Danziger as Sean Astin
  • Zachary Benjamin as Sean Astin (young)
• Ryan Francis as Mackie Astin
• Matthew Linville as Mackie Astin (young)
• Paige Gosney as Billy
• Seth Isler as Game Show Producer
• Nicholas Hormann as Game Show Host
• Richard Fancy as Contract Lawyer

Reception

The original airing of the film ranked 18th out of 93 shows airing the week of November 5-11, 1990. It earned a 15.9 rating and a 24 share, ranking second in its time slot ^[4] .

References

1. Ken Tucker (November 9, 1990). "Call Me Anna". EW.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
2. Howard Rosenberg (November 10, 1990). "TV Reviews : 'Call Me Anna' Depicts Duke's Turbulent Life". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
3. David Hiltbrand (November 12, 1990). "Picks and Pans Review: Call Me Anna". People.com. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
4. "Broadcasting" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. November 19, 1990. Retrieved October 10, 2025.

External links

• Call Me Anna at IMDb