Special Sub-Topic: "The Miracle Worker " (1962 version) Click Here To Play: "The Miracle Worker " (1962 version)

"The Miracle Worker" was based on a play written by whom?

William Gibson. William Gibson wrote "The Miracle Worker" in 1959 and won a Tony for Best Play! The movie won two Oscars - one for Anne Bancroft as Best Actress and one for Patty Duke as Best Supporting Actress!

"The Miracle Worker" was about the childhood awakening of Helen Keller?

T. Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing as an infant due to "acute congestion of the stomach and the brain." Today, it is believed she may have had Scarlet Fever or meningitis. It wasn't until her teacher came to break that barrier of silence and darkness that she became aware of how to communicate with the world around her.

Who was Helen's beloved teacher?

Anne Sullivan. Anne Sullivan had just graduated from the Perkins Institute for the Blind. Teaching Helen was her first assignment. It was her fiery Irish spirit that finally broke through to Helen's mind. She would stay with Helen for the rest of her life. Laura Bridgman was another deaf/blind girl who attended the Perkins Institute for the blind. Polly Thomson joined Helen later in life as a companion as Ms. Sullivan began to get elderly. Kate Adams (Keller) was Helen's mother.

Kate Keller, Helen's mother, was played by which actress?

Inga Swenson. Inga Swenson played the young Kate Keller. Kate Adams Keller was the much younger second wife of Captain Arthur Keller, a former Confederate officer. Ms. Swenson went on to play Gretchen Kraus on "Benson". Peggy Burke played Helen at age 7 (unfortunately, the scenes were deleted). Kathleen Comegys played Aunt Ev. Bette Davis was not in "The Miracle Worker".

What was the first word Anne spelled into Helen's hand?

D O L L. Anne let Helen have the doll the other children from Perkins had given to Anne for her. Then she spelled the word into her hand slowly, letting Helen feel each letter.

What did Helen do with the doll Anne gave her?

Smashed Anne in the face, knocking out one of her teeth. Anne had taken the doll from her until Helen spelled the word correctly. Helen, obviously frustrated, cracked Anne across the face with the doll after getting it back. Talk about a temper! Helen did tip the cradle where her baby sister, Mildred, was, knocking her to the ground. She wanted to put her rag doll in the cradle, but this was well before Anne came to teach her.

Helen Keller was born in what town?

Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in June 27, 1880. Her family homestead was called "Ivy Green". She died in Connecticut in 1968 and it's her image that appears on the Alabama state quarter!

What was the first word Helen understood?

Water. Although Anne had mentioned earlier that she had only taught her "no" after working with her alone for two weeks, it was the word "water" that really broke the barrier to learning. Anne made Helen pump the water to refill the pitcher she had thrown on her. The water streamed over Helen's hand as Anne spelled into her other hand. In one of the most emotional moments of the entire film, you could see the light go on in Helen's head as she finally understood that "the thing has a name. And it's name is W-A-T-E-R!"

What did Helen do to Aunt Ev's dress?

Pulled a button off so her doll could have "eyes". Helen was upset because she knew she had eyes, even though they didn't work, but her doll didn't. She pulled the button from Aunt Ev's dress and banged it against her rag doll's face to tell her mother she wanted her doll to have eyes.

When Helen found out the name for her mother and her papa, she then made her way to Anne to ask for her name. What did Anne lovingly spell into her hand?

T E A C H E R. From that point until her death, Helen referred to Anne as "Teacher". Every time she wrote about her she capitalized the word. Helen and Teacher were inseparable until Anne's death in 1936.