The 9 May 1961 LAT announced that child actress Patty Duke would leave the Broadway cast of The Miracle Worker to reprise her role in the screen version. Principal photography began 30 May 1961, according to 2 Jun 1961 DV production charts.
       The 11 Jun 1961 NYT revealed that Duke’s co-star, Anne Bancroft, researched her role by studying the “manual alphabet,” living in a state of simulated blindness, and observing disabled children. Duke was already considered expert at portraying deaf, sightless Helen Keller following nineteen months in the stage production and a 1957 television version. Arthur Penn, who directed both previous versions as well as the film, intended to compress the action for the screen, rather than expand it. Interior scenes were filmed at the West Twenty-sixth Street Production Center in New York City, currently known as Chelsea Studios. Exteriors were filmed at two unidentified New Jersey locations. Production was expected to last seven weeks. A news item in the 28 Aug 1962 LAT noted that the replica nineteenth-century “Bisque” doll, which Patty Duke used as a weapon throughout the picture, was made of soft plastic so as not to injure Anne Bancroft.
       The 16 May 1962 LAT and 20 May 1962 NYT stated that Penn spent a total of ten months preparing and filming the picture, and another ten months editing. The 3 May 1962 LAT noted that a stage production opened at the Players Ring Gallery in Los Angeles, CA, weeks before the picture debuted. According to the 25 Mar 1962 NYT and 16 Apr 1962 LAT, the film premiered 8 May 1962 at the Sutton Theatre in New York City, with proceeds benefitting Research to Prevent Blindness and the American Foundation for the Blind. The event, sponsored by several entertainment industry notables, included a tribute to Helen Keller. Bancroft and Duke attended a pre-release screening at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, on 9 May 1962, as reported in that day’s DV. The 14 May 1962 DV announced a 15 May 1962 preview at the Academy Awards Theatre, with veteran actress Barbara Stanwyck joining the audience.
       The Miracle Worker opened 23 May 1962 in New York City and Los Angeles to positive reviews. The film garnered five Academy Award nominations, including Director, Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium), and Costume Design (Black-and-White). Bancroft, nominated for Actress, and Duke nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role, won in their respective categories. Duke also received a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer—Female, while Bancroft was named Best Foreign Actress by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). In addition, the picture was an official U.S. entry at the 1963 San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, and listed among the ten best English-language films of 1962 by the National Board of Review. Bancroft was declared Best Actress in both instances. William Gibson’s screenplay was listed among the year’s best dramas by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and producer Fred Coe was similarly honored by the Producers Guild of America (PGA).
       The 10 Feb 1963 LAT reported the opening of Helen Keller Park on 16 Feb 1963 in Gardena, CA. The Miracle Worker screened at the park throughout the day.