Elia Kazan

Re “Many Refuse to Clap as Kazan Receives Oscar,” March 22:

When Elia Kazan received an honorary award at the Oscars Sunday night, several people sat on their hands, so to speak, in solidarity with Josef Stalin, who killed 50 million of his own people and who engineered the enslavement of a quarter-billion Chinese to communist tyranny. I think Kazan has much to be proud of--that he helped shine the light of truth on that enormity, as well as of the beautiful films he made.

MICHAEL MacINTIRE

Glendale

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I can appreciate the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wanting to recognize Kazan’s rare genius as one of the truly great stage and film directors of all time. This is not to ignore the fact that what Kazan did before the House Un-American Activities Committee nearly 50 years ago to many of his friends and colleagues--none of whom were criminals or traitors--was unconscionable. Kazan’s failure to show contrition is far more a sad reflection on Kazan’s character than on the academy’s action.

HAROLD N. BASS

Northridge

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Best line of the night had to be: “Do you want me to say anything more?” said by the Informer. Who sez irony ain’t what it used to be?

HANK ROSENFELD

Santa Monica

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Kazan was unquestionably one of the greatest film directors we have had. He was also a patriotic American, evidenced by recognizing the ultimate threat of communism to our national survival. He turned in the names of many. Now these communists, their descendants and fellow travelers are trying to make him the bad guy. That is chutzpah!

ROBERT MILLER

Huntington Beach

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Some folks are saying Kazan should apologize for naming names to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. I don’t think so--Kazan did what the law required him to do. If there is any apologizing to be done it should come from the House of Representatives for violating the Constitution. But it is, of course, a little late for that.

LARS HEDMAN

West Hollywood

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Now that the academy has given filmdom’s Linda Tripp an Oscar, conservatives should stop whining about how different Hollywood’s values are from their own.

DAVID S. MOSKOWITZ

Venice

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Re the March 19 letter from Alan Ormsby, who claims we would not have had such films as “On the Waterfront,” “Splendor in the Grass” and “East of Eden,” among others, had it not been for Kazan, I must point out the obvious: Kazan did not write those films. The creator is the writer. The director is hired to direct. The film is made and paid for by the producers and the studios.

Would “On the Waterfront,” written by Budd Schulberg, “Splendor in the Grass,” authored by William Inge, and “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck not have been made had Kazan not been hired to direct them? You decide.

VIRGINIA DONOHUE

Los Angeles

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In response to the Kazan lifetime achievement award: God bless Ronald Reagan! God bless Elia Kazan! God bless America!

TOM KNOPKE

Fullerton