MM & M

Robert Hilburn’s comparison of Madonna to Marilyn Monroe (Record Rack, July 6) cannot help but be recognized as unoriginal (see Esquire, March, 1986), totally ludicrous and irritating to those of us who are Marilyn fans.

Arguments in favor of my view:

1--Madonna, who has been in the public eye for less than four years, hardly qualifies as a “survivor” by show-business standards.

2--Marilyn was a truly beautiful woman, while Madonna would be hard-pressed to win a beauty contest anywhere in the world, save the Soviet Union, perhaps.

3--Marilyn had a sensitivity in her art (talent) and an instinct for both comedy and drama, while Madonna displays marginal talent in the areas of singing, acting and showwomanship, and virtually no sensitivity.

4--While Sean Penn is a tremendously gifted actor, he is hardly on a par with Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller or John F. Kennedy.

KATHLEEN ROGERS

Hollywood