Considering Oscar Again

Hal Elias may have been on the motion picture academy board of governors for 36 years (“Oscar Considerations,” Saturday Letters, Jan. 11), but he did not read my letter published in the Jan. 4 Calendar clearly and probably did not read Liz Smith’s Dec. 23 column at all or he would not have cried “Brava” to Smith and mischaracterized my comments.

He attributes to me an explanation of “what might motivate the board in its decisions,” as if I implied that someone’s health or age should be an issue in awarding a special Oscar. In fact, it was Smith who suggested that the academy honor Claudette Colbert because of her advancing age and indicated that since she was in superb shape this would all make us feel good. She indicated that it would be better to honor such people than subject us to the sadness of seeing someone like Myrna Loy, whose health had put her in a debilitated condition.

It was to that callous remark that I rhetorically asked if Smith felt this should be “the standard by which she suggests the governors of the academy must make their selection?” I agree that the academy must award these honors based on merit. Liz Smith urged the academy to add “clean bill of health” to the qualifications, not I.

MICHAEL RUSSNOW

West Hollywood