Time Does Not Wait

The Michael Russnow-Hal Elias correspondence about the honorary Oscar selections (Saturday Letters, Jan. 4, 11, 18) begins to open up the cumbersome process by which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences grants its honorary awards.

In my mind and as an academy member, the honorary Oscar is best served by acknowledging those artists who have been bypassed due to the vagaries of the regular awards procedure.

In recent years, the academy has been shameful in not acknowledging the remaining great stars who made us love the movies, and the ill-conceived stagings of the Mary Pickford and Myrna Loy bestowals will most certainly make a potential honoree’s current appearance a top selection factor.

Liz Smith (“Why No Oscar for Colbert?,” Dec. 23) in essence was advocating the inclusion of merited “great star” glamour in the awards.

Academy bylaws state that to present more than one honorary award in a year, a two-thirds vote is required by the board of governors. Honorary Oscars are not necessarily annual and cannot be given posthumously.

We regretfully have few major talents left from the Golden Age of the 1930s. This year, the academy will award an honorary Oscar to Satyajit Ray. Some generosity of spirit from two-thirds of the board of governors could easily produce a second or third honorary award.

Time does not wait. In the last two years, screen greats Irene Dunne, Joel McCrea, Jean Arthur and Fred MacMurray reached celluloid heaven without their long-overdue Oscars. That is a disgrace.

MIKE KAPLAN, President

Circle Assoc. Ltd. / Lagoon Video

Santa Monica