OSCAR LETTERS

I was quite disturbed by the numerous potshots that were taken by various actors and actresses during the Academy Awards regarding the nomination of “Beauty and the Beast” for best picture. Their remarks attacked the fact that there were no “flesh-and-blood actors.”

It is quite arrogant to discount the acting done in “Beauty and the Beast” by the talented people who provided the voices. Would these people say that Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre’s radio performance of “War of the Worlds” was not acting because their physical bodies could not be seen?

As for Shirley MacLaine and Liza Minnelli, who talked about musicals for “live actors,” perhaps they should put up their own money and produce one. If they were really thinking, they might realize that they owe Disney and its animated characters a thank you. “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty” have proven that there actually is a market for a well-produced and well-written musical film. KERI F. DEARBORN

Van Nuys