Back to Vietnam

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has generated more than its share of controversy and conflict. I’ve heard from those who wanted a more traditional memorial and from those who see the current design as an extraordinary tribute to the sacrifice and pain of the war (Letters, Oct. 31, and Commentary, Oct. 17).

Of all the pain and sorrow expressed by those who experienced the war and its toll on our society, none has come across quite so callous or insensitive as letter writer George M. Sayre Jr. of Riverside. What ultimately became clear is that Sayre remains part of the group who have not allowed the experience of the memorial to begin the healing process. It is a sad and tragic commentary that the simple, elegant sculpture of Maya Lin cannot bring to healing all those who would benefit most.

Sayre’s assertion that those who died in Vietnam were “unlucky or did not try or could not position themselves to survive the war” so denigrates the sacrifice paid by each and every dead soldier that it is hard to imagine that he was a soldier himself.

The question of whether the original memorial should have been left as the single symbol of the war’s memory is the least important issue at hand. We are the ultimate pluralistic culture; who among us is so certain of his position that another view cannot be tolerated or even embraced.

As one who has experienced the memorial both without the additional statues and with them, I can say that the original statement is not weakened.

The statues themselves do not heal, but the memorial has the power to permit the healing to begin. All it takes is the willingness to let the healing occur.

BILL WARKENTIN

Riverside

Trouble in Toon Town

Regarding “New Kings of TV’s Toon Town,” Daniel Cerone’s story on Nicktoons (Oct. 17):

As usual whenever there is an expose on the animation industry, the focus is on the one or two creative geniuses and how hip and creatively economical they are. But these people don’t draw these shows alone; behind them are dozens of overworked, underpaid young artists who receive few benefits and no residuals. Behind them are the Korean and Filipino factory workers who labor six-day workweeks for pitiful salaries, former American jobs gone overseas.

Part of the strategy of these little studios Nickelodeon uses is intense resistance to their artists organizing themselves or joining established artists unions. These studios concentrate on hiring naive young students and immigrants who have no idea of their value and work them long hours with no health coverage or pensions.

The young animators put up with it because they are living their dreams of being top Hollywood cartoonists. As soon as they realize how much they should be getting, they quit and go to work for real studios. But there are always more kids where they came from.

These folks look like wacky-cool guys, but pulling their strings are businessmen with the compassion of the Triangle Shirtwaist managers. I wish Nickelodeon respected artists as people trying to make a living, as much as it respects their talent.

TOM SITO

Woodland Hills

Sito is president of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists, Local 839, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes.

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I was stunned that Cerone would report that John Kricfalusi tried to sneak bits that Nickelodeon had rejected back into “The Ren and Stimpy Show.” That is a completely false statement.

Every joke that made you fall over with hideous, gut-wrenching laughter had to be fought for. Unfortunately, now there is no one at Games Productions willing to fight for your entertainment value. They’re too busy avoiding the unemployment line.

As for Bob Camp’s statement that Games is a more efficient studio than Spumco, let’s look at the facts. They still have two shows from last season’s “R&S;” that haven’t been finished. At least seven of the shows they are trying to produce for this season’s “R&S;” were written at Spumco last year. And still they have had to roll back their start date.

Camp says he pokes fun at John K. in “Stimpy’s Cartoon Show.” Well, Camp must be having memory lapses, since that episode was written by John K. and Elinor Blake with the intention of self-parody. After all, John is Ren. (At least he was until he was replaced by the zombie Ren.)

Camp and Jim Ballentine state that they have most of the artists and animators who were at Spumco. All of the key creative team--i.e., the writers and directors--are either still at Spumco or are working on other projects until Spumco starts production. The only writer-director who moved to Games was Bob Camp, and he took his screaming tirades and wall-kicking abilities with him. He will be missed.

VINCENT WALLER

Hollywood

Waller is a writer-director-cartoonist at Spumco who worked on the original “Ren and Stimpy.”

Hair Apparent

As a union makeup artist for more than 15 years, and awaiting the process of contract negotiations between producers and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, I read with great interest about the less-than-realistic look to the facial hair for “Gettysburg” (Film Clips, Oct. 17).

When I saw clips of this film and viewed the facial hair work on some of the actors, I knew it was done by inexperienced makeup artists, most likely a non-union crew. Unlike the producers of Hollywood’s glamour days, today’s producers want to cut costs when it comes to the below-the-line technicians and bristle when their cost-cutting shows up on screen.

Hair work (as beards and so forth are referred to in makeup terminology) is becoming a lost art among the newer crop of makeup artists. Some simply slap on a fake beard and think their work is as good as that of Jack Pierce (makeup creator of the original “Frankenstein”).

While “Gettysburg” may be a wonderful, engrossing picture, shooting it with inexperienced personnel solidifies the adage that you get what you pay for!

MICHAEL F. BLAKE

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists

Union, Local 706, IATSE, Studio City

Country Rote

Regarding “How This Cowgirl Beat the Blues,” by Robert Hilburn (Oct. 17):

One point Emmylou Harris made in her interview needs to be emphasized, as country radio playlists are indeed very narrow, keeping bolder artists off the air and limiting the musical diets of their listeners to tamer material that sometimes tends to be more pap than country.

I’ve yet to hear Joy White, Billy Joe Shaver, Iris DeMent, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely or, as Harris pointed out, Nanci Griffith on local country stations.

Country radio is dangerously close to becoming as trite and unimaginative as pop radio. I hope more artists like Harris will speak out about this threat to the vitality of country music.

JANA PENDRAGON

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Dear Disney:

Please pull the following from your movies:

* All hockey scenes from “The Mighty Ducks” (I tried it and lost a tooth).

* All bobsled scenes from “Cool Runnings” (I tried it and poked out an eye).

* All underwater scenes from “The Little Mermaid” (I tried it and drowned).

Thank you for taking responsibility for my actions.

PAUL SCHOWALTER

San Dimas