It’s OK for Robin Williams to Grow

In response to Kenneth Turan’s review/lament of Robin Williams in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the supposition that Williams must stick to his “trademark anarchic verbal horseplay” for our benefit is preposterous (“A Kinder, Gentler Robin in ‘Doubtfire,’ ” Nov. 24). Certainly there are actors who, when they say, “I’m trying to stretch,” you want to cringe and slide under the table in sheer embarrassment for them, but Williams is not one of these. I’d be willing to bet that if he did stay with the same type of material he was doing on “Mork and Mindy,” his star would long since have waned.

My grandfather, who was a radio personality in the ‘40s, gave me a valuable piece of advice when I was 5 and telling the same joke over and over at the family Christmas party. He pulled me aside and said, “Honey, you’re funny, but you’re milking your jokes. Never milk your jokes. The audience gets bored.”

So give the guy a break. He’s not milking the same old material, and, whether you perceive it or not, the man’s trying to grow. His family is obviously important to him, and that’s the type of material he’s putting on for size right now. No shtick, no matter how well received, can go on forever.

CLAUDIA O’KEEFE

Sherman Oaks

Kenneth Turan said not one word about Sally Field’s acting in his review of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” even though she’s a two-time Oscar winner for best actress.

Some of us think her appearance in a movie is worth a “good, bad or indifferent” comment from a professional.

BRENDA LOREE

Ventura