Spielberg’s Gift

Re “Spielberg’s Present to Tinseltown: Gable’s Oscar,” Dec. 18:

What a spectacular act of charity is the gift of Steven Spielberg to the Motion Picture Academy. Not only reflecting the holiday spirit, which it does, but the act of one person to contribute to the artistic well-being of Hollywood is exemplary. Spielberg and David Geffen have proven themselves not only local benefactors but visionaries in their devotion to the causes of art. DreamWorks is indeed a fitting title for their efforts.

Call this a “rave review,” but I think it is well-deserved.

R.A. LEE

Los Angeles

* What am I missing? I read that Spielberg buys Clark Gable’s Oscar and members of the academy “could hardly believe their good fortune.” The gift seemed “larger than life” and members were “thunderstruck.”

While indeed a nice gesture for memorabilia buffs, did Spielberg rediscover penicillin? A cure for AIDS? It goes on to say that the hunk of metal needed a sanctuary and needed to be protected from exploitation! Is the thing alive?

Michael Ovitz walks away with a $90-million severance package for what appears to be substandard performance. Yeah, you get letters (Dec. 18)from people whining about it, but they still can’t wait to go out and pay 8 bucks or whatever for entertainment that is mostly special effects and remakes.

The Hollywood community is one of the most overpaid and self-congratulatory arenas or our society and it is sickening. The hostage situation in Peru took second banana on the news on Dec. 19 over the Golden Globe nominations. How skewed and morally offensive.

I have been in a movie theater only twice in six years and don’t feel like I have missed a thing. ‘Tis the season.

MARGIE JO SCOTT

Santa Clarita

* Don’t you just love happy endings? Thanks, Steven Spielberg, for caring enough about Hollywood history to preserve it!

FRANCES TERRELL LIPPMAN