Defining Comedy

Harold T. Wright’s March 5 letter certainly seems to define comedy differently than I. Among his examples of Academy Awards given to actors in comedic roles he includes:

--William Holden for “Stalag 17,” one of the most gripping and saddest dramas ever filmed. A few tension-breaking scenes do not a comedy make.

--Ingrid Bergman for “Murder on the Orient Express,” a sophisticated murder mystery.

George Sanders for “All About Eve,” a dated but still painful story of conscienceless betrayal. Not comedy.

Barry Fitzgerald for “Going My Way.” Yeah, it’s always high comedy to watch a loveable curmudgeon learn to see other views and then die.

Edmund Gwenn in “Miracle on 34th Street,” a morality play that used Santa Claus to make a point, ahead of its time, about child neglect. Ho, ho, ho!

DIANE SILVER

Arleta