Letters: May 10, 1963

(2 of 3)

>TIME'S ears are sharp but not pointed. We heard the statement as we reported it.—ED.

Sir:

In reference to your citation that "only four actors have played Prince Hamlet more than 100 times in a single production" (Irving, Tree, Gielgud and Burton), your reporter must have meant only in London.

Edwin Booth, of course, acted the first 100 in 1864-65 in New York; Irving doubled this in 1874 in London for the record. Tree performed more than 100 at the Haymarket in 1892. John Barrymore ran 101 performances in 1922-23 (to purposely top Booth). Gielgud's London run in 1934 ran 155 performances, and he then was seen in the role in 1936 in New York and ran 132 performances. Maurice Evans almost equaled the latter run in 1945-46.

SCRANTON MOUTON

Department of Speech

Loyola University

New Orleans

Sir:

Poor, forgotten John E. Kellerd stretched his skein to 102 performances in 1912.

ERLING E. KILDAHL

West Lafayette, Ind.

Sir:

In 1961, at the Phoenix Theater in New York, Donald Madden's Hamlet achieved a record American-actor's run of 102 performances (some believe the figure to be 109). Mr. Madden was also the youngest American actor (27) to be in a major production of Hamlet.

LESLIE SPATT

Baldwin, N.Y.

Cuba

Sir:

As long as Cuba refrains from becoming an offensive state and does not attempt to invade other Latin American nations, its form of government is strictly an affair of the Cuban people in Cuba, and we should not be swayed by any hotheaded Cubans in this country who want to dictate our Cuban policy [April 26].

SAMUEL H. KOSMENSKY

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Sir:

There is a more positive way than war to end the threat to our security presented by Castro and Communism in Cuba. That is to help Latin America achieve the reforms it so desperately needs. The Alliance for Progress is a step in the right direction; it may not provide the ultimate solution, but it is a lot better than war.

IRA W. LIEBERMAN

Mexico City

Paris Press

Sir:

Reference is made April 26 to the alleged fact "that the proud masthead of first-ranked France Soir—the only French daily selling over 1,000,000—may not always be true."

May I inform you that the official audit bureau of the French press published on April 8, 1963 the following average figures for France Soir for the year 1962: circulation 1,280,662; sales 1,047,082.

The last reports we have for the first four months of 1963 show an upward trend as compared with the 1962 figures.

PIERRE LAZAREFF

General Director

France Soir

Paris

Aldermaston Men

Sir:

It was no pleasure to be quoted in justification of your nasty little report on the last Aldermaston March [April 26]. It is true that I have been involved with C.N.D. since its inception. It is equally true that I remain so. It is because of my continuing belief in what C.N.D. stands for that I deplore the aberrations that provide opportunities for publications like TIME to emphasize the fringe and ignore the basic meaning.