The final Emmys snub
Regarding “The Emmys” [Sept. 19]: The omission of my father, Pat Harrington Jr., from this year’s “In Memoriam” piece at the Emmy Awards was a complete outrage. Since his passing on Jan. 6, the family had been looking forward to seeing his body of work, legacy and iconic character, Dwayne Schneider from the hit sitcom “One Day at a Time” (for which he actually won an Emmy), honored. It was truly appalling that they did not include him in the on-air segment. Typically, an Emmy is given for an outstanding acting performance in an actual television role. And when an actor/actress who won an award dies, they should be given the respect they deserve by being honored by the institution that bestowed that accolade. Tresa Harrington Los Angeles
The Emmys, Oscars and Tonys all pay tribute to their own who have died since the last awards ceremony. This year, the Emmys noted the departed from September 2015 through last week. Musicians Prince and David Bowie (who both starred in a few movies but no TV shows) and Glenn Frey (a regular actor on “Wiseguy” for one season in 1989) were shown. Consider the number of respected TV Academy members that were missed. I see this as pretty shameless pandering.
Omitted from the tribute: September 2015: Dean Jones, 84, “Ensign O’Toole”; Judy Carne, 76, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”; Martin Milner, 83, “Adam-12”; Yogi Berra, 90; Pat Woodell, 71, “Petticoat Junction.” October 2015: Kevin Corcoran, 66, “Disney’s Wonderful World of Color”; Ralph Andrews, 87, game show producer; John Backe, 83, former chief executive of CBS; Charles Herbert, 66, “Wagon Train.” November 2015: Nathaniel Marston, 40, “One Life to Live”; David Canary, 77, “Bonanza.” December 2015: Howard West, 84, producer of “Seinfeld”; Beth Howland, 74, “Alice.”
January 2016: Pat Harrington Jr., 86, “One Day at a Time” (first TV appearance in 1949). Mike Minor, 75, “Petticoat Junction.”
February 2016: Burt Nodella, 91, Emmy-winning producer-writer of “Get Smart.” March 2016: Robert Horton, 91, “Wagon Train”; Peter Brown, 80, “Lawman”; Richard Bradford, 81, “Man in a Suitcase; ” Joe Garagiola Sr. 90, Major League Baseball on NBC; James Noble, 94, “Benson.” May 2016: Burt Kwouk, 85, “Last of the Summer Wine.” June 2016: Ronnie Claire Edwards, 83, “The Waltons.” August 2016: Sagan Lewis, 63, “St. Elsewhere”; Marvin Kaplan, 89, “Alice.”
At least they noted the deaths of lifelong favorites Noel Neill (Lois Lane) and Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen) from the ’50s classic “Adventures of Superman.” Steve Smith Azusa
Regarding “The Emmys” [Sept. 19], I was one of the courtroom artists covering both the criminal and civil trials of O.J. Simpson. I was privileged to see the emotional, heartfelt lawyering by prosecutor Marcia Clark, and I find it incredibly ironic that two decades later, Sarah Paulson won an Emmy for her “performance” as Clark in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” using dialogue that was taken from the televised trial. Mona Shafer Edwards Los Angeles
While I am the first to make or laugh at a joke, I was appalled at Jimmy Kimmel’s lack of thought regarding one bit during his Emmy hosting gig (I adore him, usually). When doling out his sandwiches, he made a joke about “gluten and gluten free” and another about peanut allergies. However, there is nothing funny about gluten allergies and the diseases affected by it, nor are the sufferers “annoying.” The same with peanut allergies. Say you’re sorry, Jimmy, and use your celebrity not to mock but to educate. Ellen Chris West Hills