Letter to Loretta

This must rank as one of the greatest series in television history. Really there is nothing quite like it so far as I know, since I am not the best TV addict in the world. But offhand I don't know of any other series where one person acts a different part every week and did so for at least 8 years and the parts covered an extraordinary wide range of characters and emotions as well as genres, a few morphing into sci-fi territory, and some in comedy, soap opera, Western, etc. It's true after she suffered exhaustion Young did not star in every show, but still what we have is a remarkable achievement.

As I said, though not the ideal TV addict, offhand I can't think of a similar achievement. Sitcoms are NOT the same thing. An actor such as Marjorie Lord or Jane Wyatt would perform weekly too but the character was the same and the scripts required little emotion. Compare that with Young's often powerful explorations of different characters.

It's odd that, to my knowledge, Young's achievement in the series is no sufficiently acknowledged. Young also deserves credit for her tactical switch from the cinema to the TV screen where, instead of waiting months for a decent movie script to turn up she was able to perform in a miniature movie every week. In terms of glamour, she immortalized her beauty in literally thousands of glamour close-ups and sometimes even extreme close-ups. How man such close-ups does the average star get in a lifetime in movies?

The shows themselves were incredibly well written, some bordering on what today we would call "feminist" themes, especially "Incident in India" where Young plays a Muslim woman who outsmarts all the met in the village, but also where she plays an Egyptian queen, Nefertiti, always looking absolutely gorgeous but superbly acting as well, Kudos also the "Dear Midge" where Young showed she could do comedy with the best of them, as when she tries to use her eyes to seduce a man. In a few episodes she adopts a false nose and eyeglasses to make herself look unattractive.

To contextualize my praise, other series that I have admired are the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series, the Alfred Hitchcock Hour, the Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, The Outer Limits to name similar anthology series. But those were not one-man shows like Young's was a one-woman's show.

Besides their aesthetic quality, the series also had an epiphanic moral at the end, where one of the characters realizes that they had something to learn.

Often this epiphany can be just a little too pat, but that's the only criticism I can make. In one episode with John Newland it's hard to believe that a Hollywood director would rip up his contract just to be with his wife, even someone as lovely as Loretta Young.

I am so happy to have been able to "connect" with Loretta Young again. One of our Christian TV channels has been showing the episodes and it has brought back happy memories from my childhood. I so enjoy her commentaries before and after the shows. I recently purchased the 3 DVD set of "Letters to Loretta" and have really been enjoying them. Now that I understand there is a biography written by her daughter, I want to read that, too. I have tried to find out information on her gowns because they seemed so beautiful, as it would be fun to see what they looked like in color. I haven't had much luck. Perhaps the biography will contain pictures of some of them?

In 1953 Loretta Young left films and ventured to television.

Remember how she would come out on the screen in elegant gowns? She would thank John, the man who introduced her.

This television series was an anthology. Loretta tackled a different role each week. Most of the shows were dramas but Ms. Young had the ability to do comedy as well.

She really did some fine acting here. I vividly remember the show where she played a woman dying of a brain tumor. I'll never forget when she met the priest by the gate and said that she wasn't Catholic but was dying. How about the one where the principal of a school visits her home at the end of summer vacation. She is the typical spinster teacher here. The principal tells her of his archaeological adventures that summer. When she comes back from making him tea in the kitchen, she discovers him dead. The whole town engages in vicious gossip on what must have been going on between the 2. I'll also not forget when Walter Slezak appeared as Emil Kronstadt, a chemistry or physics teacher who told a child not to wear falsies. Still another memorable episode was where Loretta comforted her next door neighbor when the latter lost his wife in a hit and run accident.

The opening music to the show was marvelous as Loretta waltzed in. She gave us some wonderful memories!

I grew up too with my Mom and I watching Loretta on Sunday evenings. But perhaps I was too young to understand the plots. I just remember Moms intense focus for the show. Now I can surely understand all the awards this series won. What a treasure trove of stories recounting the values of the "real America" after the wars. We as a nation were so thankful for our successes maintaining our liberties and recounting the values that made us great.

I remember watching this show with my Mom when I was a little girl. Loretta Young was always a favorite of hers, and she taught me to love these classic movie stars too. I vividly recall her entrance, and the beautiful clothes. Okay, the episodes are campy by todays standards, but they are still a delight to see- Simple stories that entertain, how many times can you say that now about the garbage on TV? Loretta and some familiar character actors complete each wonderful episode. I just bought the 3 DVD set of the first season, and I have been enjoying reliving my childhood! If you get a chance buy the DVD set, you won't be sorry.