Bob Baker

I write in response to "Hanging by a Thread" (Oct. 1), a story that pulled up soul-filled memories. Thirty-some years ago my children and I, as a part of the Tustin Community Co-op preschool, were treated to a traveling Bob Baker marionette performance. The sheer beauty of that production never faded. Twenty-five years later I gathered my first three grandchildren and their mother for a drive to the little theater tucked under a mid-L.A. freeway to again be rewarded with a whirlwind celebration of art. Last summer it was another grandchild trip, this time with a 5-year-old birthday girl and her mother, who recalled the same magic she'd felt at that same age. The art and imagination that this live, interpersonal treasure bring to children must find support.

I am writing to beg for mercy from Bob Baker (Editorial Pages, Sept. 22) and his terrorist gang, "DEADS (Drive to Eliminate All Dilettante Springsteenites)." Being called a "trendy leech" is painful, and so is flunking all the questions on Baker's quiz. I am 54 years old, and confess to reading George F. Will's columns, although mostly for laughs. But I love "Nebraska" and have tickets for one of the concerts. Here is my plea: I am from New Jersey, and I've had to hide this sordid secret until Bruce Springsteen gave me a reason to be proud.

Master animator and puppeteer Bob Baker this week helped launch a new series at the North Hollywood Library celebrating the television industry. As part of the library's "50th Anniversary of the Emmy Awards Celebration," Baker, who has been a puppeteer and worked on numerous animation projects for more than 60 years, lectured Thursday night on creating animated productions. "Basically, anything that can be moved by man is animation of some sort," Baker said.

8am Hike Docents will lead a family-oriented nature hike through Burbank's Wildwood Park. Hikers should bring water and wear appropriate shoes with good tread. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are warned against using strollers on the approximately 90-minute trek. Rain cancels. * Nature's Gifts Hike, meets at the kiosk entrance to Wildwood Park, off of Harvard Road above Sunset Canyon Drive, Burbank. 8 a.m. Free. (818) 238-5378.

Bob Baker's complaint that Mexico's refusal to extradite suspects who face the death penalty is an "infringement on U.S. sovereignty" is just patent nonsense ("Mexico Butts Into U.S. Justice," Commentary, Feb. 11). It may be a violation of treaties between our nations, but it has nothing to do with sovereignty. I would ask Baker to imagine the American response if Nigeria asked us to extradite a Nigerian woman who faced death by stoning for adultery, or if China wanted the return of a dissident who would be tortured and killed.

At least three major puzzles await audiences of "The Last Good Moment of Lilly Baker," playing at the Gaslamp Quarter Theatre's original theater through Dec. 19. The first puzzle lies in the title itself--just what is the last good moment of Lilly Baker and why does that cut it as the name of the play? No answers here. The last is the ending--as in, come on guys, where is it? The play doesn't so much conclude as peter out.

The 27-year-old Bob Baker Marionette Theatre has a spiffy new look. The chandeliers and plush curtains are brighter, new carpeting gives the puppeteers surer footing, there's now raised seating for adults, the walls are freshly painted and the snack area is bigger. There's even a "new" show. Instead of one of several tried-and-true seasonal programs with quaint, scratchy soundtracks, this year's "The Snow Queen," loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen classic, has been redone.

Bob Baker Marionettes will give a free family show at Franklin Canyon Park's Rosenfeld Auditorium in Beverly Hills on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Reservations: (310) 858-3090.

Inside an industrial white building just west of downtown is a place where roosters serenade chickens, hats become ice skaters and cactuses dance toe to toe. Here at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, children sit enchanted by the world of puppets. "There's nothing else like it. I can't imagine what my life would be without it, nor what Los Angeles would be without it," said Alex Evans, a puppeteer and stage manager at the theater. The landmarkat 1st Street and Glendale Boulevard has been entertaining audiences for 52 years.