Hume Cronyn

The response to Hume Cronyn in "Hadrian VII" at the Ahmanson in the early '70s was as thrilling for me as his superb performance (obituary, June 17). The entire audience arose as one in thunderous ovation. That day was, hands-down, the highlight of my long theatrical life. Anne Hess Monterey Park

Jessica Tandy and her second husband Hume Cronyn starred together on stage, film and TV. But who was Tandy's first husband?" Jack Hawkins

Sunday "Live From the Lincoln Center" / 2 p.m. KCET Weary from all that Christmas shopping? KCET gives you the chance to unwind for three hours as Lincoln Center presents the Juilliard Opera Center's production of "Hansel und Gretel," with sets and costumes designed by illustrator Maurice Sendak. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Marquette and soprano Sari Gruber sing the title roles of this telecast, based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. **** "Alone" / 8 p.m.

The response to Hume Cronyn in "Hadrian VII" at the Ahmanson in the early '70s was as thrilling for me as his superb performance (obituary, June 17). The entire audience arose as one in thunderous ovation. That day was, hands-down, the highlight of my long theatrical life. Anne Hess Monterey Park

Hume Cronyn, the short, wiry actor with a drive for perfectionism who over a seven-decade career turned out memorable stage and screen portrayals of ordinary, often cantankerous characters, died of prostate cancer Sunday at his home in Fairfield, Conn. He was 91. Also a noted writer and director, he was perhaps most beloved as half of what had been an extraordinary acting team: His frequent collaborator in the theater and movies was Jessica Tandy, his wife of 52 years, who died in 1994.

Wow! HBO tonight gives us the performance of the season in the story of the season. Hume Cronyn and "Age-Old Friends' are that outstanding. The 8 p.m. drama pairs Cronyn and Vincent Gardenia as residents of a home for the relatively affluent elderly, where "slowing up" is a euphemism for that greatest of scourges, mental decay. For John Cooper (Cronyn) and Michael Aylott (Gardenia), youth is ancient history and the fountain of age is now drying up as well, leaving them terrified.

Old pros Ted Danson of "Cheers" and Peter Falk of "Columbo" won top series acting honors Sunday at the 42nd annual Emmy Awards, but the cult soap opera "Twin Peaks"--the leader in nominations--was shut out in the prime time television broadcast. Another veteran, Hume Cronyn, was chosen best actor in a miniseries or special for his role as a resident of a retirement home in the HBO drama "Age-Old Friends."

The East was made for spring, and it is a supremely glorious spring day in Connecticut, almost cloudless, briskly breezy. The four dogwood trees along the drive--pink, white, pink, white--are in bud. In a week, Hume Cronyn says, taking a visitor for a stroll around the grounds, "they'll be magnificent." Forsythia are blooming along a stone wall behind the house, a two-story Dutch Colonial, and there are clusters of daffodils here and there. Workers are mulching the flower beds.

Jessica Tandy and her second husband Hume Cronyn starred together on stage, film and TV. But who was Tandy's first husband?" Jack Hawkins

In my humble opinion, Hallmark and CBS gave us the finest play of this or any other year. "Foxfire" had superb casting, direction and photography. Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn are actors par excellence. Mrs. Marjorie Kastel, Laguna Hills

Hume Cronyn, the short, wiry actor with a drive for perfectionism who over a seven-decade career turned out memorable stage and screen portrayals of ordinary, often cantankerous characters, died of prostate cancer Sunday at his home in Fairfield, Conn. He was 91. Also a noted writer and director, he was perhaps most beloved as half of what had been an extraordinary acting team: His frequent collaborator in the theater and movies was Jessica Tandy, his wife of 52 years, who died in 1994.

Santa Claus takes two weeks off to recharge his batteries in Showtime's "Off Season," the first feature directed by actor Bruce Davison, who cast 90-year-old Hume Cronyn opposite 11-year-old Rory Culkin. In TV Times. Also, see review, F22.

Sunday "Live From the Lincoln Center" / 2 p.m. KCET Weary from all that Christmas shopping? KCET gives you the chance to unwind for three hours as Lincoln Center presents the Juilliard Opera Center's production of "Hansel und Gretel," with sets and costumes designed by illustrator Maurice Sendak. Mezzo-soprano Jennifer Marquette and soprano Sari Gruber sing the title roles of this telecast, based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. **** "Alone" / 8 p.m.

The East was made for spring, and it is a supremely glorious spring day in Connecticut, almost cloudless, briskly breezy. The four dogwood trees along the drive--pink, white, pink, white--are in bud. In a week, Hume Cronyn says, taking a visitor for a stroll around the grounds, "they'll be magnificent." Forsythia are blooming along a stone wall behind the house, a two-story Dutch Colonial, and there are clusters of daffodils here and there. Workers are mulching the flower beds.

A TERRIBLE LIAR by Hume Cronyn (William Morrow: $23; 448 pp.) It's an awe-inspiring revelation, but true: With a slight allowance for relative years devoted to craft, Hume Cronyn is as adept on the printed page as he is on stage or screen. This memoir, written, he explains, at the incessant urging of writer Susan Cooper, is an articulate, insightful account of his journey from a privileged Canadian boyhood up to 1966.

TV Togetherness: Young Fred Savage of "The Wonder Years" and veteran Hume Cronyn will work together in a CBS holiday movie titled "Christmas on Division Street," about a friendship between an upper-class suburban youth and an elderly homeless man. . . . Art Garfunkel and Marvin Hamlisch, working together for the first time, will record the theme song for "Brooklyn Bridge," the new CBS series bowing Sept. 20.

Santa Claus takes two weeks off to recharge his batteries in Showtime's "Off Season," the first feature directed by actor Bruce Davison, who cast 90-year-old Hume Cronyn opposite 11-year-old Rory Culkin. In TV Times. Also, see review, F22.

TV Togetherness: Young Fred Savage of "The Wonder Years" and veteran Hume Cronyn will work together in a CBS holiday movie titled "Christmas on Division Street," about a friendship between an upper-class suburban youth and an elderly homeless man. . . . Art Garfunkel and Marvin Hamlisch, working together for the first time, will record the theme song for "Brooklyn Bridge," the new CBS series bowing Sept. 20.

Ovations, please, for Robert Fryer, Betty Garrett, Gregory Harrison, the James Irvine Foundation, C. Bernard Jackson, Neil Simon and America's reigning theatrical couple--Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. They'll receive Theatre LA's second annual Ovation Awards on March 4 at the Pasadena Playhouse in a benefit for the Actors' Fund of America. Kudos may also be due the organizers of this year's awards for paring the number of winners down from last year's 15.

Old pros Ted Danson of "Cheers" and Peter Falk of "Columbo" won top series acting honors Sunday at the 42nd annual Emmy Awards, but the cult soap opera "Twin Peaks"--the leader in nominations--was shut out in the prime time television broadcast. Another veteran, Hume Cronyn, was chosen best actor in a miniseries or special for his role as a resident of a retirement home in the HBO drama "Age-Old Friends."