Sylvia Sidney

Edward Steichen's career was a play in three acts. Act 1, The Artiste, lasted until World War I; Act 2, The Professional, was between the wars; and Act 3, The Curator, came after World War II. The second act was the most creative because commerce was best suited to his temperament. "When I first became interested in photography . . . my idea was to have it recognized as one of the fine arts," he once said. "Today I don't give a hoot in hell about that."

The photograph of Sylvia Sidney by Edward Steichen knocked me off my chair ("Sylvia Sidney, Hollywood," Photo Synthesis, by Colin Westerbeck, Jan. 7). It is easy to see why cinematographer John Bailey chose this as a favorite. Ms. Sidney is pretty, but there is so much more to this picture. I have never been struck this hard by a photo and I don't know why. Richard Tomkiel El Cajon

Sylvia Sidney, recuperating at home from double pneumonia, still plans to attend a New York ceremony that will honor her with a lifetime achievement award. The 79-year-old actress, who was released from Danbury Hospital on Monday, is scheduled to appear at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday for NBC's "Night of 100 Stars," where she will be honored along with Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Liv Ullmann, Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Edward Steichen's career was a play in three acts. Act 1, The Artiste, lasted until World War I; Act 2, The Professional, was between the wars; and Act 3, The Curator, came after World War II. The second act was the most creative because commerce was best suited to his temperament. "When I first became interested in photography . . . my idea was to have it recognized as one of the fine arts," he once said. "Today I don't give a hoot in hell about that."

Sylvia Sidney, a durable character actress for seven decades who in her mid-80s appeared in the 1996 hit film "Mars Attacks!" died Thursday in New York. Sidney died at Lennox Hill Hospital of throat cancer, said her Los Angeles agent, Ro Diamond. She was 88. Over the last decade, Sidney continued to perform despite illness and injuries, including a broken hip, pneumonia and injuries from a car accident. She appeared in a new version of "Fantasy Island" that ran briefly on ABC TV last year.

Barking. Dogs are barking. Two black pugs. "Petey! Malcolm!" their owner, Sylvia Sidney, calls out. "Quiet! You be quiet in there!" The barking, heard from the bedroom of her hotel suite, quickly fades. Animals hardly intimidate an actress who faced down football players in "Beetlejuice." Sidney is 80 years old, a tiny woman built to last. Last spring, she caught pneumonia and was hospitalized for several weeks, but she gets around quite well now, not needing a cane.

SYLVIA SIDNEY AILING: Screen star of yesteryear Sylvia Sidney, 79, is in intensive care in serious condition in a Connecticut hospital, according to doctors. Her nephew, Dr. Albert Sabin, who found a vaccine for polio, has been at her bedside. Sidney, star of countless films and co-star to such stars as James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, has been in the hospital since last Sunday suffering from pneumonia.

Sylvia Sidney, one of the grand dames of the cinema, has no intention of retiring. "As long as I have got a brain and I can remember the lines and they pay me well, I will do it," quipped the 82-year-old actress in a recent interview over the phone from her home in Danbury, Conn. The diminutive but feisty Sidney's latest film is the acclaimed comedy-drama, "Used People."

The photograph of Sylvia Sidney by Edward Steichen knocked me off my chair ("Sylvia Sidney, Hollywood," Photo Synthesis, by Colin Westerbeck, Jan. 7). It is easy to see why cinematographer John Bailey chose this as a favorite. Ms. Sidney is pretty, but there is so much more to this picture. I have never been struck this hard by a photo and I don't know why. Richard Tomkiel El Cajon

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy Foundation will join with the Film Society of Lincoln Center in a special observance in New York next Monday of the 50th anniversary of the making of "Dead End." The classic 1937 Samuel Goldwyn production starred Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, Humphrey Bogart and Claire Trevor. Some of the stars are expected to participate in the program.

"The Late, Great Sylvia Sidney," honors the veteran actress, who died July 1, shortly before her 89th birthday. Sidney had one of the longest screen careers of any major actress, from 1929 to Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!" in 1996. LACMA will screen four of her films from the '30s, the decade in which she shined brightest, most notably as a defiant Depression era waif. Screening Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Sylvia Sidney, a durable character actress for seven decades who in her mid-80s appeared in the 1996 hit film "Mars Attacks!" died Thursday in New York. Sidney died at Lennox Hill Hospital of throat cancer, said her Los Angeles agent, Ro Diamond. She was 88. Over the last decade, Sidney continued to perform despite illness and injuries, including a broken hip, pneumonia and injuries from a car accident. She appeared in a new version of "Fantasy Island" that ran briefly on ABC TV last year.

Sylvia Sidney, one of the grand dames of the cinema, has no intention of retiring. "As long as I have got a brain and I can remember the lines and they pay me well, I will do it," quipped the 82-year-old actress in a recent interview over the phone from her home in Danbury, Conn. The diminutive but feisty Sidney's latest film is the acclaimed comedy-drama, "Used People."

Barking. Dogs are barking. Two black pugs. "Petey! Malcolm!" their owner, Sylvia Sidney, calls out. "Quiet! You be quiet in there!" The barking, heard from the bedroom of her hotel suite, quickly fades. Animals hardly intimidate an actress who faced down football players in "Beetlejuice." Sidney is 80 years old, a tiny woman built to last. Last spring, she caught pneumonia and was hospitalized for several weeks, but she gets around quite well now, not needing a cane.

Sylvia Sidney, recuperating at home from double pneumonia, still plans to attend a New York ceremony that will honor her with a lifetime achievement award. The 79-year-old actress, who was released from Danbury Hospital on Monday, is scheduled to appear at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday for NBC's "Night of 100 Stars," where she will be honored along with Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Liv Ullmann, Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

SYLVIA SIDNEY AILING: Screen star of yesteryear Sylvia Sidney, 79, is in intensive care in serious condition in a Connecticut hospital, according to doctors. Her nephew, Dr. Albert Sabin, who found a vaccine for polio, has been at her bedside. Sidney, star of countless films and co-star to such stars as James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, has been in the hospital since last Sunday suffering from pneumonia.

"Finnegan Begin Again" (debuting on HBO Sunday at 8 p.m.) is a real winner about two people who are starting to think of themselves as losers.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy Foundation will join with the Film Society of Lincoln Center in a special observance in New York next Monday of the 50th anniversary of the making of "Dead End." The classic 1937 Samuel Goldwyn production starred Joel McCrea, Sylvia Sidney, Humphrey Bogart and Claire Trevor. Some of the stars are expected to participate in the program.