At the Movies II

Frank Capra’s “psychological illness” may well have been an inability to give credit where credit was due, a malady that apparently infected writer Jane Galbraith in her coverage of “Broadway Bill” (Film Clips, April 19).

The director’s “lost classic” was made from yet another Robert Riskin screenplay. Remember Riskin? He wrote the film scripts for “Lady for a Day,” “It Happened One Night,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “Lost Horizon,” “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Meet John Doe,” among other “Capra” classics.

However, lest you think Writers Guild members do nothing but complain about Calendar’s coverage of writers, kudos to Peter Rainer for his coverage of Michael Tolkin and Robert Altman’s “The Player” in the same issue, Galbraith’s coverage of Pat Proft’s script for “Brain Donors” and her story on director Ron Shelton, who also wrote “White Men Can’t Jump.” I wonder which task Shelton performed first?

RICHARD BEBAN

Los Angeles