Saluting Mrs. Pynchon

In Howard Rosenberg’s column about the wonderful Nancy Marchand, he intimates that the four Emmys Nan won for playing Mrs. Pynchon on “Lou Grant” somehow didn’t measure up to her work as Livia on “The Sopranos” (“Excellence, From ‘Marty’ to the Mafia,” June 21).

In his words, “TV drama was not nearly as good as it is today, and meaty roles for women were rare.” This sort of denigrates the worthiness of “Lou Grant,” of which those of us who worked on it are obviously rather proud: It was nominated for 56 Emmys and won 13, as well as being awarded the Peabody Award, three DGA awards and two Writers Guild awards.

Nancy’s work as Mrs. Pynchon was sensitive, multilayered and complex--and would probably beat out the best of the actresses in today’s top dramas, perhaps even her own wonderful work on the fine “Sopranos.”

ALLAN BURNS

Los Angeles