DUMMY UPS

A good reporter would have gone to the 1998 Vegas Ventriloquist Convention with the idea of telling an interesting story about a group of people with a variety of backgrounds who’ve found a common bond in an odd area of show business. Unfortunately, you sent Paul Brownfield, whose goal was to show us how clever and “hip” he thinks he is by laughing at the rubes who entertain Middle America (“A Confederacy of Dummies,” Aug. 23).

Apparently Brownfield’s criteria for success in show business requires work for major film companies or national television shows. Everything else is in “the margins,” as he characterizes it. A lack of national celebrity does not automatically translate to a lack of talent or financial success, as Brownfield suggests.

The accomplishments of those at the top of ventriloquism’s pantheon--Bergen, Winchell, Nelson, Tyler, Lewis, etc.--do not diminish the success of others, albeit on a smaller scale. As Brownfield doubtless knows, not every journalist has a chance of winning the Pulitzer Prize.

Especially ironic is Brownfield’s observation that talk show hosts--Jay, Dave and Conan--are only interested in non-celebrity guests they can mock, a comment surrounded by his own smirks.

In the end, the story does illustrate one thing: A good ventriloquist is still more entertaining than a smarmy reporter.

DAVID ALEXANDER

Long Beach