Decade-Old Letter to Rex Reed Resurfaces After Critic's Death
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- Rex Reed, the longtime film critic, passed away on Tuesday morning, prompting the author to revisit a letter he drafted to Reed in his twenties criticizing the critic's complaints about young people's ignorance of classic cinema
- Raj Tawney never submitted the letter to an editor due to insecurity about his writing and had not yet been published; the essay marks the first time the letter appears publicly
- In the letter, Tawney argues that classic films must be 'shared, not hoarded' and asks 'where are the encouragers?' to bridge the generational gap in film appreciation
- Tawney credits Ted Turner's Turner Classic Movies and host Robert Osborne with shaping his own love of classic cinema, saying without them 'my life may have taken a different turn'
- Tawney pushes back on Reed's generational criticism by noting Reed's own 1950s–60s cohort was largely uninterested in 1920s–40s films, pointing to the era's rock 'n' roll and Annette Funicello/Frankie Avalon beach movies
- Tawney is the author of 'Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience' and 'All Mixed Up,' and has contributed to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post
Why it matters: Reed's death is prompting reflection on whether older cinephiles are gatekeeping or guiding — Tawney's decade-old rebuttal argues the former, and that the same 'kids today don't care' complaint could have been aimed at Reed's own beach-movie generation. The piece reframes a familiar culture-war lament as a passing-of-the-torch question, with TCM and streaming as the modern inheritors of revival theaters.
