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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Letters: Early Deliveries; 'My Week With Marilyn'

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

And it's time now for your letters. Yesterday, we told you about more and more hospitals in Massachusetts saying no to early deliveries. If the desired date falls before the 39th week of pregnancy and there's no medical reason to induce labor or have a C-section, doctors say it's not worth the risk.

Rebecca Munroe of Alexandria, Virginia, agrees, and she shares this story with us. She writes: My sister delivered her twins, not by choice, at 37 weeks. My niece and nephew endured weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit until they were large enough to go home. I know she would have remained pregnant for the three remaining weeks of her pregnancy to spare them the pain, discomfort and time away from her if she could have. If you find yourself physically uncomfortable and feel as if your life is now at the whim of an unknown entity, electing for an early caesarian section is not the best option, certainly not for your child. It would be best to acclimate to these feelings. They are all part of motherhood.

Also yesterday, I spoke with Sarah Churchwell, professor of literature at the University of East Anglia, to truth-squad the new biopic "My Week with Marilyn." The film is about the making of "The Prince and the Showgirl" starring Marilyn Monroe and the renowned British stage actor Laurence Olivier, who, Ms. Churchwell says, gives a very wooden and hammy performance.

SARAH CHURCHWELL: And I realized after watching this film a couple of times that for all of Olivier's greatness, one thing nobody ever said about his performances was that he was very funny. And he's actually not a very good comedian, I don't think.

SIEGEL: But Scott Ross of Raleigh, North Carolina, disagrees and writes this: The man spent 50 years playing comedy. Even in his great dramatic roles, he was often slyly amusing. The critic James Agate once observed: He is a comedian by instinct and a tragedian by art. While Alan Brien, reviewing Olivier's memorable performance as Richard III, noted: Olivier plays his Richard for laughs, and he raises the grisly humors of the horror comic to the level of genius.

Well, please send us your comments. Just go to npr.org and click on Contact Us. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.