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Editor's note: We asked you to send in your thoughts about "classic" movies that deserved to be stripped of their classic status. Here are the results:

Most-seconded nomination: "Love Story" (though few considered it a classic to begin with)

Most defended: "Gone With the Wind," "The Ten Commandments"

Most popular additional nominations: "Citizen Kane," "Scarface" (1983), "The Godfather," "Titanic," "Some Like It Hot," "The Birds," "Vertigo"

From Erik Runner, Kingston, N.Y.:

A decade or so ago, there was a news article about a teenager who stated that he didn't see what the big deal was about Elvis -- that he had watched some of his performances on film and didn't think he was so hot. And the newspapers picked this up, and it got to be a bigger story than it deserved to be. The kid's parents were just so proud of their son for speaking up -- like this was a real big thing. This kid never saw Elvis, never lived during those times, and as such, could not put it into the context or culture of those times. Elvis was long gone before this young man was born.

He was looking at earlier times, from a current perspective. A person can look back and do that with just about any movie, most songs and anything else. And it is a very shallow look. Those classics were great movies in their time and [were] enjoyed by many. Now the revisionists move in and tell everyone that they weren't and don't deserve the praise -- just like they do to much of history. Too many people just have to have something to criticize.

From David Klein, East Lansing, Mich.:

While you may want to downgrade certain older movies, some critic 45 years from now will downgrade today's movies. These older films paved the way for all of the newer films being made -- both by independents and big studios. Many of these older films are still considered, both technically and artistically, far superior to many of today's films.

From Doc Martian:

Classics sometimes are appraised by the impact they have on a medium. Who reads "Tristam Shandy" today? Still, it remains a key work for understanding folks like Poe and Joyce. There are many films that are dated. Even relatively modern films can appear dated in a very short period of time. "Pulp Fiction" hasn't aged well, in spite of it being a revolutionary piece of modern noir. "Dances With Wolves" has lost its cultural relevance as well, and don't even get me started on "Kramer vs. Kramer."

Yet, all these films were relevant in their time and exemplary of the paradigm of motion-picture making in the period that they were made. Would I recommend "Gone With the Wind" for someone not interested in early talkies or cultural touchstones of the first half of the 20th century? Probably not. That doesn't make it less of a classic, though. Nor do "Easy Rider" or "The Seven Year Itch" fit well with modern mores, but they defined the image of two generations. My advice to you, Mr. Fear, is to sit down with a box of popcorn and a Coke and watch Billy Wilder's "Kiss Me, Stupid!." While you watch it, try and let your mind wander past the image of Dean Martin as a sex symbol of the time, try not to think of how the prostitute/waitress isn't stripping, in-between waiting tables and turning tricks, and watch Ray Walston perform a great jealous husband without once strapping on a bandanna, sheathing a knife or getting all emo.

From Linda Shriner:

"Citizen Kane": Nothing about it is acceptable. The plot is stupid, the photography painful, the acting below that of a 1950s commercial, and the music is an abomination. I watched it once and was able to sit through it only as an act of extreme self-discipline. Not only is it not one of the all-time bests (certainly not the all-time best), it is little short of a total disgrace.

From Gregg Pearson:

These movies are considered to house the greatness of American cinema because of the strides they made when they were released. It is not just about an intriguing story, but the steps a movie takes in the development of future filmmaking. Your comments and opinions are downright naïve. Each one has a place in our culture.

From Mike Yashus, Daytona Beach, Fla.:

This article hits the nail right on the head. Just two nights ago, I was thinking of classic movies, and "Gone With the Wind" was at the top of my list as the most horrible "classic." The acting was extremely terrible. This movie would be tops on my list for a modern remake. It has a great story line and would be a modern hit if it was cast with a capable mix of actors and was carried by a top-notch director/producer. A 21st-century touch-up to this movie would do wonders for it.

From Jason Webber, Toledo, Ohio:

"Star Wars": As a passenger on the caboose of Gen-X, I'm supposed to smile nostalgically every time George Lucas' 1977 cowboys-'n'-Indians-in-space "classic" comes on TNT -- a trip down Pop-Culture Memory Lane. "Star Wars" will unquestionably be revered for all time for its place in blockbuster history, toy merchandising, marketing and special effects.

But I have to say that the notoriously grouchy film critic Pauline Kael was right when she pooh-poohed "Star Wars" upon its initial 1977 release. The characters are one-dimensional, the acting mostly atrocious (I know I'm not the only one who laughs when Mark Hamill exclaims, "Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru! Gone?!"), and though nerds everywhere -- myself included -- can quote every line in the movie, take a good listen sometime at Lucas's embarrassing dialogue. The Force may be with us, always, but does "Star Wars" always have to maintain a constant presence on the Classic Movie Roster? "ARRRGGGHH!" Boy, you said it, Chewie.

From Dave Cooper, Baltimore:

"Citizen Kane": Everything about this overrated piece of crap couldn't be more self-consciously mannered: direction, acting, cinematography, script -- you pick the facet. Give me a break! Like you said of "Easy Rider," it was (maybe) groundbreaking stuff in its day, but it all just comes across as overstylized nonsense nowadays. Nothing natural about the feel of this supposed Orson Welles opus magnum. Oh, listen ... everyone's talking at the same time! Oh, look ... camera's looking up at the ceiling! Wow, doesn't Welles really look like an 80-year-old under all that clearly fake makeup? Yeah, so? ZZZZZZZZZZZ. Just one guy's opinion.

From Alex Asta:

Are you guys on dope? You're hyping the new Batman movie on the same page as the "overrated classics." Do you people really believe that any movies today pass on the importance of good values and human decency as many films of yesteryear do? You folks need a good dose of some great film noir. Maybe that will lead to a greater appreciation for good stories and wonderful acting in days when they had no computers and special effects to dazzle moviegoers. One final thought: Consider the test of time. Those bashed classics will outlive all of us, as they have already outlived millions.

From Susan Lowitz:

Please read some of the contemporary criticism of these movies. You'll find that the critics of the time agreed with you for the most part. "Love Story" was never beloved except by the "unwashed masses." Similarly, "The Ten Commandments" was on a par with "The Towering Inferno," no more well-regarded than one of today's tentpole sequels.

As for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," everyone knew that Southern rednecks were prejudiced. What we didn't necessarily know was that dinner-table liberals in New York and Chicago were hypocrites. That's what the movie was about, even with the feel-good edge. ... There were a lot of good people who were behind black people not riding at the back of the bus, but they wouldn't have their daughter marry one, even an exaggeratedly irreproachable Sidney Poitier.

You hit the nail on the head when you said "cliché" in connection with "Easy Rider," but where do you think the cliches came from? Remember, the people who made movies in 1968-69 were rich people; the hippie movement was conceptually poor people. Poverty was a virtue, and people who believed in a simple life had no access to filmmaking. Nor were they necessarily interested in memorializing their stories for later generations; how do you do that and live in the moment?

I don't know what movies are being peddled to those younger than 40 as "classics," but I would argue that most of the movies on your list were never classics. "Gone With the Wind," maybe, but it is to the baby boomers what "Birth of a Nation" was to our parents. Once again, I urge you to take these films in the context of their times. Read the contemporary criticism.

From Ron Stenger:

So, let me guess, you weren't even born when "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" was made. I guess the old Bela Lugosi monster flicks aren't worth a crap to you either because the special effects suck, huh? Bet you think the original "The Mummy" is a joke next to the '90s remake, too. If you don't place yourself in the era that the film was made, you lose all feel for it.

From Ralph Unroe:

Your ability to rate motion pictures is as notable as a pig taking a holiday.

From Jeff Zellnorm, Chicago:

I would go to the more moderns for supposed classics that need a major rethink.

3. "Apocalypse Now." Should have been "Apocalypse Never." Martin Sheen's opening scene where he is holding his gut was shot after he saw the rest of the film. Miscast, overacted, way too long. Worst performance of Brando's career. The use of Conrad's phrase "the horror" becomes meaningless.

2. "Jaws." What a lousy way for Robert Shaw to end his film career in a cheesy death scene. As to the music, I get more chills when they play the opening of "Hell's Bells" at the 2-minute warning at Soldier Field.

1."E.T." There is not one redeeming quality to this waste of celluloid. Aside from the obvious, that the character of E.T. was a thinly veiled Hillary Clinton, it has contributed nothing of value and never will.

From Kori Zwaagstra, Las Vegas:

When you attacked "Gone With the Wind," you went too far. The film should not only be celebrated for the fact it made strides technically, but because it is a testament to "Old Hollywood." "Gone With the Wind" is my favorite movie off all time and I do pop the DVD in for a journey back to the old South. I think Scarlett was both weak and strong and has served as a template for all heroines. Is Scarlett really that different from Carrie on "Sex and the City"? They both swoon over men they can't have and make misery for those they can.

From Philip Rose:

You don't just downgrade classics because they don't fit into pop culture or the current cultural mood or fashion. Next you'll be saying the bible is out of style and that the classic artists are all passé. Steering a new generation from seeing films with meaning, actual acting (in lieu of just a bunch of CGI, action sequences, explicit sex, drugs, abuse, crime and filthy language) is doing a huge disservice to all generations who have not had the privilege to appreciate classics. I would suggest that you tell your audience what you consider to be a classic.

From Dave Thomas:

"I believe that the trade of critic, in literature, music, and the drama, is the most degraded of all trades, and that it has no real value -- certainly no large value. ... However, let it go. It is the will of God that we must have critics, and missionaries, and congressmen, and humorists, and we must bear the burden." -- Mark Twain's autobiography

From Luke Douglas, Headland, Ala.:

Movies are very subjective. They speak to each of us personally in different ways. Each of us has our own classic movies. Now grab another bag of popcorn and go enjoy a movie without dissecting it like a frog!