Screen Guilds Magazine (July 1934)

July 1934 First N. R. A/s mechanism directly affecting writers to get under way in Hollywood, the Agency Commit¬ tee convened in April. Its job is to draw up a set of regulations designed to inject order into the confusion which pervades the relations of pro¬ ducers, agents and artists. A major problem is the drafting of a code of fair practice among agents, artists and producers, together with penalties for violations and judicial machinery to judge viola¬ tions. Clearly, this is a deviously com¬ plicated matter. Each point — and there are dozens—must be talked out exhaustively, at times violently. Al¬ though the committee seems in tenta¬ tive accord on several major points, only one of them can be safely set down here. It seems virtually a cer¬ tainty that the Commjittee will vote that any client may break his contract with his agent if the agent has not obtained bona fide offer of employ¬ ment over a four months period on terms no less favorable than the terms of his last employment. The Committee has faced one vex¬ ing internal problem. Authorized by the Secretary of the Code Authority to select a paid Executive Secretary, it picked a man unanimously after in¬ vestigation. The Code Authority re¬ jected the selection and advised the THE AGENCY COMMITTEE by WELLS ROOT The Agency Committee , appointed under the Motion Picture Code of the NRA, con¬ sists of Winfield Sheehan (Carl Laemmle Jr ., alternate ), Jack Warner (Harry Cohn, al¬ ternate ), B. B. Kahane (L. B. Mayer, alter¬ nate ), Trem Carr (Nat Levine, alternate ), Emanuel Cohen (Joseph M. Schenck, alter¬ nate), Frank Lloyd (Wm. K. Howard, al¬ ternate), George Frank (M. C. Levee, alter¬ nate), /. M. Nicholaus, Adolphe Menjou, (Berton Churchill, alternate), and Wells Root (Ernest Pascal, alternate ). • Committee that the Secretary would be one Major Donovan who has various other N.R.A. duties in Hollywood. Major Donovan is not acceptable to the writer and actor members of the Committee, owing to his association for many years with the vaudeville Managers Protective Association, an organization notoriously unfair to art¬ ists. Major Donovan was not accept¬ able to the Committee as a whole on the grounds that the job is too im¬ portant and too exacting for any man with other important duties. To the Committee’s unanimous protest, Ad¬ ministrator Sol Rosenblatt replied that the Committee could have its own secretary if they would pay his ex¬ penses. There, at the moment, the matter rests. The work of the Committee is pro¬ ceeding, slowly perhaps, but definitely. Some may complain that the Com¬ mittee works too slowly. If such complainants will get ten men, repre¬ senting varied interests in the industry, together in one room and try to get them to agree on almost any picture problem, they will doubtless temper their complaint. Press Representative ♦ Who says that Guild members do not come through? Ask any member of the Execu¬ tive Board about Bernard Schu¬ bert — our press representative. There is no better. CATERED BY is the stamp of assurance of the best food and the best service that your money can buy. YOUR COCKTAIL PARTY . . . BRIDGE LUNCHEON . . . BUFFET DINNER in all their details can be handled by The VENDOME, taking from your shoulders all the worry about food, its preparation and service. And the price is just as cheap (probably more so) as if you undertake the preparation yourself. CALL HOIlywood 1666 ask for Mr. Hoffman. He make you quotations and give you all the details, giving you the BEST FOOD and BEST LIQUOR at a price that will surprise you. [21 ]