Screen Guilds Magazine (July 1935)

THE SCREEN WRITERS' GUILD of The Authors' League of America OFFICERS Ernest Pascal .-.President Nunnally Johnson .Vice-President John Grey .Treasurer Robert N. Lee .Secretary Elsie B. Wilkins .Asst. Secretary EXECUTIVE BOARD Wm. M. Conselman Francis Faragoh Frances Goodrich John Grey Nunnally Johnson Robert N. Lee. Doris Malloy Ben Markson Seton I. Miller E. E. Paramore, Jr. Ernest Pascal Wells Root Allen Rivkin Joel Sayre Harlan Thompson ADVISORY COUNCIL Ralph Block Marc Connelly Gene Fowler L. Wolfe Gilbert Rupert Hughes George Kaufman Charles Kenyon Anita Loos Donald William S. McNutt John Lee Mahin Frances Marion Dudley Nichols Samson Raphaelson Arthur Richman Sigmund Romberg Jo Swerling den Stewart CONCILIATION COMMISSION Seton I. Miller—Chief Commissioner Stephen M, Avery Gladys Lehman Claude Binyon Mary McCall, JJr. Delmer Daves William S. McNutt Albert Hackett E. E. Paramore Oliver H. P. Garrett Tristram Tupper FINANCE COMMITTEE John Grey Frances Goodrich Ben Markson WRITERS' MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Nunnally Johnson Harlan Thompson Robert N. Lee MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Charles Brackett Adele Buffington Chas. Condon Winifred Dunn James Gleason Warren Groat Henry Johnson Milton Krims Jesse Lasky, Jr. Mary McCarthy Brian Marlow Dwight Edwin Justus Mayer Alice D. G. Miller Peter Milne E. E. Paramore, Jr. Frank Partos Paul Perez Joel Sayre Dore Schary Bernard Schubert Paul Gerard Smith Sidney Sutherland @ 4 Classify Yourself A T the present time The Screen Writers’ Guild has over 760 mem¬ bers, both active and associate. Of this vast number of playwrights, novelists, journalists, screen writers and song writ¬ ers, a small percentage of regularly em¬ ployed writers in studios either delib¬ erately or through neglect have failed to pay their dues. We are not referring to those unsuccessful writers who, because of lack of employment, are not in a posi¬ tion to pay—nor do we intend to work any hardships on them, but those will¬ ful defaulters and negligents who are behind two or more quarters are in a different category. Several methods of collecting these account are being considered by the executive board, some of which might prove at least humiliating to those who have failed to pay their dues either through neglect or otherwise. As signers of the contract dated April 6, 1933, these obligations must be met eventual¬ ly. To the neglectful ones we appeal— send in your checks. To the recalci¬ trant we issue the warning: “Yerbum sat sapienti.” John Grey, Treasurer When You Advertise ♦ ♦ ♦ T HERE is a growing opinion among the members of the Guild that any of us who advertise in the trade press should use the following phrase in their copy—“ Member of The Screen Writers’ Guild.” We are having artists submit sketches for a standard hand printed cut which will be furnished in various sizes to conform to any space. If a sketch is accepted a facsimile will be published in our next issue. Until then incorporate “Member of The Screen Writers’ Guild” as a type line. The constant reiteration of this phrase is certain to be an impressive form of propaganda continuing to pound home the fact that the great majority of screen writers are members of the Guild. lln fftonorimn PHILIP KLEIN Sillcox On Guild Business L UISE Sillcox, Secretary of The Authors’ League, has recently been in Hollywood to confer with the Presi¬ dent of The Authors’ League, the Presi¬ dent of the Dramatists’ Guild, and the President of The Screen Writers’ Guild, in regard to plans which are under way, designed to bring about better protect¬ ive measures and closer working ar¬ rangements between the members of the affiliated Guilds. Publicity Campaign Launched T HE Screen Writers’ Guild has launched a campaign to lift the screen writers out of his present obscur¬ ity, to bring rightful recognition to his work and enhance his importance in the mind of the public. As one of the first steps in this program,, the following let¬ ter has been sent to more than five hundred Motion Picture Editors in the United States: Dear Sir: The Screen Writers’ Guild, of The Authors’ League of America, whose members wrote more than ninety per cent of the motion pictures produced in this country (and some in England) presents to you, and to the other recog¬ nized motion picture critics of America, herewith a problem : Why is screen authorship the only form of creative writing condemned to the general dog house? Why do nine out of ten people who see a good picture praise first the acting, second the directing and third the writ¬ ing? Why do these same nine out of ten, seeing a bad picture, fume first about the dreadful writing; and dismiss the deficiencies in acting and direction with the comment that those involved Mid the best they could with the poor ma¬ terial’? Novelists are more famous than their works. Short story writers are so vital to sales that magazine covers are noisy with their names. Playwrights worth their salt are known and honored equal¬ ly with the greatest actors. But what picture fan could name the authors of “The Bengal Lancer” or “G-Men”? No director in the business can make a good picture out of a bad script. Yet any reasonably competent director, given a fine script, will make a fine pic¬ ture. No director nor even the greatest (Continued On Page 17) The Screen Guilds' Magazine