Action (May 1941 - Mar 1958)

FOX CHATTER July 31, 1956 No. 142 I READ IT IN CHATTER ... That ' s a line of dialogue that has becorae more frequently heard on the TCF lot than even "roll 'em" and "call a rover". And that single line sums up more completely than anything else could the important place in TCF-tovm that CHATTER has come to occupy. Three years and over l40 issues ago CHATTER was born. This biggest little newspaper in the world came into being when the Motion Picture Industry was in the middle of its "days of decision" back in 1953* The 20th-Fox lot, like all the rest, was in the midst of a temporary period of inactivity at that time. Bob Mintz, then Editor of ACTION, decided that publication of the magazine might as well be suspended for the time being, but he felt that for the people left on the lot some news-carrying service had to be maintained. So CHATTER came into being. Originally, just as a temporary substitute for its big brother, ACTION. The first issue of CHATTER was just part of one page, typewritten, with a hand-lettered banner and a couple of stick-figure drawings by way of illustration. But simple though it was, the little newsletter was well received and, though no one realized it at the time, what was destined to become an institution was born. As the weeks rolled by, ACTION again resumed publication, but CHATTER had become too important to be cut off. The two publications, it had turned out, were not really similar at all. CHATTER had a charm all its own. It was sort of a relief valve for all of our gripes and gently poked fun at any and all of us who got too stuffy in our jobs. In addition, CHATTER had the advantage of immediate news. Bulletins were CHATTER'S meat. So, by 1954, both of the studio publications were in full swing, each offering a service and a quality of its own. In 1955 Allan Balter came back to 20th to assume the joint editorship of ACTION and CHATTER, By this time the lot was humming with activity and had assumed a level of employment and production that eclipsed any other period since the introduction of Cinemascope. Balter felt that with the growth of everything else, CHATTER had to grow too. So, not many weeks later, the first two-page edition of CHATTER hit the streets. Not long thereafter CHATTER started accepting employee want ads, offering another service to the employees. By this time, CHATTER had become a pretty slick little publication in every respect. Its name line was printed in multi-colored backgrounds and illustrations were being added by the Photocopy Department under the guidance of Charles Zimmerman. Today CHATTER is one of the most important news disseminating services we have, serving all of the people on the lot. CHATTER is often called upon by all departments for quick transmission of information of all kinds to the employees. CHATTER ads not only serve the employees who have goods or services to offer, but features special offers from nearby sales and service organizations, all of which are eager to be accorded space in the newsletter. CHATTER itself has taken on such proportions that the Editorship has been divorced from the duties of the editor of ACTION and is currently under the very able hand of V/anda Whitman, Jean Negulesco's secretary, along with her number one le.gman, June Connor. That's the story of the birth of CHATTER, Bob Mintz 's baby, Allan Balter's child and Wanda Whitman's headache. Though its beginning was humble, CHATTER, not unlike the mighty oak which rises from the tiny acorn, has grown to such stature that it has a place of its own, an important place, in the everyday functionings of 20th Cent\iry-Fox. 14