We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
THE PRODUCTION CENTER
NEWS
AND
VIEWS
Top Faux Pas Honors
By IVAN SPEAR
AF ALL the ill-advised moves so far made by those ^ directing the destinies of the Federated Motion Picture Crafts' strike, top honors for faux pas go to their latest gesture — a request to laborites everywhere that they boycott pictures in which appear Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, Edvrard Arnold, Frank Morgan and Humphrey Bogart, directors of the Screen Actors Guild, singled out by heads of the FMPC to take the rap for the alleged double-cross which the strike leaders apparently still believe was given them by the Guild.
In the first place, it has never been established that the Guild did sell out the striking unions affiliated with the FMPC when the actors voted to negotiate their own peace with the producers. Such a welter of statements and counter-statements, accusations and denials, have been forthcoming on this point that Hollywood opinion is pretty well divided regarding it. In fact, it is fairly obvious that Charles Lessing, strike generalissimo, hasn't entirely made up his own mind as to whether or not he and his followers were sold down the river by the thespics, as is indicated by Mr. Lessing's vacillating attitude.
When the Guild's vote for a no-strike policy was originally announced, Lessing wailed long and loud about the double-cross. Later, and probably after calmer reflection, he changed his attitude, stating that no blame was to
be placed on the Guild, that it had set out to attain the goal of studio recognition, had taken the most practical and expeditious route toward this goal and was to be congratulated on its victory. His current effort to spank the Guild leaders with a labor boycott indicates, however, that he still retains some thoughts that the Guild failed to do right by his strike.
Assuming, for the sake of argument, that there was a bit of skullduggery in the Guild's actions, it is still manifestly unfair to place the guilt on its officers and directors; to ask labor sympathizers to place them on unfair lists and boycott their efforts.
It must be remembered that these actors, all of whom • are in the topmost salary brackets, had much to lose and absolutely nothing to gain personally through their affiliations with, and their activities on behalf of, the Guild or any other organization. The very fact that they belong to the Guild and were willing to jeopardize their own highly lucrative positions for a principle, the winning of which could help only their less fortunate fellow workers, should prove their sympathetic, sincere and entirely altruistic attitude toward organized labor and its efforts to better working conditions through collective bargaining.
Mr. Lessing and his cohorts will win little sympathy or respect for their cause by attacking such men.
WESTERN EDITION Is One of the Seven Sectional Editions in Which BOXOFFICE Is Published Weekly. The Other Six Editions Are: NEW ENGLAND, MIDEAST, CENTRAL, MIDWEST, SOUTHERN, EASTERN.
IVAN SPEAR, Western Manager, Suite 219, 6404 Hollywood Blvd.,
Hollywood, Calif., Phone GLadstone 1186. WALTER BARUSCH, 201 Golden Gate Bldg., 25 Taylor St., San Francisco, Calif. JOE COOPER. 2417 Second Ave., Seattie, Wash. JOHN A. ROSE, 1620 Clarkson St., Denver, Colo. VIOLA BROWNING HUTTON, 605 Utah Savings & Trust Bldg.. Salt Lake City. Utah.