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Communist infiltration of Hollywood motion-picture industry : hearing before the Committee on Un-American activities, House of Representatives, Eighty-second Congress, first session (1951)

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COMMUNISM IN MOTION-PICTURE INDUSTRY 475 tional set-up of labor was in Hollywood in the late thirties and early forties. Mr. Brewer. Well, the Hollywood motion picture industry has had a rather turbulent labor history. In 1938 the organization which I represent had in its organization most of the mechanical crafts that have to do with the production of motion pictures. That is, we had the cameramen, the property craftsmen, what we call the grips, the costumers, the make-up artists, and most all of the skilled crafts that worked with the shooting companies on a motion picture set, as well as some of the men who prepared the sets and built the properties for the studios. We were a branch of the American Federation of Labor, that had historically embraced in its membership the amusement industry. Then there existed a local union of teamsters, a local union of plas- terers, a local union of carpenters, all affiliated with the appropriate international of the American Federation of Labor that embraces those crafts along other lines. There was a local union of common laborers or building laborers, and later on there was an organization of office workers. That is quite a story in itself. Then in addition to that there were the talent guilds, which per- formed some of the functions of a union, but because they were com- posed of professionals instead of so-called laboring groups, they were in a different category, and most of them were independent with the exception of the Screen Actors' Guild, which was an affiliate of the Four A's, which is in turn an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor. Generally speaking, that is the structure. Mr. Taaenner. And what was your exact position in your particu- lar union? Mr. Brewer. My position was the international representative. I represented the national office of the local unions which existed in Hollywood. In other words, my job was to coordinate the activities of the various local unions which embraced the different crafts in our organization. Mr. Tavender. What is the official name of the union ? Mr. Brewer. International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operators of the United States and Canada is the official name. Mr. Tavenner. In order not to have to repeat that name, what are the initials by which it is known? Mr. Brewer. IATSE or, shorter, IA. Mr. Tavenner. What was the membership of that organization when you went to California ? Mr. Brewer. Approximately 60,000 nationally, with between 15,000 and 17,000 of those in Hollywood. Mr. Tavenner. As a result of your experience in connection with your work in Hollywood, do you consider that you are in a position to give information to this committee regarding the general over-all purposes of the Communist Party and its efforts to infiltrate Holly- wood, particularly from the labor union side? Mr. Brewer. Well, I made it my business to find out, because it was such an important factor, and I think I am. 81505 — r>l—pt. 2 12