Hollywood Spectator (1938)

Page Twelve April! 16, 1938 establishment of a code of procedure found this same board of directors laboring far into the night, week after week. Some of the concrete gains have been: 1 . The drastic reduction in the number of eligible extras. In March of this year the membership books of the Junior group were closed, insuring that never again will the extra market be crowded with casuals and thrill seekers. 2. The Guild collects many thous¬ ands of dollars monthly in adjustments for all types of players — a distinct gain, as heretofore the smaller players and extras had no organization to fight their battles. Revision of Minimum Contract . . . T THE moment, the Negotiating Committee is starting a series of conferences with the producers for a revision of the Basic Minimum Contract. Mem¬ bers representing the Guild are President Robert Montgomery, Franchot Tone, Kenneth Thompson, Murray Kinnell, Irving Pichel and Aubrey Blair. As these negotiations will very likely require some time, the committee is being guided and governed by the board of directors. The recitation of these facts and some of the procedure relating to Guild practices sug¬ gests your Editor’s query of what is in store in the future for the Guild: what its future accomplishments may be and the principles which guide it. Occupies Unique Position . . . O UNDERSTAND this it is important to bear in mind that the Screen Actors' Guild occupies a posi¬ tion unique among the performing unions; that it is related to Actors’ Equity, the American Guild of Musical Artists and the American Federation of Radio Artists, under the general charter of the Associated Actors and Artistes of America. While the picture industry for a time seemed to tend to the strengthen¬ ing of the parent organization (the Associated Actors and Artistes of America) as a common meeting ground, this thought has been somewhat altered so that the member organizations might continue to exercise autonomy. The benefits of mutual action have been so conspicuous and so definite for all per¬ formers in the entertainment field, that their future gains are assured. Some hostile, rebellious and mis¬ chievous elements have appeared from time to time as is natural in any organization of such dimensions. Valley Vista Nursery Flowers and Shrubs You Should Plant Now Everything for the Garden In North Hollywood on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, one block north of Ventura Boulevard, beside the bridge the flood left standing. Telephone North Hollywood 6479 but the fact that the Screen Actors’ Guild has attained the position it now occupies is proof in itself that the Guild stands established and reflects the unity of purpose of its entire membership. This, naturally, is a matter of high satisfaction to those members of the board of directors who have so conscientiously and steadfastly guided its destiny. Has Confidence of Members . . . THINK it is proper to draw attention to the fact that the Guild has been conducted in a manner which has earned the confidence of its membership as reflected in their loyal support as well as the respect of the substantial men of the studios with whom it has daily contact. In instances where its members have been made the targets of unjust treatment it has been swift to act as the records will show. Out of this has come a new mode of practice over the past year, and one which has made for more consid¬ eration for the players, one too which has deduced! abuses to a minimum. A further protection for the players has been developed with the provision com¬ pelling “promotion” companies to post ample bonds so players’ salaries may be protected. At this moment when there is a spirit of uncertainty in the production end of motion pictures, it is quite impossible to foresee what and how much may be accomplished for the various divisions which make up the membership of the Guild. It is heartening to know, however, that the Screen Actors' Guild, composed as it is of, by and for actors, is attuned to its membership through a A Bang and Two Echoes By ALAN MOWBRAY .<3sp-<^r> Illustrated By MONTAGU LOVE "The volume is composed of three one-act plays, serious little plays which dramatize bits of the World War, searching penetrating studies in dia¬ logue which etch the characters so sharply the reader fairly can see them and hear them speak their lines." — Welford Beaton, Hollywood Spectator. Available At All Leading Book Stores ... $ 1 .25 ...