Hollywood Spectator (1938)

Hollywood Spectator Page Thirteen board of directors of farsighted and conscientious players. They have brought the Guild thus far along the road and it is reasonable to expect that they shall take it forward in the march for a betterment of all conditions which touch the welfare of all of us. Directors Guild By Scoop Conlon ( Publicity Representative of the Screen Directors' Guild ) rWO years, three months and five days ago today, a group of motion picture directors met in a room in a downtown Los Angeles office building to found a constructive organization known as the Screen Di¬ rectors’ Guild. The founders who put their John Hancocks on an agreement were Howard Hawks, Frank Tuttle, Gregory La Cava, A. Edward Suther¬ land, Lewis Milestone, Rowland V. Lee, Wesley Ruggles, John Ford, Rouben Mamoulian, Richard Wallace, John Cromwell, Frank Borzage, William Wellman, Wm. K. Howard and King Vidor. They got together to see what could be done about restor¬ ing the importance of the director in the motion pic¬ ture industry. This was in January, 1936. These men who believed themselves and their colleagues to be the central creative force in making motion pic¬ tures felt that their foundation had been undermined over a period of years. In other words, these directors knew that no longer did they enjoy the distinction, importance and creative freedom in the motion pic¬ ture industry that should be theirs by right of achievement. Declaration of Independence . . . CONTRARY to general belief within the confines of the studios, these directors were not revolution¬ aries, although they signed a declaration of indepen¬ dence. In two short years their record of Guild achievement has been purely constructive. In the be¬ ginning, these fifteen men had to fight against skep¬ ticism and apathy. However, within a week or so they had ninety-four members. The leaders wrote a platform in which they clearly expressed their aims and policies. Once establishing their belief in their importance as individuals to the motion picture in¬ dustry, the directors next lent their aims and policies as a Guild to the task of reaching an agreement with the producers which would be of mutual benefit. Put House In Order . . . STILL a house divided, the Guild and its leaders soon decided that it would be wise to first put their house in order. For a year they executed their plans so quietly that the Guild seemed dormant to the industry. The goal was a 100 per cent member¬ ship. One year ago the Guild launched a member¬ ship drive. Today, the Screen Directors’ Guild num¬ bers 224 director members, which represents 93 per cent of the directors in the motion picture industry. In that short space of time, the Guild has gone places. Several months ago approximately 350 assistant di MERRILL PYE MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Art Department JACK OTTERSON UNIVERSAL PICTURES <> Supervising, Art Director ■•••■••■••••••••••••••••••■••••■•••••a