The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-26

- .-gy.sss:.seA9 the treatment q mouo
picture actors by their en-
ployers- For the popular impression has been tia
Of all workers motion picture players not only are tn
best paid but have the easiest jobs. That NOW
actors have class conscience" is well known, bu
that they had long List Of grievances somethin
the layman never even dreamed o.
However, their request for reforms is not rner
plea for better working conditions. 1t is almost
demand, and both viii Hays, who is the suprem
arbiter of the motion picture industry, and jess
Lasky, who is one Of the most powerful magnate
in the industry, have already put their heads to
gether to see what be done about it.
Of course, individual motion picture actors hav'
often made complaints about their treatment at tn'
hands OF the big producers. But this the first tint
that an organized body Of film players has put
forth its grievances and demanded better deal
As the film players are well organized and
especially as the Actors Equity Association Is
affiliated with the American Federation Of Labor,
the movie magnates cannot dismiss these charges
with contemptuous laugh. The flm-going public,
however can sit back and laugh-or ry-at the
sad predicament of the geatine Set Some film
FANS Of course, win probably sympathize deeply
with them But the average layman, unless am
very much mistaken, will get good chuckle out
of their unique fluctuations For the grievances OF
the film players have little to do with salaries md
untoward working conditions, but q whole Iot 10
do with the mental attitude of their employers
In fact the very first grievance that is set forth
IN the Equity Associations bill Of particulars is
that producers and directors do not consider busl-
pess appointments with movie actors as definite
business engagements Finn players are often kept
waiting from thirty minutes to several hours simply
because their employers don't take them seriously.
The attitude of the producers, it seems, may be
summed up in the expression, What's time to
actor? The geatine set doesn't like that
They want to be taken seriously, and when Hand
some Harold Huckleberry has an appointment
with Able Woggebaum at 8 P. NJ, he wants to be
admitted to his office at that time and not told
to come around tomorrow.
The film players assert that the attaches Of
most of the studios and offices have needless
insulting demeanor' toward them q quote from
the list of grievances which forwarded to Mr.
Hays) TIE actors say that even the gatemen AM
telephone operators at the studios act as Their
was a definite program to humhate them.
This grievance presents a real problem, for hoy
Will Hays can make $1o-a-week office boys and evel
s18-a-week telephone operators take $3.50 and evel
$500 week actors seriously, is beyond comprehen
sion. Firing the office boys and telephone operator
won't do any good; the ones who have to be hlre
will have the same attitude Mr.. Lasky and tn
other magDaJeS may make lhe9f employees, ever
their gatemen act they regarded actors as thei
equals but they won't be able to change their menta
attitude toward fi-um folk.
Even great gelatne stars who have their owl
companies, stars ike Douglas Fairbanks and Chaplin
cannot get their employees to take them seriously
The<workers around any studio regard film actor
much as stage hands regard actors the spokel
stage They, the members of the profession, ar
looked upon as an inferior breed Of people who d
little more than yswn and take bows" Ask an
stage hand what he thinks of the highest paid sta
on Broadway and bell tell you that. telephon
girl the Fairbanks studio who fired for bein
fresh" summed up the whole situation when sh
told the star to his face: THANK heaven, I'm no
q movie actor.
So Mr.. Hays has a real problem on his hands.
T F these the only grievances Of the film fol
/ it would be bad enough, but there an
number Of others. The actors complain tina
they are often Inundated to find themselves sur
phcants before uniformed and literate cast
ing directors They assert that too often they ar
judged by the cut Of their clothes and not by the
histrionic ability In short, they demand dignife
treatment as artists.
4 To right this grievance the entire motion pctur
industry would have to be given house cleaning
For the percentage Of iliteracy among directors
amazingly high And as long as there are more actor
than there are jobs, those players who are "betwee
pictures" as "at liberty is called in the film world
are naturally in the position of supp6cants. But
Z. III 4, 1ot 4har a