Hollywood during the twenties successfully resisted the trend that was growing in large eastern cities toward unionization and the closed shop. There were a few labor groups. The carpenters and electricians had formed a bargaining unit; photographers and projectionists were represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE, the "IA"); the musicians were represented primarily by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM); the screenwriters had formed their guild. Equity (the Actors Equity Association) had tried for years to organize movie personnel to secure the rights enjoyed by their Broadway counterparts. Despite taking credit for pressuring Paramount and the other studios to rescind an across-the-hoard lo percent salary reduction enacted in 1927, Equity was unable to win the trust of movie stars. They were suspicious of the theater organization and apparently felt they had more to risk than to gain by union activity.¹

The Studio Basic...