Hello Dear Readers,
It has come to my attention recently that the birth of the Writers Guild was a result of Billy Wilkerson’s influence. Yes. That Billy Wilkerson, founder of the Hollywood Reporter, every glamorous restaurant in the Hollywood golden age from the Trocadero to Ciro’s and the person who actually discovered Lana Turner (not Mervyn LaRoy).
It seems that Billy and his close friends Johnny Roselli and Joe Schneck wanted to take down the Hollywood big studio monopoly. Call it Green eyes or revenge – but at the the time, Wilkerson ’s Hollywood Reporter had a huge readership and eager followers. He was also a fan of the little guy.
Billy Wilkerson on the left, best man at Lana Turner’s third wedding To Bob Topping. .
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It was March 1933 and in response to a five day bank holiday declared by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Louise B Mayer, studio Head of MGM demanded that all studio employees take a pay cut of 50 percent for eight weeks
Wilkerson was tipped off that that studios intended to make the cuts permanent. So he went to work to get the writers to unify. He phoned his screenwriter friend, Howard J. Green and told them to form a union.
The first ten members met at the Knickerbocker Hotel and reconstituted the former Writers Guild Social Club as a Trade Union. Original members included Lester, Cole, John Howard Lawson, and John Bright. With Wilkerson’s backing The Screen Writers Guild went into battle. Under pressure from the newly formed guild and The Hollywood Reporter’s continued coverage the studios were forced to rescind their salary cuts.
More highlights to come in future posts from W.R. Wilkerson’s fabulous book about his incredible Dad – The Hollywood Godfather, the Life and Times of Billy Wilkerson.