Description
This small collection is arranged alphabetically. It includes clippings from Los Angeles daily newspapers and the Hollywood
trade papers, pamphlets, and a file of the
Picket Line, October 1945-May 1947, a strike newsletter put out on a daily basis during most months of the strike. While the clippings,
articles, and pamphlets in the collection document the strike in considerable detail, the
Picket Line documents the strong feelings (sometimes expressed in cartoons) of the striking union members as well as the daily course
of this pivotal labor conflict in Hollywood.
Background
The 1940s was a period of tumult in the Hollywood labor movement. It came to a head during the Hollywood Studio Strike of
1945-1946, the last in a series of strikes involving the major studios, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
(IATSE), and the Conference of Studio Unions (CSU). It pitted the rank-and-file labor federation, the CSU, led by the militant
organizer Herb Sorrell, against IATSE, which, following years of Mafia domination, was headed at the time of the strike by
anti-Communist crusader Roy Brewer.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Southern California Library for
Social Studies and Research. Researchers may make single copies of any
portion of the collection, but publication from the collection will be
allowed only with the express written permission of the Library's
director. It is not necessary to obtain written permission to quote from
a collection. When the Southern California Library for Social Studies
and Research gives permission for publication, it is as the owner of the
physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Availability
The collection is available for research only at the Library's facility in Los Angeles. The Library is open from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Researchers are encouraged to call or email the Library indicating the nature of their
research query prior to making a visit.