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The Agony and the Ecstasy: Charlton Heston and the Screen Actors Guild*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2009

Emilie Raymond
Emilie Raymond
Affiliation:
Virginia Commonwealth University
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Extract

Charlton Heston, one of Hollywood's most prominent political activists, devoted much of his time to the Screen Actors Guild. Throughout the course of Heston's long acting career, the guild shifted its policy emphasis on several occasions. During the 1960s, when Heston served on the executive board, the guild adhered to its traditional strategy of focusing on wages, benefits, and working conditions. At that point, Heston took a moderate approach toward guild business, often showing his willingness to compromise. In the 1970s, the guild leadership was captured by more “liberal” actors who wished to expand the union's activities into social and political channels not directly related to the job of acting. In the 1980s, the guild's leadership became even more militantly liberal. The resulting policy shifts provoked a reaction from Heston and a number of other conservative actors. It quickly became evident that Heston was no longer willing to compromise; he began to take an ideological, hard-line approach to guild matters. He not only led the conservatives in a successful campaign to return the guild to its original policy focus, but he also shaped federal labor policy with his efforts. Convinced that safety mechanisms were needed to protect guild members from a politically active board in the future, Heston advocated federal policies that would allow union members to withhold part of their dues if they disagreed with the political activities undertaken by union leadership.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Policy History , Volume 17 , Issue 2 , April 2005 , pp. 217 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 2005

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References

Notes

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16. Although the first VHS VCR was not introduced until the fall of 1977, researchers had been attempting to develop some sort of video recorder for home use for several years. Sony developed the video tape recorder (VTR) in 1964. However, only a few hundred were sold. The world's first VCR for home use (Phillips Model 1500) was introduced in England in 1972. Apparently, Heston recognized the inevitability of such a device and was optimistic about the opportunities it might open for actors.

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25. Prindle, Politics of Glamour, 101.

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29. Letter from Kim Fellner to Ken Orsatti and the Executive Committee, 12 November 1981 (SAG Archives).

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53. SAG Flyer, “Actors: Do Not Be Deceived,” F. AWAG (SAG Archives).

54. Prindle, Politics of Glamour, 154.

55. Minutes of special meeting between the Executive Committee and AWAG, 25 April 1984; letter from Ken Orsatti to Morgan Paull (after the meeting), 1 May 1984 (SAG Archives).

56. Prindle, Politics of Glamour, 154.

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61. Halperin, Allen, advertisement for Variety, written 7 08 1986Google Scholar, published 11 December 1986 (SAG Archives).

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67. See Communications Workers of America, et al. v. Beck, et al. 487 U.S. 735.

68. Letter from Charlton Heston to Ken Orsatti, 17 September 1988 (SAG Archives).

69. Letter from Charlton Heston to Elizabeth Dole, 13 March 1990, WHORM Subject File-General, FG021, 123055, Papers of George H. W. Bush (George Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas).

70. Letter from Charlton Heston to Actors Equity Association of America, 14 August 1990, Bush Presidential Records, WHORM Subject Files-General, CO 001–07, Papers of George H. W. Bush (George Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas).

71. Letter from Charlton Heston to Elizabeth Dole, 27 August 1990, Bush Presidential Records, WHORM Subject Files-General, CO 001–07, Papers of George H. W. Bush (George Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas).

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73. Tusher, Will, “Vocal Celebrities Debate Their Civil Right to Embrace Issues,” Variety, 28 10 1986Google Scholar, Charlton Heston-Clippings File (Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS).