Dorothy Granger

Before SAG I remember that they would call you very early in the morning and if you said a word about it, you didn't work there anymore. It was scary because you had to pay your rent, you had to work. Sometimes when we worked, they'd give us box lunches that were just horrible: a dried up sandwich, a hard boiled egg, maybe a piece of fruit and a drink. Usually in those days, you did your own makeup and your hair and sometimes, furnished your own wardrobe. At one studio, I'd be in at 7:00 a.m., so they showed me where the key was and I'd have the coffee made when they came in. After the Guild started, you had a fighting chance. The working conditions definitely improved because the people in charge couldn't threaten you anymore.