James Stewart

When I first came to Hollywood in 1935, working conditions were not favorable to actors. We often worked until midnight and reported back to the set at six the next morning, so it was a very rough situation. Then the Screen Actors Guild came along and changed all of that. The year 1945 was a landmark time for the Guild and its members. It was then that some of us were able to take more control of our careers, thanks to the de Havilland decision, which limited studio actors' contracts at seven years, including suspension and war-time duty. Eventually, motion picture actors were able to participate in the the profits of their movies. The Screen Actors Guild has benefited the actors in our industry in so many ways.