IATSE-2nd2018_web

flammable and could be ignited by even the smallest spark. In
addition, it emitted noxious gases.
Alliance projectionists struggled to win a work rule for a twoperson
booth. Having an extra person in the booth would make
it safer for the workers and assure quality in the projection of
films, especially talking pictures. The theater owners’ insistence
on keeping only one person in the booth led to an extended
period of disputes, aggravated by declining box office revenues.
At the same time, IATSE was intensifying other efforts
on behalf of projectionists, as well as studio craft workers in
Hollywood. There were two systems for movie sound in 1928:
Vitaphone’s disc-based system which required projectionists
to handle a lot of equipment all at once; and Fox’s sound-onfilm,
which also required someone to operate faders.
No one knew which system would ultimately be adopted
by the industry, but IATSE was determined to protect the
jurisdiction of its projectionists. Whichever system was
finally accepted, it must be operated by IA members and no
one else.
THE GREAT DEPRESSION
With the stock market crash of 1929 (headlined by Variety as “Wall Street Lays An Egg”), the bottom fell out of the box
office. Unemployment soared and theater attendance plummeted. The movie houses were hurt, but the legitimate theater
suffered even more.
Some projectionist Locals responded by taking in stagehands
and re-training them to join their craft. This was only a temporary
fix. As the depression deepened, union projectionists who had
worked at the same theater for years now found themselves
locked out at contract time, as owners hired low-wage, nonunion
projectionists as replacements.
Projectionists working for Loews and Publix eventually
made wage concessions. Other Locals followed suit. It was a
brutal and difficult time. In cities where union projectionists
were locked out, there was violence and there were attempts to
disrupt performances through stink bombs and other means.
These responses reflected the overall fear and desperation of
the nation, as the Great Depression tightened its grip on the
economy and the psyche of the country.
By May of 1932, more than 300 theaters were operating nonunion,
compared with less than 100 just a few years before. For
the workers in live theater, it was even worse. Estimates are that
as many as 10,000 out of 16,000 IA stagehands were out of work
during this time.
In Canada, the story was similar. Many small-town theaters
closed in the 1930s, forcing IATSE members to travel the
countryside in search of employment. Projectionists who had
previously worked only in the booth were now doing everything
from setting up projection equipment, chairs and screens
to distributing advertising, selling tickets and maintaining
equipment and transport vehicles.
Some Canadian IA members even found themselves required
to run dances after the show. They worked long, hard hours for
low rates of pay (as little as $10 a week, roughly equivalent to
$130 Canadian today) and often took eggs, butter, vegetables and
other goods in exchange for admission.
THEATER’S GOLDEN ERA — AND BEYOND
Ironically, the Great Depression overlapped with what is
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