Gilbert Perkins

When SAG was recognized by the studios in 1937, we had a big meeting at the Hollywood Legion Stadium. Bob Montgomery read the telegram and Louis B. Mayer was telling us that we, the Screen Actors Guild, were recognized as the collective bargaining unit for actors. A big roar went up from 1,500 - 2,000 people in the stadium. The contracts were signed soon after that. There was a line for several weeks in front of the SAG offices that went down the street of people waiting to join. It was a $10 initiation fee and quarterly dues. When I joined the Guild in 1934 as a stunt man, the initiation fee was $3 and $1.25 for each quarter. I know these figures because I'm the Guild's Treasurer Emeritus and have worked with the numbers for over 40 years.