The Peg Board, 41 Years Ago . . .

. . . this is what was happening in animation. Page one has an editorial about the lack of attendance at membership meetings, and how this gives the appearance that a small minority can run the union. We could frankly run the exact same editorial this month and it would be just as true. . . There's also the Biz Rep's column noting that the union was still waiting for the producers to sign the final draft of the ratified CBA -- which is also the case with our current CBA. Note the pension vesting of that era -- 20 years and 20,000 hours. We're happy to remind you that, though a lot of good negotiating over the years, our pensions now vest after one year and five years. The early Peg Boards also usually contained lots of industry gossip, here compiled by Anne Gunther in the Exposure Sheet. Lots of familiar names in there. I can't imagine doing that today for a variety of reasons, but it was a tradition going back to the 40s in the Screen Cartoonists Guild's The Animator (some of which I'll be posting as time goes by). Pages two and five are a two page spread from the 1930s (from an LA Times supplement?). Maybe Jerry Beck and others can fill us in on who these early pros were: Page three has a rarity for the old Peg Boards -- contemporary photos, here from two gallery shows: I love the way everyone dressed then. They all look so stylish and urbane (except the guy in the plaid shirt on the lower right). Can anyone identify these folks? Page four has the news that employment is looking good (increase in theatrical shorts and lots of work at H&B), more insider news and gossip, and a couple of great illos (That's how you announce election results!). There's also a mention of a defunct restaurant, the Iron Horse. Here's a bit of trivia on that establishment. Finally, on the back page, among items about ASIFA and some new productions, there's a fascinating bit about when people reach professional maturity. In our increasing ageist times, I think we need to publicize that info, so you might see us reprinting that item in a current Peg Board. We have lots more old newsletters, and we'll be posting them periodically here. It fascinates me how often, over the decades, the exact same issues arise again and again. And reading these old issues makes me feel more a part of our distinguished history.