The Writers: A History of American Screenwriters and Their Guild

by Miranda J. Banks

Screenwriters are storytellers and dream builders. They forge new worlds and beings, bringing them to life through storylines and idiosyncratic details. Yet up until now, no one has told the story of these creative and indispensable artists.  The Writers  is the only comprehensive qualitative analysis of the history of writers and writing in the film, television, and streaming media industries in America. 



Featuring in-depth interviews with over fifty writers—including Mel Brooks, Norman Lear, Carl Reiner, and Frank Pierson— The Writers  delivers a compelling, behind-the-scenes look at the role and rights of writers in Hollywood and New York over the past century. Granted unprecedented access to the archives of the Writers Guild Foundation, Miranda J. Banks also mines over 100 never-before-published oral histories with legends such as Nora Ephron and Ring Lardner Jr., whose insight and humor provide a window onto the enduring priorities, policies, and practices of the Writers Guild.




With an ear for the language of storytellers, Banks deftly analyzes watershed moments in the the advent of sound, World War II, the blacklist, ascension of television, the American New Wave, the rise and fall of VHS and DVD, and the boom of streaming media.  The Writers  spans historical and contemporary moments, and draws upon American cultural history, film and television scholarship and the passionate politics of labor and management. Published on the sixtieth anniversary of the formation of the Writers Guild of America, this book tells the story of the triumphs and struggles of these vociferous and contentious hero-makers.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, History, Writing

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2015

Reviews

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miranda Banks has given every working screenwriter in America a gift with her book "The Writers: A History of the American Screenwriters and their Guild." While many unions have to piece together institutional memory, Banks has given us a rigorous academic account of the Writers Guild of America and its history.

Once again, the WGA faces another tense labor moment, and it is my hope that the Guild will use Banks' work here to prepare for the probable 2023 strike.

There is so much to praise about Banks' work, but I will start with how succinctly she breaks down the forces that have acted upon the union during its history. Banks' understanding of the relationship between studios and artists, and more broadly between capital and workers, informs what amount to excellent case studies of each WGA strike and the circumstances surrounding it. These analyses punctuate the book, alongside in-depth looks at major historical events like the Blacklist and key shifts in the business such as the rise of indie film and streaming television.

Banks is also careful to consider the way representation has and has not been handled in the Guild. The (mostly bad) experiences of women and writers of color are highlighted and deftly juxtaposed with her consideration of the guild's labor struggles.

Finally, Banks has a great sense of how the nuts and bolts of show business work. Many entertainment journalists and academics simply don't know how the sausage is made. Banks offers periodic sidebars that explain everything from classic studio sitcoms and studio system credit assignment to video game writing and indie film production. In short, she knows her shit.

"The Writers" excels at everything it attempts. It is at once an oral history, a political history, a labor history, a cultural history, and a technical history of the Writers Guild of America. We writers are lucky to have this text available to us. It is my hope that the rank and file guild membership doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth as we prepare for the next strike. Here's hoping we make it one worthy of the next edition.

[E. Nicholas Mariani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal, in depth history of the Writers Guild of America, detailing how Hollywood screenwriters, banding together, managed to secure numerous hard fought gains over the better part of a century; from control over credits to residuals to securing pension and health, all the way up to and including the hotly contested strike of 2007 which saw writers win domain over the internet just as the streaming wars began. The WGA is not without faults (their surrender to McCarthyism will forever be a black mark the union's record), but overall, the guild's story is a heroic one and serves as a compelling reminder of what can be achieved when labor bands together and has the courage to hold the line and fight for what it deserves. I can only hope Ms. Banks is planning a follow-up chronicling the WGA's recently concluded agency campaign, arguably the single greatest labor victory in the last half a century and one which certainly deserves a book of its own.

[John Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is thought-provoking on so many levels. At the core, it is the story of the formation of writer unions and their quest to achieve dignity of work. But that story is more complicated than a normal story of a union history; it is the story of a union hugging two different oceans, as different as their portions of the country. It’s about all the various divisions within the unions – movies versus television, pure writers versus those who are also producers, even radio versus everyone. It’s also a book about an industry ever changing – in ownership and technology. Discriminatory treatment is mentioned throughout the book – against women and especially people of color; and this is not just any job, it is about who is writing the movies and television shows that shape America: white males. And it’s the story of rights – workers’ rights, right of free association, and the right of ownership.

Writer Guild members have not had it easy. At one point the book points out that their members do the job that many Americans would love to do for free --- writing a movie or television show. It took forever for their unity to even form into one union and longer for them to pull together the two sides of the nation to harness their solidarity. The Guild did not reach an agreement with their employers for nine years after first forming. Six times, writers had to withdraw their labor in collective action, in 1959-60, 1973, 1981, 1985, 1988, and 2007-2008. Many times, their member felt their strike failed, even when it propelled the two sides into a better agreement in the future.
How to figure fair compensation was especially tough in this industry. Residuals, overseas profits, VCR tapes, on-line streaming, iPod, YouTube, the internet, and so many other technological changes made negotiating especially tough.

Throughout the book, the author points out that movie tycoons fight hard and with all they can. The author speaks of how the studio switch scripts from one series to another that had a different gene. The names changed and a detective series turned into a Western with secretaries or associate producers doing the dirty work and using the creative talent in a slightly different way.

The 2007 negotiations provided hope for the future and more strategic and solidarity on behalf of the members. The leadership and younger people understood the importance of unity and organizing. One writer made the observation in that it was on the picket line, members learned about the history of their union. The one strike captain said, “The strike is about the internet, so we’re using the Internet to fight back.” They updated their members quickly with emails and other ways to engage their members. But the core of their organization also came through; one member observed, “I don’t need a sense of unity with people with who I compete for jobs.”

The book also points out that Hollywood is a union town. AFM, WGA, DGA, AFTRA SAG, NABET, IBEW, PGA, and Laborers, Teamsters, and even more spell out the alphabet of solidarity. Yet, while management consolidated and used their allies to fight their workers, the different unions struggled to join together in harmony.

The section of the book about the Blacklist was especially depressing. This disgraceful period of our country’s history lasted from 1947 into the 1960’s, ruining the career of many gifted writers and sending others to prison. Incredible talent was also sidelined, often during the prime of their careers. The writers of Inherit the Wind, Roman Holiday, The Brave One, M*A*S*H, That Girl, Bridge on the River Kwai, and so many more.

The Blacklists became a unique way for the studios to downsize without the pain or costs usually associated with reducing employment. Like the Stage Actor's Union, with Ronald Reagan turning against union brothers and sister, the Guild's best days did not exist during this period.

[Chris]

A decent book with a good overall arch in terms of how writing and writers have changed with the convergence of media. Though, surprisingly the book is dry at times as it gets mired in obscure policy debates. The strikes and tensions between the WGA East and West are interesting. An informative book but not exactly something one would read for fun.

[Alanna Why · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read cover to cover as background context for my thesis research on the 2023 dual Hollywood strikes. This book was especially great for describing the formation of the WGA in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as the anti-union backlash of the 1950s that resulted in the Hollywood Blacklist. Also, damn Louis B. Mayer was truly an awful person!

[Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sobering reminder of how cyclical our struggles are.