The Hollywood writers went on strike as planned at 12:01 a.m. EST today. Writers Guild of America union leaders have told members that picketing is compulsory and that the writers must turn over all unfinished manuscripts to the union so that they will not work on them in secret.
Evidently the union has yet to hear of computer files, xerox machines, or carbon paper.
The first programs to halt production will be the late-night talk shows, which will go into reruns tonight, because writers will be unavailable to write the fabulous topical jokes that are so important to these programs’ appeal. Sitcoms will be the next to fall, as writers will not be available on set to punch up the scripts with additional sex humor.
Good question, Doug. The problem is that if Letterman and Leno were to write their own monologues temporarily during the strike, no writers would ever work for them again, and then they’d have to write their own monologues forever.
At least, that’s the way the strike is supposed to work. In point of fact, Letterman, Leno, and the like wouldn’t have any trouble at all hiring non-union writers now and in perpetuity. But what would happen then is that their entire crews would walk off, as per mutual agreements with the Writers Guild to honor each other’s labor actions, and the shows would have to go entirely nonunion. They don’t want to attempt anything of the sort, especially considering that the hosts are union members themselves.
Yes, the whole thing is a fundamentally ugly scam.
Hmmmm. Here I thought Leno and Letterman were supposed to be tremendously funny guys. Can’t they write their own opening monologues? It wouldn’t take much effort to write one of Letterman’s monologues. No matter. I’ll just go to bed before 11:30 as I usually do.