Independents Battle the Studio-owned Theater Chains

Sam Goldwyn, during his anti-trust battles in the 1930s and 40s. (Aberdeen collection). To purchase Aberdeen photos for reprint purposes click here.

World War II brought a stop to the government's antitrust case against the major Hollywood studios. While the country was preoccupied with the war effort, the Paramount antitrust suit was delayed from reaching trial.

However, as the nation began to emerge from the war, the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers made it their objective to jump-start the Paramount case. In 1944, under the direction of Samuel Goldwyn, SIMPP arranged a series of publicity stunts aimed at generating public support for the independent producers.

This information is presented by J.A. Aberdeen in the Hollywood Renegades chapter titled Halls and Armories: How SIMPP Reactivated the Paramount case. Sample available online.

• Also see the related document: Mary Pickford's Up in Arms Address - August 22, 1944