The last time that both the Hollywood writers and actors went on strike at the same time was in 1960, when the actors union was headed by a second tier character actor named Ronald Reagan. Then as now Hollywood was paralyzed. The current situation was partly resolved when the strike by the Writers’ Guild of America was settled. Late night television is back and we will even get a new episode of Saturday Night Live this week. But there are no new episodes of scripted tv being filmed and the writers’ strike and the still on-going actors’ strike are likely to have significant long terms effects on the economics of Hollywood.
So what were the causes of the strike, why did it end and who are the winners and losers? How is the resolution likely to change what we see? Why are the actors on strike and how is that likely to end?
Elaine Low is staff writer for the Ankler, a website that covers all things Hollywood. She has been covering both strikes and shares her insight on the issue.
