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over the course of her career, Olivia de Havilland pursued lawsuits against the studio system that resulted in legislation that protects performers: the De Havilland Law is a CA law that prevents exclusive personal services contracts from being longer than seven years.
#laborlaw https://twitter.com/tcm/status/1287508079194656768
#laborlaw https://twitter.com/tcm/status/1287508079194656768
Studio lawyers said that exclusive services contracts should be suspended during periods when the artist was not actually working. No artist could work every single day so this meant that years of service would be spread over a much longer calendar period https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Law
Not to mention the fact that, under the studio system, the studio could withhold work from you, which meant your contract with them could potentially be perpetual, if it were suspended when you weren’t working.
If you’ve worked with me on a services agreement, you know I’m particular about modifying suspension clauses so they don’t exceed a certain amount of time. And that payments should be made “no later than” a certain date if they are contingent on something out of your control.
Every contract has a narrative thread. Every contract clause tells a story, has a whole history of its own.
Sorry, I won’t nerd out too hard here, but the depth of contracts is one of the things I love about what I do. The terms of a contract have both a history and a future.
Sorry, I won’t nerd out too hard here, but the depth of contracts is one of the things I love about what I do. The terms of a contract have both a history and a future.
great thread on de Havilland’s career, by @TheOldHollywood: https://twitter.com/TheOldHollywood/status/1287558852028899328?s=20
