Theaters cut off SAG members at the pass

The lot of a struggling actor is never easy, but at this time of year there always has been a reliable perk available to even the most down-and-out thespian: free passes to movies up for big awards.

This year, though, actors are getting another tough break in a tough town, as theater owners apparently have cut off the freebies many of them have traditionally offered to card-carrying members of the Screen Actors Guild.

The reasons for the cut-off are a bit murky, and the exhibitors won’t comment. But beyond the complaints from actors themselves, evidence of the change can be seen mostly in the fine print of newspaper movie ads for such films as “The Hours,” “Chicago,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and “About Schmidt.”

The notices say members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America will be admitted gratis, along with a guest -- but pointedly left off the list are members of SAG.

One studio publicist, who asked not to be identified, speculated that the sheer size of the SAG membership -- 98,000 strong -- may have prompted the change: “Basically, I think it comes down to how many tens of thousands of members are in SAG. [The exhibitors] don’t want everybody with a SAG card running to a theater.”

Although most theater chains allowed about 2,100 members of SAG’s nominating committee to see movies, the issue is coming to a head as the union prepares to send out ballots to its full membership to vote on nominations for this year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, to be broadcast March 9 from the Shrine Exposition Center.

Union members are upset to find that, if they want to do their duty as voters, they either have to see movies at SAG-sponsored screenings or shell out at the ticket counter of their local megaplex. They contend that they never had problems in years past gaining free admission to theaters during the crucial month after SAG nominations are announced.

Fred Dresch of Eagle Rock, a guild member for the last 1 1/2 years, is among those grousing. “The bottom line is, if [SAG] expects guild members to vote for the awards and don’t make it easy for them to attend the screenings ... or attend films themselves, it’s silly,” he said. Dresch, who acts in commercials, said he fears some guild members who are less well off than others may not see the films -- essentially making the voting process a popularity contest. “I don’t think that is in the spirit of how the awards should be given,” Dresch said.

Dresch noted he has yet to see such films as “Gangs of New York,” “About Schmidt,” “The Pianist” and “Frida,” which all have actors or ensembles nominated for SAG awards.

Mike Deurloo of Marina del Ray, a member of SAG since 1978, said most theaters near where he lives wouldn’t allow him to enter if he flashed his guild card.

“My vote is important,” he said. He could search for a more distant theater that would honor his card, but the time and effort involved make it difficult, especially for the number of films involved. Alternatively, he asked, “do I go to Redondo Beach, pay for the gas, and [fight traffic] on the 405 just so I can pay through the nose” for admission at a first-run theater?

The restrictions are being imposed by most of the major theater chains in the greater Los Angeles area, including AMC, Pacific, Century, Loews Cineplex, Mann and Regal, which also owns UA and Edwards cinemas, as well as premium cinemas the Bridge and the Arclight (which is owned by Pacific).

“We don’t know their reason for it,” said Kathy Connell, who is producing this year’s SAG Awards, although she doesn’t dispute that it could have something to do with the size of SAG’s membership -- much of it unemployed.

A SAG spokeswoman said the union “has absolutely no control over the theaters” when it comes to who is admitted for free.

“It really is a financial issue,” she said. “We are hoping this issue is resolved soon and are advising our members to keep checking the newspaper ads to see if changes are made.”

For their part, the exhibitors are largely mum.

John Fithian, president of the National Assn. of Theater Owners, responded through a woman in his office only that he “doesn’t know anything about this issue.”

Calls placed to United Artists, Mann and Edwards on Thursday and Friday were not returned. AMC, meanwhile, said it has a policy of admitting members of SAG’s nominating committee but not the rank-and-file members.

It’s in studios’ interest to have guild and academy members watch their films before voting. Like the Golden Globes, the SAG awards have emerged as a barometer of whether an actor or actress might win an Oscar. But while academy members are flooded with free videocassettes and DVDs of Oscar-eligible films so they can watch them for free in the comfort of their homes, most SAG members are not, unless they are also academy members.

The studios also sponsor for academy members a limited number of private screenings of their eligible films. Major guilds also sponsor some screenings, but nowhere near enough to cover all their members.

As a gesture of goodwill to the studios, many exhibitors permit members of the academy, WGA, DGA and others to attend awards-eligible movies at no charge. Exhibitors are not reimbursed by the guilds or the studios.

SAG ballots will be mailed to members Feb. 11 and are due back March 7. Results will be tallied and the names of the winners sealed until they are opened on stage at the awards ceremony.

“We are asking [SAG members] to be patient, keep an eye on the newspaper and to watch what films become available and also to go online on our Web site at www.sagawards.org for an update,” Connell said.