AdLand points to this print ad, purchased by Turner Classic Movies, which backhandedly “supports” the striking writers. A mock-up of a crumpled screenplay cover page, the ad encourages striking screenwriters to “keep it up” because, “After all, the greatest movies have already been written.”

It’s only surprising that TCM, a brand built on heavy fetishism of the old studio system, would so blatantly taunt the WGA, in that it’s a surprise to see ANYONE express an AMPTP-sympathetic position these days. But the ad has sparked an interesting conversation over at LAist. Of course, the ad is condescending. But is it actually more sinister than that?

“Heck, while we’re invoking the “classic” era of movies, I wonder why we don’t just bring back the Red Scare. We could take care of them commies in the WGA with some well times congressional hearings,” gripes commenter Ross A. Lincoln, to which commenter notgoth responds, “After sitting through numerous crappy sequels movies last year and terrible TV shows … TCM have a point.” This suggestion is immediately shut down by both Lincoln (”The reason there are so many shitty sequels isn’t because the writers are begging to do it. It’s the studio, with their eye on turning a quick buck for minimum expense.”) and commenter spoon, who points out that business hasn’t changed much since the “classic” era. “Remember, studio execs are the ones who wanted to cast Ryan O’ Neal as Michael Corleone in the Godfather, and Ronald Reagan as Rick in Casablanca. Their values and judgement haven’t changed much.”

It seems like there are two separate questions here. First: who’s responsible when contemporary Hollywood movies end up being really, really bad––the scribe who wrote the shit script, or the studio who payed her/him to do it? Second: if TCM is essentially selling nostalgia for the era of the studio contract system, when films were allegedly “better”, does buying into that nostalgia necessitate a wilful denial of the economic imperatives––not to mention unlawful vertical integration––that kept that system running? Discuss.