The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries with limited or no resources. Its mission is to enrich the lives of people in the Southern California entertainment community by continuously evolving to meet their health and human services needs. At the point where 'round the clock skilled nursing care is needed, the MPTF has demonstrated that it will transfer those that are in need of this type of care to other facilities outside of the scope of the Motion Picture Home (see recent history). These outside nursing home facilities have been shown, in most part, to have many certified deficiencies as published on various official State of California and elder abuse watchdog websites. MPTF claims they are dedicated to offering programs and charitable services which are provided with compassion and respect for the dignity of the whole person. The motto of the Fund is taking care of our own", although this has been a controversial issue as the group Saving The Lives Of Our Own has repeatedly questioned the motives of the current regime headed by Dr. David Tillman, CEO and Seth Ellis, COO.
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History
The need for a fund to benefit fellow colleagues who fell on hard times was seen by many in the early days of motion pictures. It began with coin boxes at studios, where industry workers would drop their spare change for their fellow colleagues.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund was created by such industry luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Conrad Nagel, Milton Sills, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith, among others. In 1921, the Motion Picture Relief Fund (MPRF) was incorporated with Joseph M. Schenck as first president, Pickford was vice president and the Reverend Neal Dodd (who portrayed ministers in more than 300 films) as administrator, each with a benevolent spirit intent on providing assistance to those in the motion picture industry who were in need.
The original Board of Trustees included many of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Charles Christie, Cecil B. DeMille, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., William S. Hart, Jesse L. Lasky, Harold Lloyd, Mae Murray, Hal Roach, Donald Crisp and Irving Thalberg.
The advent of talkies in the late twenties brought many changes to the film industry. While talkies launched many new careers, hundreds of actors, directors and writers who had not foreseen the change to the industry or their livelihood, became unemployed. MPRF came to their aid. As more requests for assistance were made, celebrity-packed benefits were held. Celebrity balls, benefit movie premieres, polo matches, fashion shows and card parties were all means of raising funds for MPRF with talent provided by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Will Rogers and many other stars. These events raised thousands of dollars in aid, but it wasn't enough to keep up with the demand for assistance. Other methods of fundraising were needed.
In 1932, Pickford began the Payroll Pledge Program, a deduction plan for those earning over $200 a week. Studio workers were asked to pledge one-half of one percent of their earnings to the Fund. In 1938, participation in the program was increased by including talent groups, unions and producer representatives. SAG greatly improved this effort by ruling for compulsory contributions by its Class A members.
Then-President Jean Hersholt was seeking an opportunity to supplement the income produced through Payroll Pledge. Dr. Jules C. Stein came up with the idea to have major movie stars appear on a new radio program The Screen Guild Show whereby they would donate their normal salaries to MPRF. Members of the Directors and Writers Guilds also contributed their services to the show, which premiered on over 61 CBS stations in 1939. The first program starred such greats as Jack Benny, Judy Garland and Joan Crawford. It quickly became one of the most popular programs on network radio, raising $5.3 million for MPRF during its 13-year run. Every major star participated at least once: Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Natalie Wood, Bob Hope, Betty Grable, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Tyrone Power, and the list goes on.
In 1940, Jean Hersholt found the property for the future Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital. It was 48 acres (190,000 m2) of walnut and orange groves, selling for $850 per acre! The Board was able to purchase the land thanks to the money raised from The Screen Guild Show. They immediately sold 7 acres (28,000 m2) to offset the costs for the first buildings of the Country House, designed by architect William Pereira. On September 27, 1942, three thousand members of the film community gathered in Woodland Hills for its dedication.
In 1948, the Motion Picture & Television Hospital was dedicated. Eventually, the Fund offered services to those working in television, and in 1971 the Motion Picture Relief Fund became Motion Picture & Television Fund.
Recent History
In 1993, the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation was established with Jeffrey Katzenberg as Founding Chairman. The Foundation continues to exist as the conduit to marshal the vision of its donors and their philanthropy to the growing human needs of the entertainment community it serves. MPTF Foundation puts on annual events that help raise millions of dollars in funds to continue to assist those entertainment industry members in need. These events include Michael Douglas and Friends Golf Tournament, The Night Before and The Evening Before.
On September 13, 1996, the MPTF Corporation was created within the State of California. Its California corporate number is C1989085. Dr. David Tillman, MPTF President and CEO is listed as "Agent for Service of Process" with the California Secretary of State. Frank Mancuso, Sr. is Chairman of the MPTF Corporate Board.
In 1998, the Woodland Hills campus was renamed The Wasserman Campus of the Motion Picture & Television Fund in honor of the long-time commitment and support of Mr. & Mrs. Lew Wasserman.
In February 2000, William Haug resigned as MPTF CEO. The position was filled by Dr. David Tillman on May 16, 2000.[1] who is today one of the highest paid CEOs of a health care center, with a current annual salary which includes percs and bonuses of approximately $750,000.
[2]with a claim that Dr. David Tillman, the MPTF’s chief executive, is earning a salary several times higher than is normal in the world of non-profit retirement homes -- $502,200 in 2006 when, according to MPTF officials, the home was already aware of a looming financial crisis, and $596,957 in 2007, the last year for which figures are available. Gumbel also claims the MPTF’s chief financial officer, Frank Guarrera, saw his pay jump from $359,162 in 2006 to $411,153 in 2007. “That’s absolutely exorbitant,” Gumbel quoted nursing-home expert Betsy Hite of the California Association of Health Facilities assaying. “The average nursing home administrator makes maybe $100,000. This is clearly out of the norm."
[3]Dr. Tillman received Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person Of The Day" award because of his role in "farming out to various retirement homes" the residents of the long term care center.
In 2006, the groundbreaking for the Saban Center for Health and Wellness featuring the Jodie Foster Aquatic Pavilion was held on The Wasserman Campus. The center was named after donors Haim Saban and his wife Dr. Cheryl Saban.[4] It opened its doors on July 18, 2007 and features aquatic and land-based therapies as well as MPTF’s Center on Aging. Center on Aging is a best practice model that provides a The new Center on Aging is made up of a variety of programs that are geared toward improving the lives of the entertainment industry seniors throughout Southern California. A new and emerging need to address quality of life issues for older adults in their own homes was identified and led to the creation of such MPTF programs and initiatives as Palliative Care, Elder Connection, Rebuilding Together and the MPTF Age Well Program.
On November 20, 2006, Motion Picture & Television Fund registered the MPTF Endowment Corporation with California's Secretary of State. Its California corporate number is C2934691. Dr. David Tillman, MPTF President and CEO is listed as "Agent for Service of Process" with the California Secretary of State.
Besides offering temporary financial assistance and operating the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, MPTF's comprehensive services operate six outpatient health centers throughout the greater Los Angeles area as well as the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center.
In October 2008, MPTF's Corporate Board of Directors voted unanimously to close it's acute-care hospital and long-term care facility by October 2009. In December 2008 the MPTF Board of Trustees voted unanimously to support the October decision of the Corporate Board. This vote was done without the knowledge of residents or families that would have been effected by the closure. As late as November 2008, after the October 2008 vote to close the acute-care hospital and long-term care facility, residents were admitted to the Long Term Care center under the impression that they would be their 'for the rest of their lives', only to learn a few months later that the LTC unit would be closing, and they would have to look elsewhere for skilled nursing care.
In a quote by Ken Scherer in a one on one interview in [5]The Wrap, Mr. Scherer claims that the timeline to have all residents out was Thanksgiving. Soon thereafter, [6]Scherer in another interview claimed “Actually I never said that,” Scherer says today . “What we have said since Jan. 14 is that we want to work with each family to find a beautiful bed for their loved ones. We hoped we could do it within the year but now it doesn’t look like that will happen.” Then, Scherer made another statement in an interview [7] where "Scherer denied that MPTF had ever set a timetable in motion to satisfy a specific deadline."
On January 14, 2009, residents and families of the long term care unit (LTCU) were notified by mail of the closure and imminent re-location of elderly and handicapped residents under the care of the MPTF. In a meeting held by Dr. David Tillman with concerned family members, it was revealed that the LTCU and Acute Care Center would be closing. The meeting became extremely contentious as it became known that the reasons for closure had been simmering for five years without the knowledge of residents who had been admitted to the facility under the false promise of having a 'home for the rest of their lives'. The main reason given to the families was that the LTCU was losing $10 million dollars per year, and that this would ultimately bankrupt the fund. It was noted by actors John Schneider and the late David Carradine, who attended the meeting in support of the families that the MPTF was indeed not living up to their credo of "taking care of their own" and had failed to notify the families and the entertainment industry of the closures in a proper, humane way.
Soon thereafter, a grass-roots organization [Saving The Lives of Our Own] (STLOOO) was created to organize residents, family members, and supporters to fight the closure of the LTCU. A facebook group was generated that quickly became 3500+ strong to also support those residents and families who were facing eviction by the MPTF. Soon thereafter, the law firm of Girardi + Keese came aboard to represent residents and family members who held a guardian ad litum for their elderly family members.
In the ensuing months, the MPTF had to deal with a barrage of claims that revealed inaccuracies in claims of the funds alleged financial peril, and the absence of any exposure of the elderly residents to transfer trauma. According to a STLOOO member, the daughter-in-law of one resident reached out to him over the Internet stating that her mother had refused to eat on the second day in her new residence. Two weeks later the woman had died following complications due to pneumonia. Claims of bullying by social service workers and more deaths that could be attributed to transfer trauma were reported to family members by other family members. Additionally, in an act that could allege intentional infliction of emotional distress, the MPTF placed a fake studio prop cop car that was painted to resemble an Los Angeles Police Dept. cruiser in the parking lot that had an intimidating effect on the elderly residents who knew they were facing 'eviction' from the property. Again, [8] Ken Scherer in an interview was quoted as saying the idea of the prop police car was 'wrong', his admission surprising families.
Articles published in the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News and online by The Wrap. com and Nikki Finke's Hollywood Daily continually hammered the Motion Picture and Television Fund with new found facts, reporting of resident deaths, and other facts that flew in the face of what the MPTF was claiming.
The Screen Actor's Guild and The Teamsters local chapter came to the aid of the residents of the LTCU by decrying the closure and standing with the residents and families at several rallies held in the Los Angeles area.
In October of 2009, when it was originally set to close down the LTCU, the MPTF renewed their operating license of the LTCU and Acute Care Unit for another year.Italic text
On January 14, 2009, MPTF publicly announced its plan to close its hospital and move out long-term care residents. On January 14, 2009, MPTF notified the Supervisor of the Los Angeles County Acute, Ancillary Service Section of the Department of Health Services (DHS) Health Facilities Division of its decision to close its acute care hospital and district part skilled nursing facility. On that date 138 long-term care residents were living in the MPTF Hospital. A proposed relocation plan for the long-term care residents was submitted to DHS with the closure notification. The relocation plan was approved by DHS on January 23, 2009.
Spokespersons for the MPTF explained publicly that the change was necessitated by financial concerns, and stated that they planned to put greater resources in community-based programs aimed at assisting the growing number of seniors who prefer to "age in place" -- that is, live safely and independently in their own homes for as long as possible.
On the evening of November 18, 2009 family members and friends of residents who are still in the LTCU convened their first Family Council meeting in the board room at the Motion Picture Home, well after the fund first designated the facility to be closed.
Boards of
Corporate Board
- Frank G. Mancuso, Chairman
- Joseph A. Fischer
- Mark Fleischer
- Jim Gianopulos
- William A. Jones
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Matthew D. Loeb
- Robert Osher
- Patrick B. Purcell
- Jay D. Roth
- Karen Stuart
- David Tillman, MD
- Casey Wasserman
Fund Board of Trustees
- Joseph A. Fischer, Chairman
- Gene Allen
- Patricia W. Barry
- Bob Beitcher
- Robert Blees
- J. Nicholas Counter, III
- Bruce Davis
- Roger H. Davis
- Darcie A. Denkert
- Mark Fleischer
- Michael Karlin
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Hawk Koch
- Mary S. Ledding
- Frank G. Mancuso
- Gary O. Martin
- Jonathan Matthew, MD
- Roger L. Mayer
- Michael Miller, Jr.
- Lawrence Mirisch
- Walter Mirisch
- Richard M. Myerson
- Alfred S. Newman
- Robert M. Osher
- Robert Oswaks
- Gloria M. Palazzo
- Patrick B. Purcell
- Peter Mark Richman
- David B. Rone
- William Schallert
- William Self
- Walter Seltzer
- Arnold Shupack
- Dan Slusser
- Karen Stuart
- David Tillman, MD
- Henry E. Vilardo
- Mrs. Lew Wasserman
Foundation Committee
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chairman
- Warren Beatty
- Annette Bening
- Jeffrey Berg
- Barry Diller
- Michael Douglas
- Nora Ephron
- Joseph A. Fischer
- David Geffen
- Jim Gianopulos
- Samuel Goldwyn, Jr.
- Robert A. Iger
- Alan Ladd, Jr.
- Ed Limato
- Heather Locklear
- Frank G. Mancuso
- Barry M. Meyer
- Ron Meyer
- Rick Nicita
- Robert M. Osher
- John Ptak
- Dolores Robinson
- Jay D. Roth
- Kevin Spacey
- Steven Spielberg
- David Tillman, MD
- Casey Wasserman
- Mrs. Lew Wasserman
References
- ^ [1]LATimes
- ^ [2]Deadline Hollywood
- ^ [3]YouTube
- ^ [4]MPTF pdf
- ^ [http://www.thewrap.com/article/thewrap-goes-one-one-mptfs-ken-scherer_5532
- ^ [http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/ken-scherer-retirement-homes-closure-9143
- ^ [http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/how-mptfs-eviction-deadline-shifted-9313
- ^ [http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/ken-scherer-retirement-homes-closure-9143
See also
External links
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