Carl Reiner was back for his 16th time as host. President Jack Shea announed his retirement, then introduced new President Martha Coolidge. And the ballroom at the Century Plaza Hotel was filled with some of today's top acting talent — including Halle Berry, Jennifer Connelly, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe — to honor their favorite nominees at the 54th Annual DGA Awards on March 9.
In his opening remarks to the 1,600 DGA members and guests, Shea pointed out that 2001 was notable for the Guild's new, groundbreaking contract, and he took pride in the fact that its timely ratification allowed the DGA to maintain its "moral responsibility for the community in which we live, to keep our industry working without interruption. The DGA was successful thanks to the efforts of our Negotiating Committee, especially its chairman, Gil Cates. His well never seems to run dry when it comes to energy, commitment and service to the Guild and to our community. And I thank Martha Coolidge, who chaired the Creative Rights Committee, and National Executive Director Jay Roth and our staff. They were all wonderful in pulling off this remarkable achievement."
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The year was a difficult one for us all, Shea said. "While the devastating events of Sept. 11 have left an indelible mark on us all, I know that our members on the East Coast every day must feel, in big ways and small, the reality of what happened on that day. To our members in the East: we are inspired by your tenacity and courage, and also by your quick response to our country's tragedy. Many of you have given your time and effort to various projects."
Shea then made this announcement: "When I ran for a third term as President last summer, I told the delegates to the convention that I only planned to serve until we had successfully completed our negotiations. With our landmark contract in place, I notified the DGA National Board of Directors this afternoon at a special meeting that it was my desire to resign at the Board's regularly scheduled meeting tomorrow. And I intend to do so.
"Now," continued Shea, "I am honored to tell you that the Board has selected a new President, and she will assume her responsibilities on Monday. She is indeed extraordinary, and I'd like to ask Martha Coolidge to come up."
To lengthy applause, the new DGA President took the stage and described Shea's leadership as "an inspiration" and thanked him "for the tremendous job you've done for the past five years and for all the wisdom that you've shared with me during that time.
"The DGA's strength," she continued, "is in its leadership, and I want you all to know that my priority will be to reach out to all DGA members and to stress unity as our best path to success."
Emcee Carl Reiner repeatedly brought down the house in laughter, and he wasted no time in getting started.
After Shea introduced him, Reiner said, "Jack, you took this moment to retire after three terms. What did you expect to hear from the audience? Did you want to hear, 'No, no, no! Four more years!' Because what you got was, 'Oh.'" Reiner then quipped to the audience, "What I'm going to do tonight is — retire.... Unless I'm terribly successful!"
Reiner also poked his usual fun at the director's chair souvenirs and was especially thankful to be relieved of the psychological stress caused by the magnetized, paper clip–laden models of recent years. "Those paper clips were very beautiful and they were gold — and you don't want to use a gold paper clip and then send it away!"
In addition to Berry, Connelly, Kidman and Crowe, the star-studded roster of presenters included Tom Wilkinson, Gillian Anderson, Will Smith, Sir Ian McKellen, Josh Hartnett, Guy Pearce, Don Johnson, Joe Pantoliano, Leelee Sobieski, James Franco and Faye Dunaway.
DGA Secretary-Treasurer Gil Cates presented DGA National Vice President Ed Sherin with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award. He described Sherin's "vision for the DGA as a whole" as "uncanny in its clarity and power. The work he's done has made the DGA a better Guild."
Sherin, in turn, praised the DGA work of Jay Roth, Martha Coolidge, and Jack Shea, telling Shea that "it's been a privilege to serve with you during your tenure."
In introducing Honorary Life Member Award recipient Delbert Mann, Arthur Hiller said, "He's my friend. And he's your friend. All of you. If there's a problem or a need, Del is there, doing something about it, with a mind full of ideas and a heart full of passion and determination. Del, you've brought honor to our Guild and our world with your creative talents and your humanity, and now it's our turn to honor you."
A touched Mann took the stage, saying he was "stunned" by the list of previous winners of this award, among them Frank Capra, David Lean, and Robert Wise. "Only 36 people have been so honored through the years. To have my name added to such a list is more than a bit overwhelming. I am truly honored."
Don Johnson presented the Frank Capra Achievement Award to Burt Bluestein, who said, "Capra's movies were about honesty, integrity, responsibility and service to society. Off screen, Capra was a founder of our Guild, dedicated to protecting high standards, creative rights and responsibility for our fellow workers. It was Capra who satisfied the Department of Labor that we were workers, not management, and the DGA was then accredited as a union and not a club."
Bluestein said he hoped that he has followed in Capra's footsteps "by helping directors realize their visions and by helping the Guild be the best labor organization in the entertainment industry."
In presenting the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award to Anita Cooper-Avrick, Will Smith playfully praised her skill in getting him out of his dressing room on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
After thanking many of her colleagues "for bestowing this incredible honor on me," a genuinely moved Cooper-Avrick added, "I would like to tell my husband and daughter how much I truly appreciate them and how grateful I am to them for allowing me to spend all this time volunteering [for the Guild]."
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