[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 27 (Wednesday, March 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2401-S2402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 78--RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE LIFE OF ARTHUR
MILLER
Mr. HATCH (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 78
Whereas the late Arthur Miller wrote some of the most
revered works in the American dramatic canon including All My
Sons, After the Fall, The Crucible, The Price, The American
Clock, A View from the Bridge, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, and
Death of A Salesman;
Whereas Arthur Miller received the highest honors for
artistic accomplishment and distinguished intellectual
achievement in the humanities in this country, the Kennedy
Center Honors and the National Endowment for the Humanities'
Jefferson Lectureship;
Whereas Arthur Miller received every major award given to
playwrights in the United States, including the Pulitzer
Prize, the Tony Award, the Drama Desk, and the Drama Critics
Circle;
Whereas Arthur Miller, through his service to the
Dramatists Guild of America, has fought for the freedom of
American playwrights to have their works performed as they
intended and given all the protection the law can afford
them;
Whereas Arthur Miller, through his service to PEN, the
association of Poets, Essayists and Novelists, has fought for
the freedom of imprisoned writers all over the world;
Whereas Arthur Miller's plays are taught in virtually every
high school and college in the United States, and his new
plays have been produced on Broadway for more than half a
century;
Whereas Arthur Miller wrote about the lives and longings of
American working men and women with a power and clarity
unparalleled in modern literature;
Whereas Arthur Miller, in writing about ``little men'' as
his heroes were called in the beginning, proved that little
men do indeed suffer tragic losses, and that to defend or
regain their dignity, they will lay down their lives as nobly
as any king ever did;
Whereas Arthur Miller wrote about our indestructible will
to achieve our humanity, about our fear of being torn away
from what and who we are in this world, and about our fear of
being displaced and forgotten;
Whereas Arthur Miller has maintained his vision and claimed
his victory as the preeminent man of letters in the American
theater; and
Whereas Arthur Miller enjoyed a long and luminous career
before he died at the age of 89 on February 10, 2005, Now,
therefore, be it:
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the extraordinary contributions of the late
Arthur Miller for his service to the Nation in the theater,
in literature, and in his advocacy of the freedom to speak
and write with conviction and courage;
(2) honors him as a great American literary pioneer; and
(3) expresses its deepest condolences upon his death to his
family members and his friends.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the
legendary playwright Arthur Miller, who passed away on February 10,
2005 at the age of 89.
Anyone who has experienced ``Death of a Salesman,'' ``A View from the
Bridge,'' ``The Crucible,'' or any of his innumerable masterpieces
would certainly agree that Arthur Miller established himself as one of
the preeminent American playwrights of our time. A literary genius may
have left us, but his work will live forever, from Broadway to the
local high school or college theater.
Today my colleague from Massachusetts and I submit a resolution
recognizing the genius of this literary giant, a man who not only
captivated our souls with his art but also motivated us to protect the
freedom to speak and write with conviction and courage.
I do not want to take up the Senate's time with a long biographical
or literary commentary on the life and works of Arthur Miller because I
know I would inevitably fail to do justice to him. Instead, I would
like to share a personal experience that demonstrated the amazing and
unique qualities of this wonderful man.
As some in the Senate will remember, one of Arthur Miller's last
public speaking appearances was at a hearing before the Judiciary
Committee last year, at which he advocated passage of the Hatch-Kennedy
Playwrights Licensing Antitrust Initiative Act.
The day of the hearing, I had the opportunity to meet privately with
Mr. Miller in my Senate office. Though well into his eighties, he spoke
with passion and eloquence about the critical importance of live
theater and writers to social, intellectual, and political discourse in
our country. He also demonstrated his delightful--and occasionally
devilish--wit and prodigious intelligence, both of which he had
retained in extraordinary abundance.
Although we came from very different backgrounds, and radically
different political perspectives, it was an honor and a sincere
pleasure to come to know--however briefly--a man of his stature,
accomplishments, and surpassing intellect.
Our lives were enriched by Arthur Miller, and we--as individuals, as
a people, and as a Nation--are diminished by the passing of so
magnificent an American talent. He will be sorely missed, and will be
remembered with reverence and affection by those--like me--whose lives
he touched.
I hope that my colleagues will join me and Senator Kennedy--who is
the leading cosponsor of this resolution--in recognizing and honoring
the life and accomplishments of Arthur Miller by supporting swift
passage of this resolution.
I ask unanimous consent that the remarks of Arthur Miller before the
Senate Judiciary Committee on April 28, 2004, be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Mr. Chairman. Members of the Committee. It is indeed an
honor to appear before you today in support of S. 2349, The
Playwrights Licensing Antitrust Initiative Act of 2004.
In preparing for this testimony today, I am reminded of
Muriel Humphrey's admonishment to her husband: ``Hubert, a
speech does not need to be eternal to be immortal.'' I will
take that advice to heart as I testify today.
It has been some time since I was last asked to testify
before Congress. But, I have to tell you, today I am actually
happy to appear on behalf of what I believe is truly an
important topic worthy of Congressional debate and action--
the future of the American theater.
I have been blessed to be lucky enough to be a successful
playwright. Many of my plays, I am proud to say, have won
critical acclaim--Death of a Salesman and The Crucible won a
Pulitzer and a Tony award respectively.
I raise these plays, and my success, not to brag, but to
emphasize an important point: I and my colleagues before you
today are here not for ourselves, but for others. We are
speaking on behalf of the up and coming playwrights: The
Arthur Millers, the Stephen Sondheims and the Wendy
Wassersteins
[[Page S2402]]
as young playwrights. Indeed, the American theater risks
losing the next generation of playwrights to other media and
opportunities as the pressures on playwrights increase and
their power to protect their economic and artistic interests
diminish. The legislation we are advocating isn't for us,
it's for them. And it's for the theater-going public.
The legislation introduced by you, Chairman Hatch and
Senator Kennedy, is meant to keep the legacy of aspiring
playwrights who write for the theater alive. It will help
ensure that American playwrights, through the theater, can
speak to the hearts and minds of the audience. That we can
challenge social morays, ideology, beliefs, or simply
entertain. Drama is one of civilization's greatest art forms
and we must do all that we can to promote its vitality.
The American theater has undergone enormous changes over
the years. From its entrepreneurial start it has become
increasingly dominated by corporate interests. Sure, business
is changing in virtually every sector of our economy and
there is no reason that the theater should be immune from
business pressures.
But, unfortunately, in the midst of these increasing
pressures, only one entity does not have a seat at the
bargaining table: the playwrights. The status of the
playwright is difficult to discern as it has fallen under the
long shadow of questionable and conflicting legal opinions.
The result is that all other entities have the collective
power and ability to fight for their rights. As a result, it
is the playwright who gets squeezed.
The Playwrights Licensing Antitrust Initiative Act of 2004
would provide a very limited legislative fix that would allow
for the standard form contract that was last negotiated in
1982 to be updated to take account of today's market
realities and intellectual property protection climate. It
does not force producers to hire any playwrights, but it does
allow playwrights with a willing producer to protect their
economic and artistic interests.
Today many new playwrights are presented with take-it-or-
leave-it contracts. In their hunger to get their plays
produced, many have no choice. Others, facing the economic
pressures that face all-too-many people in today's economy,
are abandoning their dreams of writing for the theater as
they go to Hollywood or write for other media.
Some may say that this is just basic economics. But, the
legislation the Chairman and Senator Kennedy have introduced
is not intended to change the laws of economics. It simply
says that playwrights should have a seat at the table.
Failure to pass the legislation will continue the unfair
bargaining situation that the playwrights find themselves in
and not only will the playwright and the theater suffer, but
society as a whole.
It was Senator Kennedy's brother, President Kennedy, who
once said: ``I look forward to an America which will reward
achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business
or statecraft. ``
Unfortunately, under today's legal shadows, the up and
coming playwrights must offer their wares at a discount.
I understand that antitrust exemptions are not easy to come
by. And I believe that amending our laws should not be done
at the drop of a hat.
But, where there the national interest demands that change
occur, I believe it is appropriate.
Mr. Chairman. Members of the Committee. I urge your prompt
approval of this legislation.
Statement of Senator Kennedy in Support of the Resolution Honoring
Arthur Miller
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is my privilege to join my
colleague from Utah in sponsoring this resolution to honor
one of America's foremost playwrights. Arthur Miller spoke to
all of us about the quiet struggles in each life and the
dignity in those struggles.
Arthur Miller was a soft-spoken man whose voice was heard
around the world. It was a voice of courage, insight, candor,
and integrity, and the quality of the arts in America was
greatly enriched by his extraordinary plays, as anyone who
has had the opportunity to attend a performance of Death of a
Salesman well knows. The hero of that play, Willy Loman,
became an American icon--the struggling family man in
lifelong pursuit of the American dream.
At one point in the first act of the play, a character says
of Willy Loman,
I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot
of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the
finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and
a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be
paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an
old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a
person.
That sums up much of what we do in public life. We try to
help those who need our help the most. We insist that
attention must be finally paid to such persons in our
society, and we try to make it happen, and Arthur Miller
helps us to understand why.
In his long and brilliant career, he earned wide public and
critical acclaim for his work. He was honored with the
Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Tony
Award. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors Award for
lifetime achievement as a playwright. The National Endowment
for the Humanities selected him to present the prestigious
Jefferson Lecture, an honor given to writers and historians
of extraordinary achievement.
Arthur Miller was a gifted writer, and he was also a
passionate advocate of providing greater encouragement for
emerging writers in our society. Last year, he testified
before the Judiciary Committee in support of the Playwright
Licensing Antitrust Initiative, which would provide important
new protections for the artists who actually create the plays
and musicals that are such an extraordinary part of the
nation's modem life.
It was the third time that Arthur Miller had testified
before Congress. He had previously appeared before the
infamous House Unamerican Activities Committee, and before
the Senate on behalf of literary and journalistic freedoms
around the world.
Senator Hatch and I were both impressed by the articulate
passion of this unique American artist. I look forward to
working with Senator Hatch and many other colleagues in
Congress to realize the goals that Arthur Miller so
eloquently described in his testimony, and encourage more
creative artists in our country to write their stories and
have them presented on the stages of America.
American theater is admired and respected throughout the
world and we should honor those whose genius and hard work
have contributed to that success.
This resolution honoring the life of Arthur Miller is an
opportunity for all of us to express our appreciation for the
extraordinary and eloquent gift he brought the Nation. His
great works have enriched the lives of all Americans, and of
theater-lovers around the world. I urge my colleagues to
support this resolution.
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