Tinseltown on hold as writers' strike drags on. Standoff hits small businesses hardest

The writers' strike in Hollywood is stubbornly in its 22nd week, and Dennis Grisco can't find enough work for his dogs and cats. Mr. Grisco is owner of a firm that rents animals for use in commercials, television, and movies. His canine credits include ``E.T.'' and ``Flashdance.'' Lately, however, his animal stars have been spending more time in the kennel than on the back lot.

``It has just killed me,'' he says of the writers' strike.

Grisco isn't alone. As the five-month-old impasse between producers and writers for television and movies drags on, the effects are extending into the farthest reaches of the entertainment industry and beyond.

Hollywood, of course, is used to disruptions and fluctuations in workloads and schedules. But even given the industry's familiarity with uncertainty, the walkout by the Writers' Guild of America has produced an unsual degree of tumult in Tinseltown.

Even if an agreement is reached soon - which seems unlikely after the latest round of failed talks - residues from what is now one of the longest and most disruptive labor disputes in Hollywood history will remain.

With each passing day, the strike that has virtually shut down production of television programs and led to massive layoffs in the industry is threatening to further alter what viewers will see on their TV sets this fall and to test the solidarity of the Writers' Guild. But beyond the impact on producers, writers, actors, and others is the effect on hundreds of businesses that serve the entertainment industry:

Keith Jackson's nursery business has fallen 30 percent. The owner of Jackson Shrub Supply, he provides real and artificial greenery for movie and TV sets. There has been some business, such as the fiber-glass palm trees he recently sent to New York for a TV commercial. But rentals are slower than usual.

The Western Costume Company, which bills itself as the largest costume house in the world, has seen income drop 40 percent since the strike began. ``This strike has hurt more than any one I've seen,'' says John Golden, president of the Hollywood-based firm.

Limousine rentals are down, real estate sales have been slow in Beverly Hills, and there are plenty of empty tables at The Hamptons and El Chiquito Cantina, two watering holes near the Burbank Studios.

``It has virtually crippled the town,'' says James Ulmer of the Hollywood Reporter, a trade publication.

Residuals, payments to writers for shows sold into syndication, remain the chief sticking point in the dispute between the Writers' Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers - particularly residuals on shows sold abroad.

A week of on-and-off negotiations between the two sides under the aegis of a federal mediator brought no resolution. No new talks were scheduled at time of writing.

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