The
Central Casting Corporation, commonly known as
Central Casting, was founded in
1926 by the
AMPTP (
Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers), an agency representing the
government, in order to regulate and centralize the employment of
extras and
bit players, and to prevent their
exploitation or
discrimination. The service was offered free of charge to the extras, who until then were subjected to frequent
humiliation,
sexual harassment and unfair
wages. The studios went along (i.e., financed the organization) to clear their faltering
reputation with the public and to prevent further government
intervention.
After the collapse of the Hollywood Studio System, major studios withdrew their support of Central Casting and in 1976 it was privatized. It is now a part of the Entertainment Partners Corporation and can be found at their website1.
1http://www.entertainmentpartners.com/products_and_services/services/central_casting/