Well, I wasn't that far off... 25 bucks.

from the WGA history:
A year later the producers formally recognized the Guild as the collective bargaining agent for writers, and in June 1941 a contract was accepted in principle, although not finalized until 1942. The deal called for minimum pay of $125 per week for all writers (the Guild had asked for $150), and the Guild gained control of screen credits.

I should guess that, in the ten years from 1942 to ICFOS, the minimum went up, but not much.  It also indicates that by that time, credit determination would not be in the hands of executives and awarded by studio fiat, but determined by the Guild.

This would mean Ray Bradbury's "Story By--" credit and Harry Essex's "Screenplay" credit were both the decision of their professional peers.  I doubt that three WGA arbitration panel members conspired to award their hotshot pal Harry Essex an undeserved credit, nor were they afraid that if they didnt, Universal would blackball them (since they were anonymous, even from each other.)

Last Edited By: Ted Newsom Aug 15 10 2:10 PM. Edited 1 times.