A clause in his contract with Universal Studios prevented Steven Spielberg from directing any other film while preparing "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". According to Tobe Hooper, the very core concept of the film was his, which he pitched to Spielberg after turning down the offer to direct "Night Skies." "Time" and "Newsweek" tagged the summer of 1982 "The Spielberg Summer" because "E.T." and "Poltergeist" were released a week apart in June. There were suggestions that Spielberg, in addition to being "Poltergeist'"s co-producer and co-writer, had also served as its de facto co-director. This view was bolstered by various statements Spielberg had made about his involvement in the film, including a quote gave in a "Los Angeles Times" article on May 24, 1982: "Tobe isn't ... a take-charge sort of guy. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't immediately forthcoming, I'd jump in and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that became the process of collaboration."