Wikipedia:

Alan Smithee

Alan Smithee, Allen Smithee, Alan Smythee, and Adam Smithee are pseudonyms used between 1968 and 1999 by Hollywood film directors who wanted to be dissociated from a film for which they no longer wanted credit. It was used when the director could prove to the satisfaction of a panel of members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers that the film had been wrested from his or her creative control. The director was also required to keep the reason for the disavowal a secret.

Origin

The first known movie to use the Smithee pseudonym was Death of a Gunfighter (1969). During its filming, Richard Widmark was unhappy with director Robert Totten. He arranged to have Totten replaced by Don Siegel. When the film was finished, neither Totten nor Siegel wanted to be credited with the result. At first, it was decided that the credit should go to the fictional "Al Smith", but the DGA reported there had already been an actual director by that name. The DGA eventually chose "Alan Smithee" an anagram for 'The Alias Men'. It was also thought highly unlikely that any actual person would share this name. The film was praised by critics, with The New York Times commenting that the film was "sharply directed by Allen Smithee who has an adroit facility for scanning faces and extracting sharp background detail." [1]

Prolific "career"

The name Smithee was used extensively in television and film; Smithee took the direction credit for episodes of well-known series, including the pilot for the action-adventure series MacGyver. Jud Taylor twice used the pseudonym, for the TV movies Fade-In (also known as Iron Cowboy) (1968) with Burt Reynolds and City in Fear (1980) with David Janssen. Taylor commented on its use when the DGA's Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award was awarded to "Smithee":

"I had a couple of problems in my career having to do with editing and not having the contractually-required number of days in the editing room that my agent couldn't resolve. So, I went to the Guild and said, 'This is what's going on.' The Guild went to bat for me. I got Alan Smithee on them both. It was a signal to the industry from a creative rights point of view that the shows had been tampered with."

Smithee has also been credited with works in other genres, such as the music video for Whitney Houston's cover song "I Will Always Love You" from the soundtrack for The Bodyguard. The Destiny's Child music video for "Lose My Breath" is also attributed to Smithee, as are the guitar credits on the 2005 William Hung CD, Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung.

Although the pseudonym was intended for use by directors, the 1981 film Student Bodies credited Allen Smithee as producer in place of the actual producer, Michael Ritchie. The film's director, Mickey Rose, was credited by his own name rather than a pseudonym.

Outside films, several 1995 comics involving the superhero Daredevil were attributed to the writing of Alan Smithee. Writer DG Chichester took a five-issue break from the series after issue #332, and used this lead time to work on the issues that would print upon his return. A new editor took over the Daredevil line, and did not want Chichester to continue work on the series. Chichester himself was not informed of this directly, but caught wind of the edict nonetheless. Chichester was still obligated to complete issues #338–342; in protest, he insisted on being credited Alan Smithee. His name would not appear in a Daredevil book until #380, the last issue of the first volume of the series.

DGA replaces the practice

In 1997, the comedy An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn, starring Eric Idle, was released, in which a director wants to disown a film but cannot because his real name is Alan Smithee. As a result of the publicity around this movie, and especially around the fact that director Arthur Hiller asked for and got an Alan Smithee credit for it, persuaded the Directors Guild to discontinue the Alan Smithee credit.

Another affair that may have played a role in the discontinuation of the pseudonym had to do with the release of American History X, where director Tony Kaye asked for a Smithee, but did not receive it.

After these issues, the Guild decided to choose a pseudonym for each case separately, rather than re-use a particular pseudonym. The first such example is the "Thomas Lee" credit for director Walter Hill on the 2000 film Supernova.

The change has not ended the practice of using the Smithee pseudonym entirely. For example, the Canadian film Fugitives Run starring David Hasselhoff is credited to Smithee, as are the 2003 films Cowboys Run and River Made to Drown In. As the DGA has no control whatsoever over films produced and directed outside the United States, the practice may continue in Canada and in other countries.

Use in alternative versions

  • The TV versions of films are sometimes disavowed, even if the theatrical release is not:
    • One example is Scent of a Woman directed by Martin Brest, which was "An Alan Smithee film" on television.
    • The extended TV version of the David Lynch film Dune was also credited to Smithee when Lynch objected to edits by its producers. The writing credit goes to "Judas Booth", an inside joke for Lynch, who states the studio betrayed and killed his film.
    • The same credit change happened with Michael Mann at least twice, for Heat and The Insider.
  • A version of Meet Joe Black edited for in-flight entertainment was credited to Smithee.
  • A cable TV version of William Friedkin's The Guardian was credited to Smithee.
  • Backtrack, a 1990 film directed by Dennis Hopper and starring Jodie Foster, was originally credited to Smithee; a "director's cut" for a subsequent video release was credited to Hopper. Perhaps coincidentally, Joe Pesci, who appeared prominently in the film, also had the credit for his role removed.
  • The version of Masato Harada's Ganheddo (AKA GunHed) released in the United States was credited to Smithee.
  • A half-hour 1955 television drama called The Indiscreet Mrs. Jarvis starring Angela Lansbury was released on VHS in 1992 without its original credits, but retroactively credited to Smithee.

Other productions crediting Smithee as director

The following films credit Smithee; the actual director is listed when known:

Music videos "directed" by Smithee

Trivia

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  • Eric Idle, of Monty Python fame, "portrayed" Alan Smithee in the movie Burn Hollywood Burn. Although the film was a critical and commercial disappointment, Idle has been asked for Smithee's "autograph" in real life... and has signed it.
  • In 2005 Gary Oldman was originally planned to provide the voice for the character General Grievous in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, but he pulled out. The voice was eventually provided by Lucasfilm employee Matthew Wood, who submitted his reading under the name of Alan Smithee and revealed his name only after he was chosen for the role.
  • The 2002 Playstation 2 video game Wild Arms 3 contains several references to the name. Signs found all over the game world contain tips for playing the game, disguised as quotes. These "quotes" are all credited to Alan Smithee.
  • The 2005 PlayStation 2 video game Wild Arms Alter Code: F also contains a small reference to the name. A book found in one of the game's earliest dungeons, telling of the history of the game's class of "wanderers," mentions the following: "Folklore and writings tell us that among the first wanderers was a character named Alan Smithee. Alan Smithee's legend is steeped in mystery. In fact, recent studies suggest that it is doubtful that such a character ever existed. It is also suggested that the name Alan Smithee is only a euphemism to describe the morals and values of the Wanderer Culture. Whether there was ever a real man named Alan Smithee, we will never know for a fact."
  • The 2003 computer game "Postal²" also refers to Smithee. Since many of the stock multiplayer levels are areas from the single-player game converted for multiplayer, the level "Trainyard" is credited to Alan Smithee. This is more than likely to be Steve Wik, creator of Postal.
  • Alan Smithee has one screenplay to his credit, The Nutt House, which he wrote with his son, Alan Smithee Jr. In reality, The Nutt House was written by Ivan Raimi and his brother, director Sam Raimi.
"Alan Smithee" (the man in the gaudy jacket) consulting with his helpers at the 2007 Smithee Awards at the Origins International Game Expo
Enlarge
"Alan Smithee" (the man in the gaudy jacket) consulting with his helpers at the 2007 Smithee Awards at the Origins International Game Expo
  • In 1992, a group of movie buffs in Ann Arbor, Michigan, created a tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony for the best and/or worst in B-grade and lower film, and christened them the Smithee Awards in honor of the famous pseudonym. The Smithees are held every year in Ann Arbor at U-Con and, since 1995, at the Origins International Game Expo in Columbus, Ohio.
  • Watford-based pop punk band Captain Everything titled a song "My Life as Allen Smithee" on their 2006 Buena Vista Bingo Club album and wrote an introduction to the album, also credited to Allen Smithee.
  • The name Allen Smithee appears on a movie clapboard at the beginning of Frisky Dingo, season two episode seven.

References

  1. ^ Thompson, Howard (May 10 1969). "Screen: Tough Western: 'Death of a Gunfighter' Stars Widmark" New York Times [1]
  2. ^ SNPP.com - Capsule for AABF02. Retrieved on 2006-07-19.

Related pseudonyms

Some authors have used Smithee-like pseudonyms on works they wish to disown. The best known modern example of this is Cordwainer Bird, a name used on occasion by Harlan Ellison and a subtle play on the science fiction pseudonym Cordwainer Smith. Ellison also used his Smithee variant when he removed his name from the credits of the 1970s TV series The Starlost, which he created.

Similarly, Paddy Chayevsky was unhappy enough with Ken Russell's film of his novel and screenplay Altered States that the screenplay was credited to "Sidney Aaron", Chayefsky's real first and middle names. Episode 6 of Monty Python's Flying Circus had Irving C. Saltzberg listed in most of the roles except the actors, who were all given a middle initial of C.

Also, In 1964's The Last Man on Earth, a film adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, Matheson wrote the screenplay, but later rewrites were so changed that he did not wish his name to appear in the credits. The pseudonym "Logan Swanson" appears instead.

Screenwriter Robert Towne was slated to direct 1984's epic Tarzan retelling Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes based on his screenplay, but he was sacked following the box-office failure of his directorial debut, Personal Best. Towne retaliated by demanding that the name of his dog (P.H. Vazak) appear in the screen credit for his screenplay. Ironically, P.H. Vazak received an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.

See also

External links and sources


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