The Man With Over 100 Film and TV Credits: The Alan Smithee Story

DreamReachMedia ^ | No date given | No author given

[Leaning Right]

When a creator is dissatisfied with how the final product turned out, it’s not uncommon for them to use a pseudonym rather than their real name.

*snip*

There are multiple names that have been used, often created by each individual person, but one name stands above them all.

Alan Smithee.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; TV/Movies; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: smithee

[Leaning Right]

Something non-political for a Sunday.

[jroehl]

**Alan Smithee** is a **fictional name (a pseudonym)** historically used by film directors who wanted their names removed from a movie.

For example, if a director lost creative control and did not want to be credited, the Directors Guild of America could allow the credit:

**Directed by Alan Smithee**

The name was used from **1968 until 2000**, when it became too widely recognized to remain anonymous.

A famous example is the 1984 film *Dune*, whose extended TV version was credited to Alan Smithee rather than director David Lynch.

So, if you see **Alan Smithee** in movie credits, it generally means: **the credited director did not want to be publicly associated with the finished film.**

[Miami Rebel]

The ULTIMATE Alan Smithee Story!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Alan_Smithee_Film:_Burn_Hollywood_Burn

[MikelTackNailer]

It didn't stop in 2000 - Smithee continues to pop up where film people hang their heads in shame.

Alan Smithee filmography

How have I lived this long without seeing

[muir_redwoods]

AKA, L.N. Smithee

[Hebrews 11:6]

I presume "Smithee" is a hat-tip to Random Harvest.

[chud]

Interesting. I was not aware of this.
I'll start telling snobby film aficionados that my favorite director is Alan Smithee! (grin)

[fidelis]

That explains the mst3K reference during the showing of the credits for "Jack Frost":

"All these names are Russian for Alan Smithee."

[KarlInOhio]

A famous example is the 1984 film *Dune*, whose extended TV version was credited to Alan Smithee rather than director David Lynch.

I think he also changed the writer's name to Judas Booth.

Meanwhile Alaska Democrats are trying to find a real person named Alan Smithee to collect the royalties for all those movies.