Alan Smithee

Alan Smithee is an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project. Coined by the Directors Guild of America in 1968, it was used until 2000 when it was largely discontinued. It was the sole pseudonym used by DGA members who were, on paper, directors of a film but were dissatisfied with the final product and able to prove to a guild panel that they had not been able to exercise creative control over its filming process. The director was also required by guild rules not to discuss the circumstances leading to the move or even to acknowledge being the project's director. The Alan Smithee credit has also been adopted for direction credit disputes in television, music videos and other media.

History

Before 1968, DGA rules did not permit directors to be credited under a pseudonym. This was intended to prevent producers from forcing them upon directors, which would inhibit the development of their résumés. The guild also required that the director be credited, in support of the auteur theory, which posits that the director is the primary creative force behind a film.
The Smithee pseudonym was created for use on the film Death of a Gunfighter, released in 1969. During its filming, lead actor Richard Widmark was unhappy with director Robert Totten and arranged to have him replaced by Don Siegel. Siegel later estimated that he had spent 9 to 10 days filming, while Totten had spent 25 days. Each had roughly an equal amount of footage in Siegel's final edit, but Siegel made clear that Widmark had effectively been in charge the entire time. When the film was finished, Siegel did not want to take the credit for it and Totten refused to take credit in his place. The DGA panel hearing the dispute agreed that the film did not represent either director's creative vision.
The original proposal was to credit the fictional "Al Smith". However, the name was deemed too common and was already in use within the film industry. The last name was first changed to "Smithe", then "Smithee", which was thought to be distinctive enough to avoid confusion with similar names but without drawing attention to itself. Critics praised the film and its "new" director, 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," and Roger Ebert commenting, "Director Allen Smithee, a name I'm not familiar with, allows his story to unfold naturally."
Following its coinage, the pseudonym "Allen Smithee" was applied retroactively to Fade In, a film starring Burt Reynolds and directed by Jud Taylor, which was first released before the release of Death of a Gunfighter. Taylor also requested the pseudonym for City in Fear with David Janssen. Taylor commented on its use when he received the DGA's Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award in 2003:
The spelling "Alan Smithee" became standard; the Internet Movie Database lists about two dozen feature films and many more television features and series episodes credited to this name. A persistent urban legend suggests that this particular spelling was chosen because it is an anagram of the phrase "the alias men"; however, this is apocryphal.
Over the years the name and its purpose became more widely known. Some directors violated the embargo on discussing their use of the pseudonym. In 1997, the film An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn was released. In the film, a man named Alan Smithee wishes to disavow a film he directed, but is unable to do so because the only pseudonym he is permitted to use is his own name. The film was directed by Arthur Hiller, who reported to the DGA that producer Joe Eszterhas had interfered with his creative control. He successfully removed his own name from the film, so Alan Smithee was credited instead. The film was a commercial and critical failure, released in only 19 theaters, grossing only $45,779 in the United States with a budget of about $10 million. Rotten Tomatoes reports an aggregate critical rating of only 8% positive.
The film was nominated for eight Golden Raspberry Awards at the following year's ceremony. It won five awards, including Worst Picture. The harsh negative publicity that surrounded the film drew unwanted mainstream attention to the pseudonym. Following this, the DGA retired the name; for the film Supernova, dissatisfied director Walter Hill was instead credited as "Thomas Lee", and Accidental Love director David O. Russell left the product credited to Stephen Greene.
Meanwhile, the name had been used outside of the film industry. It continues to be used in other media and on film projects not under the purview of the DGA. Although the pseudonym was intended for use by directors, the Internet Movie Database lists several uses as writer credits as well. Variations of the name have also occasionally been used, such as "Alan Smithee and Alana Smithy".

Uses

Historical uses of the "Alan Smithee" credit, in chronological order:

Film direction

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

Film	Year	Director	Notes	Reference
Fade In	1968	Jud Taylor	Also called Iron Cowboy; shown in previews with Taylor credited, then shelved; issued in 1973 with "Allen Smithee" credited as director.
Death of a Gunfighter	1969	Robert Totten and Don Siegel	Credited to "Allen Smithee".
The Barking Dog	1978	Unknown
Gypsy Angels	1980	Unknown
City in Fear	1980	Jud Taylor
Fun and Games	1980	Paul Bogart
Student Bodies	1981	Mickey Rose	Produced by Michael Ritchie under the pseudonym
Twilight Zone: The Movie	1983	Anderson House	Second Assistant Director Anderson House used the pseudonym for the first segment, in which actor Vic Morrow and two children were killed in a helicopter accident during production. This represents a rare instance where the "Alan Smithee" credit was taken by an assistant director.
Dune	1984	David Lynch	Used only for the version as extended and edited for broadcast television. In addition to the "Smithee" directing credit, for the broadcast TV version Lynch's screenwriting credit goes to "Judas Booth".
Appointment with Fear	1985	Ramsey Thomas
Stitches	1985	Rod Holcomb
Let's Get Harry	1986	Stuart Rosenberg
Morgan Stewart's Coming Home	1987	Paul Aaron and Terry Windsor
Ghost Fever	1987	Lee Madden
I Love N.Y.	1987	Gianni Bozzacchi
Gunhed	1989	Masato Harada	Used for the re-edited TV release in the United States
Catchfire	1990	Dennis Hopper	Originally released in theaters as Smithee. A subsequent video release under the title Backtrack was Hopper's intended "director's cut", for which he received credit.
The Shrimp on the Barbie	1990	Michael Gottlieb
Solar Crisis	1990	Richard C. Sarafian
The Guardian	1990	William Friedkin	Credited to "Alan Von Smithee" only for the version as edited for cable television
Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh	1991	Dean Tschetter
The Nutt House	1992	Adam Rifkin	Used by writers Scott Spiegel, Bruce Campbell, Ivan Raimi, and Sam Raimi
Scent of a Woman	1992	Martin Brest	Used for the version edited for in-flight viewing
Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence	1993	William Lustig
Rudy	1993	David Anspaugh	Used for the re-edited TV release
The Birds II: Land's End	1994	Rick Rosenthal
The Journey Inside	1994	Barnaby Jackson
National Lampoon's Senior Trip	1995	Kelly Makin	Alan Smithee is credited onscreen as the director of a pornographic video featured briefly in the film, "Forrest Humps"
Raging Angels	1995	Unknown
Smoke n Lightnin	1995	Unknown
Heat	1995	Michael Mann	Used for the re-edited TV release
Hellraiser: Bloodline	1996	Kevin Yagher
Exit	1996	Ric Roman Waugh
Dilemma	1997	Eric Larsen and Eric Louzil
Le Zombi de Cap-Rouge	1997	Simon Robideaux
Sub Down	1997	Gregg Champion
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn	1997	Arthur Hiller
Picture of Priority	1998	Unknown
Meet Joe Black	1998	Martin Brest	Used for the version edited for in-flight viewing and cable television
Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes	1998	Cass Paley
The Coroner	1999	Brian Katkin and Juan A. Mas
The Insider	1999	Michael Mann	Used for the version edited for television
River Made to Drown In	1999	James Merendino
Woman Wanted	1999	Kiefer Sutherland
The Disciples	2000	Kirk Wong
In the Wrong Hands	2002	Chris Johnston and James A. Seale
Fugitives Run	2003	Philip Spink
Eep!	2010	Rita Horst	Credited as Ellen Smith, the only time a Dutch director asked for this credit. Ellen is a Dutch name that is pronounced similarly to Alan.
Another Night of the Living Dead	2011	Unknown
Old 37	2015	Christian Winters
Anatar	2023	Lorenzo Dante Zanoni