Editing Alan Smithee (section)

== 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.<ref name="LATimes" /> The guild also required that the director be credited, in support of the [[Auteur|auteur theory]], which posits that the director is the primary creative force behind a film.<ref name="directedby" />

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.<ref name="directedby" /> 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.<ref name="LATimes" />

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",<ref name="LATimes" /> which was thought to be distinctive enough to avoid confusion with similar names but without drawing attention to itself.<ref name="directedby" /> 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,"<ref>Thompson, Howard (May 10, 1969). "Screen: Tough Western: 'Death of a Gunfighter' Stars Widmark" ''[[The New York Times]]'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20160302021255/http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html(Movie)&title2=&reviewer=HOWARD%20THOMPSON&pdate=19690510&v_id=12954]</ref> and [[Roger Ebert]] commenting, "Director Allen Smithee, a name I'm not familiar with, allows his story to unfold naturally."<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://rogerebert.com/reviews/death-of-a-gunfighter-1969 |title=Roger Ebert's review of ''Death of a Gunfighter'' |work=rogerebert.com |access-date=December 24, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127141836/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/death-of-a-gunfighter-1969 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following its coinage, the pseudonym "Alan Smithee" was applied retroactively to ''[[Fade In (film)|Fade In]]'' (also known as ''Iron Cowboy''), a film starring [[Burt Reynolds]] and directed by [[Jud Taylor]], which was first released before the release of ''Death of a Gunfighter''.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Notorc |url=http://notorc.blogspot.com/2006/06/almost-famous-spelvins-plinges-and.html |title=Postscripts: Almost Famous: The Spelvins, the Plinges and the Smithees |publisher=Notorc.blogspot.com |date=December 6, 2006 |access-date=January 27, 2010 |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410203419/http://notorc.blogspot.com/2006/06/almost-famous-spelvins-plinges-and.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Taylor also requested the pseudonym for ''[[City in Fear]]'' (1980) with [[David Janssen]]. Taylor commented on its use when he received the DGA's [[Robert Aldrich|Robert B. Aldrich]] Achievement Award in 2003:

{{Blockquote | style=font-size:100% |I had a couple of problems in my career having to do with [[Film editing|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dga.org/news/v27_6/feat_taylor_aldrich.php3 |title=MAGAZINE {{pipe}} DGA Awards Aldrich: Jud Taylor {{pipe}} VOL 27-6: MAR 2003 |publisher=Dga.org |access-date=2010-01-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121011911/http://www.dga.org/news/v27_6/feat_taylor_aldrich.php3 |archive-date=2008-11-21}}</ref>}}

The spelling "Alan Smithee" became standard; the [[IMDb|Internet Movie Database]] lists about two dozen feature films and many more television features and series episodes credited to this name.<ref name="Alan Smithee">{{IMDb name|0000647}}.</ref> A persistent urban legend suggests that this particular spelling was chosen because it is an [[anagram]] of the phrase "the [[Pseudonym|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 (played by [[Eric Idle]]) 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.<ref name="burnmojo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=burnhollywoodburn.htm |title=''Burn Hollywood Burn'' at Box Office Mojo |publisher=Boxofficemojo.com |access-date=January 27, 2010 |archive-date=January 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129061223/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=burnhollywoodburn.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Rotten Tomatoes reports an aggregate critical rating of only 8% positive.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/burn_hollywood_burn/ |title=''Burn Hollywood Burn'' at Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Rottentomatoes.com |date=August 5, 2003 |access-date=January 27, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100302194524/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/burn_hollywood_burn/| archive-date= March 2, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> 

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 (2000 film)|Supernova]]'' (2000), dissatisfied director [[Walter Hill]] was instead credited as "Thomas Lee",<ref name="LATimes">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-15-ca-54271-story.html |title=Name of Director Smithee Isn't What It Used to Be |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 15, 2000 |access-date=January 27, 2010 |first=Amy |last=Wallace |archive-date=June 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618065712/http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jan/15/entertainment/ca-54271 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Accidental Love]]'' director, David O. Russell, left the product credited to Stephen Greene.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Rodrigo |date=2015-02-11 |title=Review: Stephen Greene's 'Accidental Love' Starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Jessica Biel Doesn't Nail Its Mark |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/02/review-stephen-greenes-accidental-love-starring-jake-gyllenhaal-jessica-biel-doesnt-nail-its-mark-267222/ |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=IndieWire |language=en |archive-date=2022-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124232943/https://www.indiewire.com/2015/02/review-stephen-greenes-accidental-love-starring-jake-gyllenhaal-jessica-biel-doesnt-nail-its-mark-267222/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-07 |title=Who is Alan Smithee? |url=https://bitoftrivia.com/2022/11/07/who-is-alan-smithee/ |access-date=2022-11-24 |website=Bit of trivia |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-11-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124232944/https://bitoftrivia.com/2022/11/07/who-is-alan-smithee/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Alan Smithee" /> Variations of the name have also occasionally been used, such as "Alan Smithee and Alana Smithy" (screenwriters for the 2011 film ''[[Hidden 3D]]'').