History Main / AlanSmithee

* Creator/DavidORussell used the name "Stephen Greene" for his failed film, ''Nailed'', which [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment was kept on ice for eight years]] (in an incomplete state!) before a 2015 release under a new title, ''Accidental Love''. Anyone who had seen this movie understood why he disowned it since it's really a messed-up film that should have stayed dead.
* The 2011 comedy/horror film ''Orcs!'' has a directing credit for "James [=McPherson=]". That was really a pseudonym used by actual director Andrew Black due to being unhappy with the final results. If you've seen the film, it's [[SoBadItsGood not hard]] to see why.

* Creator/{{Filmation}} overlord Lou Scheimer voiced Orko and King Randor on ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' (and other characters on his shows) under the name Eric Gunden; Erika Lane, who shares music credit on the show, is also Scheimer (taken from his children's names). Similarly, the Yvette Blais who has music credit on numerous Filmation series is actually Ray Ellis (who often used that pseudonym - she was his wife).

* The writer of the short-lived ''ComicBook/XMen'' spin-off ''The Brotherhood'' was listed as "Writer X". Most fans believe the writer was either Howard Mackie or Devin Grayson, but no one seems to know for sure.

* During production of ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie'' , Janet Waldo's dialogue for Judy Jetson was dubbed over by pop star Tiffany due to executive meddling so as to attract more people. Creator/AndreaRomano, one of the voice directors, was so against the decision that she asked to have her name removed from the end credits. [[note]] This only applies to the theatrical version since she was credited on the media releases and tv airings. [[/note]]

Before 2000, Smithee was the only alias Directors Guild members were permitted to use. This was changed because of the parody ''Film/AnAlanSmitheeFilmBurnHollywoodBurn'', which revolves around a director who wants his name removed from his film, but is stymied by actually being ''named'' Alan Smithee. A combination of confusion from bad press surrounding the film and director Arthur Hiller wanting ''[[{{Irony}} his]]'' [[LifeImitatesArt name removed]] - which created an odd metatextual tangle where, under DGA rules, ''An Alan Smithee Film'' had to be credited to Alan Smithee - caused the name to be retired. Since then, aliases are selected on a case-by-case basis. The popularity of the name is such that Smithee's IMDB page has several post-2000 entries (none of which are presumably under DGA jurisdiction).

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E1AttackOfTheCybermen "Attack of the Cybermen"]] was credited to "Paula Moore", which disguises an extremely complicated and disputed story as to who wrote it. Although the specifics have never been nailed down, the most commonly accepted version of events is that it was largely written by script editor Eric Saward, based on a story outline by continuity advisor Ian Levine. "Moore" (an ex-girlfriend of Saward's, whose real name was actually Paula Woolsey) just agreed to act as the story's author (and allowed the usage of some elements from an unrelated outline she'd previously submitted) so as to get around BBC regulations preventing Saward from being credited as script editor on his own work.

* In ''Anime/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'', Ai Hayasaka doesn't want her classmates knowing she's Kaguya's maid, so she uses the pseudonym Haysaca A. Smithee if she has to meet one of them in uniform. It's not quite as dumb as it looks -- the Haysaca part looks closer in English than it really is, and why would Japanese schoolkids know about Alan Smithee? -- but it's still hard to believe she fools the genius Shirogane this way.

It helps that he didn't actually exist.

See, in the movie industry of the past, if a director's movie became the victim of ExecutiveMeddling and bad acting to the point where [[OldShame they were no longer proud of it]], he could request to have his name taken off it, and it would then be credited to "Alan Smithee".

* One of Peppy's film posters in ''Film/TheArtist'' gives a director's credit to Alan Smithee.

[[folder:Film]]
* As noted in the trope description above, the practice of using "Alan Smithee" ended with ''Film/AnAlanSmitheeFilmBurnHollywoodBurn''. The film itself was a LampshadeHanging on the very concept of using "Alan Smithee" as a pseudonym: the titular in-movie director who wants his name out of the film really ''is'' named Alan Smithee. Veteran director Arthur Hiller (of ''Film/LoveStory'' and many, many other films) was unhappy with the film's script and end result, and requested that his name be removed from the final product (and, sure enough, he got credited as Alan Smithee. No, ''really''). This is what led to the Director's Guild discontinuing the practice. Hiller, on the other hand, [[CreatorKiller wouldn't direct another project for more than a decade]] due to ''Burn Hollywood Burn'''s universal savaging and extremely low box office gross. It was also Strike Number Three for writer Joe Eszterhas after ''Showgirls'' and ''Jade'' in 1995; this film sent him from being the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood to the C-list of writers. Finally, it was one of several busts that convinced [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company,]] who released this through their Hollywood Pictures label, to shut that brand down for a while. As far as legacy goes, this is one of the films on Creator/RogerEbert's most hated film list, getting a zero star rating from him, and has five [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Golden Raspberry Awards]], one of which is for Worst Picture of 1998.
* One of Peppy's film posters in ''Film/TheArtist'' gives a director's credit to Alan Smithee.
* Kevin Yagher, the director of ''Film/HellraiserBloodline'' wasn't happy how the studio cut chunks from the film and chose to be credited as Alan Smithee.

* Smithee's directorial debut (as it were) was the 1969 film ''Death Of A Gunfighter'', when actor Richard Widmark decided he was unhappy with director Robert Totten and [[WagTheDirector arranged to have him replaced]] by Don Siegel. Sadly, when the film was completed, neither Totten nor Siegel wanted to have it attributed to his name. The first suggestion for the name of the fictitious director was Al Smith, but the DGA said that there was already a director going by that name, and suggested Allen Smithee instead. When it was released, ''The New York Times'' and Creator/RogerEbert actually praised Smithee's directorial work, though Ebert admitted that Allen Smithee was "a name I'm not familiar with". The version of the review on his website features a footnote noting the inaugural use of the Smithee name. Eventually "Alan" replaced "Allen" as the preferred form of Smithee's first name.
* Creator/DavidLynch took his name off the extended cut of ''Film/Dune1984'', which was not only directed by Alan Smithee but written by [[MeaningfulName Judas Booth]]. Of course that surname has a [[Film/BlueVelvet history]] with Lynch.

* Creator/WalterHill used the name "Thomas Lee" on the 2000 flop ''Film/{{Supernova}}'' after MGM constantly interfered with the production and editing process (even bringing in Creator/FrancisFordCoppola to reshoot some scenes).
* After Takeshi Kimura fell into depression, he wrote all his subsequent screenplays, ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' or otherwise, under the gender-neutral pen name Kaoru Mabuchi. They were noticeably less-well-written than his pre-Mabuchi screenplays.
* As a result of the infamous and tragic HellishCopter incident on the set of ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie'', second assistant director Andy House had his name removed from the credits and replaced with the pseudonym Alan Smithee.
* Creator/AlanMoore is [[DisownedAdaptation completely disgusted by all the movie adaptations of his work]], and has requested that he simply be referred to as "Alan Smithee" for anything based on his work.
** For Creator/ZackSnyder's ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'' adaptation, Moore was simply uncredited.
** ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' magazine lampshaded this in its parody of ''Watchmen'', by having a caricature of Moore introduce himself in the opening splash as Alan "Smithee" Moore.
* Averted by Creator/DavidFincher on ''Film/Alien3''. He was brought in late on an already TroubledProduction, faced ExecutiveMeddling from the start, and wound up seeing the film edited without his participation, but, since it was his first film, he informally disowned it instead.
* ''Film/StudentBodies'' saw Alan Smithee become a producer (in this case "replacing" Michael Ritchie)--although director Mickey Rose kept his own name on the credits.
* Russell Mulcahy was threatened with a lawsuit if he attempted to petition the DGA to remove his credit from the ''Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening''.

* The Creator/BetteMidler vehicle ''Jinxed!'' was a TroubledProduction, with, among other problems, Midler and co-star Ken Wahl hating each other's guts and intense mutual hatred between The Divine Miss M and director Don Siegel (who, as mentioned earlier, was one of the creators of Allen/Alan Smithee on ''Death of a Gunfighter''). Siegel suffered a heart attack during production and Creator/SamPeckinpah, not the first name that comes to mind when thinking of comedy directors--then again, neither is Siegel--finished the film uncredited. Siegel recovered but this was his final film credit. All of this led to primary screenwriter Frank Gilroy billing himself as "Bert Blessing".
* Creator/AlecBaldwin used the name Harry Kirkpatrick when a recut version of his only directorial effort, a remake of ''Film/TheDevilAndDanielWebster'', was distributed under the name ''Film/ShortcutToHappiness'' in 2007 (six years after the film was made, due to legal issues over the production).
* Masato Harada took his name off the English dub of ''Gunhed''; his credit was replaced with Alan Smithee.
* One of the producers of ''{{Film/Leap}}: Rise Of The Beast'' is credited with this due to not wanting his name used.

* The "Z.X. Jones" credited with the script for the Creator/RaquelWelch Western ''Hannie Caulder'' covers the film's director Burt Kennedy and David Haft.
* Creator/KieferSutherland has the "honour" of being the last person to officially use Alan Smithee before the name was retired, with 1999's ''Without Warning'' (which he also starred in).
* ''Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies'', in addition to spending some time on TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment, was reedited by Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox before finally being released in 1973 (and bombing) - director John Erman, screenwriter Claudia Salter and producers Robert Fryer and James Cresson all took their names off it. The director became Bill Sampson, the writer became Chips Rosen, and the producers became Boris Wilson, which led to a reviewer sarcastically cracking that the person credited with the story kept his real name on it. Said story provider, Creator/StevenSpielberg, [[CreatorBacklash pretty much disowned the thing]].

* Fred Olen Ray used his real name for ''Invisible Mom 2'' but was credited as Peter Stewart when directing ''Mom's Outta Sight''. Hilariously, at time of writing, both movies were scored 4.1/10 on Website/{{IMDB}}.

* David Anspaugh apparently doesn't like his films to be edited for TV. The TV version of ''{{Film/Rudy}}'' is credited to Smithee, while "Jack Nemo" gets the director credit for the edited version of ''{{Film/Hoosiers}}''.
* Creator/SidneyLumet used the pseudonym for the TV edit of the 1990 film ''Film/QAndA''.
* During production of ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie'' , Janet Waldo's dialogue for Judy Jetson was dubbed over by pop star Tiffany due to executive meddling so as to attract more people. Creator/AndreaRomano, one of the voice directors, was so against the decision that she asked to have her name removed from the end credits. [[note]] This only applies to the theatrical version since she was credited on the media releases and tv airings. [[/note]]

* Spoofed in ''Film/TheFirstNudieMusical'', where the FilmWithinAFilm is directed by an incompetent nitwit named John Smithee.
* Alan Smithee was the only director with the guts to try to fill the shoes of Creator/AlfredHitchcock himself in making a sequel to ''Film/TheBirds''. 1994's ''The Birds II: Land's End'' carries this credit (because director Rick Rosenthal didn't want his name on it).
* ''Film/EpicMovie'' has an interesting variant with an entire ''film distributor''. Although the film was released by [[Creator/TwentiethCenturyStudios 20th Century Fox]], neither their name or logo appears on the marketing (aside from a very early poster) or even the movie itself, giving sole credit to producer Creator/RegencyEnterprises. Some have speculated this may have been because of the film's incredibly toxic reception from critics, although (as is typical with Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg's movies) [[CriticProof it made a lot of money]]. This wasn't done with their other films released by Fox.
* The Creator/StevenSeagal action movie ''The Patriot'' has its script credited to "M. Sussman" and "John Kingswell", neither of whom has any other screen credits. The former is most likely frequent ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' and ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' writer Mike Sussman, and the latter, based on early publicity material, is likely none other than Creator/DavidAyer.
* An interesting case with ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIITheNewBlood''. As the WGA was currently on strike, a scab writer was brought in after original writer Daryl Haney got the boot. Credited as Manuel Fidello to avoid getting a swift expulsion from the Guild. Their actual identity remains a mystery to this day.
* When Delia Ephron brought onto ''Film/BrendaStarr'' to give the script a rewrite (her first movie job), she chose to be credited as Jenny Wolkind. [[OldShame It's not mentioned on her website.]]
* The 2011 comedy/horror film ''Orcs!'' has a directing credit for "James [=McPherson=]". That was really a pseudonym used by actual director Andrew Black due to being unhappy with the final results. If you've seen the film, it's [[SoBadItsGood not hard]] to see why.
* The 2001 French dub credits of Disney's ''[[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs Snow White]]'' provide a variation of this trope, where the adaptor's and lyricist's names are listed as [[http://www.alostfilm.com/2015/03/snow-white-in-france-chapter-8-2001.html an "all rights reserved" notice]].
* Leigh Chapman took her name off the {{Blaxploitation}} film ''Truck Turner'' - when her original script was rewritten as something far what she'd intended. She ''would'' have received "story by" credit - she chose to be billed as Jerry Wilkes... [[TakeThat which was her ex-husband's name]].
* Soviet example: ''Among Grey Stones'' was recut by Soviet censors so hard that outraged director Creator/KiraMuratova demanded to remove her name from the credits. The film instead credits "Ivan Sidorov" as the director.

* VideoGame/DragaliaLost English voice credits is subverted, while there are some characters that are credited under actual voice actors/actresses (Vincent Tong, Creator/TabithaStGermain, Creator/KazumiEvans, Sabrina Pitre, Creator/LizzieFreeman, and Creator/SamuelVincent), the majority of the characters credited are credited with pseudonymous names.

* Soviet example: ''Among Grey Stones'' was recut by Soviet censors so hard that outraged director Kira Muratova demanded to remove her name from the credits. The film instead credits "Ivan Sidorov" as the director.

* Creator/PhilLaMarr [[TheOtherDarrin Darrin'd]] Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks for much of Season 1 of ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' under the pseudonym of "BJ Hughes". Unlike other examples of this trope, it should be noted that this is the only role of his on the show in which [=LaMarr=] was credited by a pseudonym, whereas he is credited by his real name for all his other roles, making this a case of choosing not to be associated with a specific role rather than an entire work. Given that Best was going through a CreatorBreakdown at the time due to harassment he received from being associated with Jar Jar, [=LaMarr=] likely went by the pseudonym to avoid going through the same ordeal.

* The late Creator/MaryKayBergman was often credited as "Shannen Cassidy" (derived from SHANNEN Doherty and Ryan CASSIDY) for voicing many of the female characters of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. This was very likely due to her simultaneously working for Disney, most notably as the voice of Snow White and Jessie's yodelling in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory2''.

* As noted in the trope description above, the practice of using "Alan Smithee" ended with ''Film/AnAlanSmitheeFilmBurnHollywoodBurn''. The film itself was a LampshadeHanging on the very concept of using "Alan Smithee" as a pseudonym: the titular in-movie director who wants his name out of the film really ''is'' named Alan Smithee. Veteran director Arthur Hiller (of ''Film/LoveStory'' and many, many other films) was unhappy with the film's script and end result, and requested that his name be removed from the final product (and, sure enough, he got credited as Alan Smithee. No, ''really''). This is what led to the Director's Guild discontinuing the practice. Hiller, on the other hand, [[CreatorKiller wouldn't direct another project for more than a decade]] due to ''Burn Hollywood Burn'''s universal savaging and extremely low box office gross. It was also Strike Number Three for writer Joe Eszterhas after ''Showgirls'' and ''Jade'' in 1995; this film sent him from being the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood to the C-list of writers. Finally, it was one of several busts that convinced [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company,]] who released this through their Hollywood Pictures label, to shut that brand down for a while. As far as legacy goes, this is one of the films on Creator/RogerEbert's [[RogerEbertMostHatedFilmList most hated film list, getting a zero star rating from him]], and has five [[UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward Golden Raspberry Awards]], one of which is for Worst Picture of 1998.

* The final issue of the Threeboot ''ComicBook/{{Legion of Super-Heroes}}'', which rapidly tied up all the plot threads before ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' gave us the original Legion again, was apparently written by "Justin Thyme". Mr Thyme has also been an artist for Marvel (penciller on the ''Comicbook/{{Excalibur}} Weird War III'' graphic novel and colorist on ''Comicbook/BlackPanther'' Vol 3 #44) and done some work for Creator/CrossGen.

** A special feature on the DVD for the story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime "The Invasion of Time"]] was a documentary about the story's writer. ''The Elusive David Agnew'' was credited as being directed by Alan Smithee, but the documentary itself was a {{mockumentary}}, since David Agnew was also a pseudonym used by the BBC; "Agnew" is the credited writer of "The Invasion of Time", as another story had been discarded at the last minute and the script editor and producer had to write it themselves.
** Agnew was also credited as writing [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath "City of Death"]], not because it was a bad episode (it's actually considered to be one of the best serials in the show's history), but because it was hastily rewritten from scratch by [[Creator/DouglasAdams the script editor]] and producer after the original writer, David Fisher, was unable to perform the extensive rewrites required.

** A special feature on the DVD for the story [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime "The Invasion of Time"]] was a documentary about the story's writer. ''The Elusive David Agnew'' was credited as being directed by Alan Smithee, but the documentary itself was a {{mockumentary}}, since David Agnew was also a pseudonym used by the BBC. Agnew was also credited as writing [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E2CityOfDeath "City of Death"]], not because it was a bad episode (it's actually considered to be one of the best serials in the show's history), but because it would have looked inappropriate for [[Creator/DouglasAdams the script editor]] and producer to be credited as writers.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E1AttackOfTheCybermen "Attack of the Cybermen"]] was credited to "Paula Moore", a pen name for Paula Woolsey. Although what exactly happened has never been made clear, the most commonly accepted version of events is that it was largely written by script editor Eric Saward, based on a story outline by continuity advisor Ian Levine. Woolsey (an ex-girlfriend of Saward's) just agreed to act as the story's author (and allowed the usage of some elements from an unrelated outline she'd previously submitted) so as to get around BBC regulations preventing Saward from writing more than one story per season.

** Jon Vitti and David Silverman used the pseudonyms "Penny Wise" and "Pound Foolish" for writing and directing the [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E3AnotherSimpsonsClipShow second and [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E10TheSimpsons138thEpisodeSpectacular third]] clip episodes.

* VideoGame/DragaliaLost English voice credits is subverted, while there are some characters that are credited under actual voice actors/actresses (Vincent Tong, Creator/TabithaStGermain, Creator/KazumiEvans, Sabrina Pitre, Lizzie Freeman, and Creator/SamuelVincent), the majority of the characters credited are credited with pseudonymous names.

* Austrian film composer Thomas [[UnfortunateNames Wanker]] (''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'') changed his professional billing on American and British productions to Thomas Wander, for what should be obvious reasons.

* Leigh Chapman took her name off the {{Blaxploitation}} film ''Truck Turner'' - when her original script was rewritten as something far what she'd intened. She ''would'' have received "story by" credit - she chose to by billed as Jerry Wilkes... [[TakeThat which was her ex-husband's name]].