Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography, & More Who is Alan Smithee
Mar 7, 2026
A deep dive into the mysterious film credit that shows up on over a hundred projects. Traces the DGA rules and union history that created a single-name credit solution. Tells stories of disputed productions, recuts, and directors disowning work. Explains how a once-useful pseudonym became notorious and was eventually retired.
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How The DGA Enforced One Director Equals One Vision
- The Directors Guild of America enshrined the auteur idea by generally allowing only one director credit to preserve a single creative voice.
- The DGA's rules require one credited director, arbitration if replaced, and exception only for formally recognized director teams like the Coens.
Death Of A Gunfighter Sparked Alan Smithy
- A real production clash on Death of a Gunfighter led both Robert Totten and Don Siegel to reject credit because the finished film mixed their footage.
- The DGA created the pseudonym Alan Smithy (from Al Smith) specifically because no known filmmaker had that name.
Critics Praised A Director Who Didn't Exist
- Major critics treated Alan Smithy as a real director, with The New York Times and Roger Ebert praising 'Alan Smithy' for direction.
- The pseudonym went unnoticed outside Hollywood, letting reviews attribute competence to a nonexistent director.