Universal Pictures released the revisionist western Death of a Gunfighter on 8 May 1969. It’s a good film, but that’s not why we’re talking about it today. We are talking about it because it birthed Alan Smithee.
During the production, director Robert Totten and star Richard Widmark didn’t get along. With half the film in the can, Widmark demanded that producer Richard Lyons replace Totten.
I’ve never heard the specifics of the story. In fact, it isn’t even clear if Totten was replaced or resigned. And it isn’t clear what the problem was. But it isn’t hard to see how the conflict could arise.
Totten had been toiling most of his career as a television director, and Death of a Gunfighter was his first chance to direct a well-budgeted feature film. And there’s every indication that he was using his considerable talent to its fullest extent on the film.
Meanwhile, Widmark was a star on the downside of his career. I can well see why he found the young and ambitious director annoying. Not that it was reasonable.
Regardless of what happened, Totten was replaced by the great Don Siegel. It is probably due to this that the film is uneven. But at the end, Widmark wanted Siegel’s name on the film. Siegel felt it would be wrong to do so. (He might also have been unimpressed with the final film.) And Totten certainly didn’t want his name on the film.
Alan Smithee
So the Director’s Guild of America decided to overturn their long-running policy of not allowing pseudonyms for directors. They allowed the producers to credit the “director” Allen Smithee. But this spelling was soon changed and the official spelling is now “Alan Smithee.”
Most fans will be well-familiar with this name, or as it is more usually spelled: Alan Smithee. This became the go-to name to use when a director wanted their name removed from a film.
There are other films produced earlier that IMDb lists as directed by Alan Smithee. But these were retroactively applied. For example, Fade In was produced in 1968 — before Death of a Gunfighter. But it was never released theatrically, appearing in 1973 on TV.
Other 8 May Anniversaries
Filmmakers:
- Bob Clampett (1913-1984): Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animator.
- Saul Bass (1920-1996): Iconic designer of movie posters like Vertigo and The Shining.
- Jack Laird (1923-1991): Producer best known for Night Gallery.
- Don Rickles (1926-2017): Comedian who had a pretty big career in film including Kelly’s Heroes and the voice of Mr Potato Head in the Toy Story films.
- Robert Dix (1935-2018): Character actor known for Blood of Dracula’s Castle, Five Bloody Graves, and more.
- David Keith (1954-): Actor known for Firestarter and Daredevil.
- Betsy Baker (1955-): Actor known for The Evil Dead.
- Jeff Wincott (1956-): Martial artist who appears in a lot of those kinds of films.
Films:
- The Corpse Vanishes (1942): Bela Lugosi “mad scientist with needy wife” film.
- The Evil of Frankenstein (1964): Third of the Hammer Frankenstein films and one you should definitely see.
- The Burning (1981): Camp slasher.
- Poison Ivy (1992): Teen worms her way into a rich family with bad intent.
- Deep Impact (1998): Comet hits Earth.
- The Lower Circle (2009): Old friends get together at a remote location, and things get complicated.
- America’s Most Haunted (2013): People who produce a ghost-hunting show encounter an actual ghost.
Death of a Gunfighter (1969) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
