No director in Hollywood has a weirder résumé than Alan Smithee. Between 1969 and 2015, his credits included the Richard Widmark western "Death of a Gunfighter"; the horror comedies "Student Bodies" and "Ghost Fever"; the Jodie Foster thriller "Catchfire"; the franchise sequels "The Birds II: Land's End" and "Hellraiser: Bloodline"; episodes of hit TV series like "MacGyver" and "Tiny Toon Adventures"; and music videos for artists like Metallica, Destiny's Child, Wu-Tang Clan, Whitney Houston, and Jennifer Lopez.
But there's a reason for that: "Alan Smithee" is not a real person. It's a pseudonym invented by the Director's Guild of America for filmmakers to use when they no longer want to be credited for their work. This usually happens when they're replaced on a project, or believe that studio interference has altered the film so much that it no longer reflects their vision. That's why you'll sometimes see "Alan Smithee" credited on TV...
But there's a reason for that: "Alan Smithee" is not a real person. It's a pseudonym invented by the Director's Guild of America for filmmakers to use when they no longer want to be credited for their work. This usually happens when they're replaced on a project, or believe that studio interference has altered the film so much that it no longer reflects their vision. That's why you'll sometimes see "Alan Smithee" credited on TV...
- 11/12/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
Although he hasn’t made very many films, Jeff Lieberman is a unique voice in the world of horror. From Squirm (1976) through to Satan’s Little Helper (2004), he’s crafted only a handful of feature length films, each one different than the last. Watching him tackle a different sub-genre is like looking at a new painting by a great artist. Just Before Dawn (1981) is his take on backwoods butcher clans, an inbred cross of Deliverance and Friday the 13th. Everyone should own a Lieberman. This one is mine.
Released by Picturmedia (the fine folks behind Mako: The Jaws of Death) in October, Just Before Dawn played the grindhouses and drive-ins before shuffling off this mortal coil. Of course it had a home video release, but slipped through the cracks there as well. It’s only been with the advent of the internet and social media that people are starting to...
Released by Picturmedia (the fine folks behind Mako: The Jaws of Death) in October, Just Before Dawn played the grindhouses and drive-ins before shuffling off this mortal coil. Of course it had a home video release, but slipped through the cracks there as well. It’s only been with the advent of the internet and social media that people are starting to...
- 8/27/2016
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Sherman Hemsley decided after a decade starring as iconic loudmouth George Jefferson on “The Jeffersons” that it was time to take a shot at big screen superstardom. Not only did he star in and croon the theme song to the 1987 comedy Ghost Fever, he also funded the film out of his own pocket, eventually bankrupting him.
How could a family comedy about racist ghosts in a Southern plantation not have been a financial hit?
Sherman Hemsley had dual roles as one half of a bumbling police duo (along with original “Electric Company” player Luis Avalos) and as the ghost of his slave grandfather assisting him throughout the movie. You see, these two cops have been sent to serve an eviction notice to two beautiful sisters living in an old Atlanta antebellum home haunted by the ghost of its original crazy, slave-owning, racist owner. Hijinks ensure!
That Ghost Fever’s style...
How could a family comedy about racist ghosts in a Southern plantation not have been a financial hit?
Sherman Hemsley had dual roles as one half of a bumbling police duo (along with original “Electric Company” player Luis Avalos) and as the ghost of his slave grandfather assisting him throughout the movie. You see, these two cops have been sent to serve an eviction notice to two beautiful sisters living in an old Atlanta antebellum home haunted by the ghost of its original crazy, slave-owning, racist owner. Hijinks ensure!
That Ghost Fever’s style...
- 2/25/2012
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
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