Why it's there: Allen Smythee

	Print this article
	Email to a friend
	Discuss

Thursday, February 14, 2008
Matt Hochberg

Along the end of Hollywood Boulevard in a window above the street you will find a unique reference to a tradition of sorts from classic Hollywood. The Studios goal is to showcase Hollywood and part of that is including references to how Hollywood operates and this office window for Allen Smythee looks like your run of the mill production studio but it's in fact a reference to something of a joke inside of Hollywood.

Allen Smythee, Alan Smithee, Allen Smithee, and Adam Smithee are pseudonyms used from 1968 to today by Hollywood film directors who wanted to be dissociated from a film for which they no longer wanted credit. It was used when the director could prove to the satisfaction of a panel of members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that the film had been wrested from his or her creative control. The director was also required to keep the reason for the disavowal a secret.

The practice is also of interest since it didn't start until 1968, which is somewhat out of place considering much of what you find in Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards are references to Hollywood history of the 1920's, 30's and 40's.