Often, that means cast and crew are left with their names attached to a project they might not have felt in full control over. Apparently, some turned to an alias: Allen Smithee, often “misspelled” as Alan Smithee. Snopes said that for decades, directors had to apply to the Directors Guild of America to use it. They had to prove “to the Guild’s satisfaction” that they really did have the creative reins yanked away from them, the 2001 book Directed By Allen Smithee added. “Allen Smithee” has been used from 1969 onwards and has dozens of credits to his name.