Should Alan Smithee exist in the database?

Just today, I have succesfully merged over 40 "clever" variations of "Alan Smithee" that existed on IMDb:

Allen, Alana, Alanis... Smithee Jr, Smithee crew, Smithee whatever.... over 40 of these rogue clones have been brought into the fold of the one and only ALAN SMITHEE:

A.K.A.:

• • Smithee Alan
  • Sumishii Aran
  • Allen Smithee Crew
  • Allen Smithee Jr.
  • A.D. Smithee
  • Adam Smithee
  • Alain Smithee
  • Alan N. Smithee
  • Alan Smohq Smithee
  • Alana Smithee
  • Alanis Smithee
  • Alanna Smithee
  • Alex Smithee
  • Alice Smithee
  • Allan Smithee
  • Allen Q. Smithee
  • Allen Smithee
  • Alli Smithee
  • Eileen Smithee
  • Elaine Smithee
  • Ellen Smithee
  • Lana Smithee
  • Mr. Smithee
  • Aran Sumishi
  • Alan Smi Thee

@Tonio_Fraga​ Allen Smithee Jr. is a real person though, now all his details and images are incorrectly on this page https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000647/

@gromit82​ Thanks and this (keeping a separate page) is IMDb policy.  Unfortunately the previous write-up of this is no longer present in the guides to explain why.  We are working on fixing this. 

@Col_Needham​ 

I have to ask why this allowed to exist as it does not represent a person and should only be noted as an "as attribute".

@gromit82​ I understand you want to have a list of films credited under the name, but I don't think a name page is the best way to go. I'd think a keyword would better serve this purpose.

BTW, since the last time I checked and merged all the Alan Smithee clones into the original one, turns out that 4 new clones have popped up.

4 nitwits have created Alan Smithee II, III, XLIII and XLIV, so as of now there are 5 different Alan Smithees on IMDb, at least while my new merger submissions are processed and accepted.

Something similar happens with William Shakespeare. There are a handful of real people with that name, including of course No. I, the original bard, but once in a while some idiot creates William Shakespeare II, III, IV... for the credits of their short film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

I've lost count of how many rogue clones of William Shakespeare I've had to merge in the original one.

@Michelle​ 

It really doesn't. It's not a "collective name page". It's a pseudonym that is used by many people. It is never a stand alone name.

I understand (and approve) of collective name pages like Carolyn Keene, where an individual may not be known or where a work may be based on several different authors works or just the continuation of the character where all the books were written under the same pseudonym.

This one doesn't make sense to me because there are very few cases where the actual director is unknown.

@adrian​ You use a very peculiar "logic."

A literary pseudonym that has, in principle, nothing to do with movies, that's Okey-dokey.

A cinematographic pseudonym with an inveterate direct relation with movies, that was introduced as the #647 personality on IMDb 30 years ago... NOPE, that doesn't belong in a movie database, no sirree.

Hi @adrian​ -

Just to note, there are many instances where we don't know who "Alan Smithee" was on a particular title.  For example, for the film "Amityville Apocalypse", there is a segment director credit for "Alan Smithee" but we don't know who the actual person who used that name is, so we need to have a page listing under "Alan Smithee" to show that credit.

I hope this helps!

@Michelle​ 

That actually makes sense but should all the credits where we do know the director be deleted?

@Michelle​ @Bethanny Any chance of restoring this incorrectly merged page.

https://web.archive.org/web/20210602220623/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm12464867/

He's a real person and that is his name. Smithee is an actual real surname in use by many people, not just an made up industry term.

The 5 images now merged to the following page are his too. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000647/

Cheers.

@VonPunk​ Hi!

I have created a split request reference V1182970968.

Thanks for reporting.

@VonPunk I confirmed you were right when I contacted him through his website and he assured me that was his real name. She even has a "Luna Smithee," surely a relative of his, in the cast of his short.

Anyway, since I was responsible for this erroneous merger (also for the other 40 odd right ones I folded into the original Alan Smithee) I submitted all the necessary changes in his IMDb credits to correct my error, but these submissions were declined.

Now @Bethanny will be able to do the necessary "reversal un-merge" and this guy actually named "Allen Smithee, Jr." who shoots weddings and funerals in Japan will have his own page back.

@Tonio_Fraga​ Thanks for trying, hopefully Bethanny's actions will work out to fully restore it.

Yes, he has at least 22 family members with the surname Smithee. He's either been blessed or cursed by having that name and trying his hand at movie making.

Thank you @Bethanny 

Happy New Year.

@VonPunk​ Hi! Name page was split.

Cheers!

@Bethanny​ Excellent, thank you. :)

@Tonio_Fraga​ 

This one is a real unique person https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9716402/

https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/alan-smythe

You can cut him from the list.

@VonPunk​ Thanks. Post edited in accordance. Did you scrutinize all the others?

I'm pretty sure they're only slightly different spelled variations and clones of the same pseudonym used for the same reason: to hide the real identity of the person in question.

@Tonio_Fraga​ I just had a quick look at them all at the links, and the age and type of credit on that one page made me look into it as it stood out as different to the rest of them. I can't imagine the rest would be that easy to look into.

Here are the submissions references, BTW @Bethanny:

240530-130059-199000
240529-144129-219000
240515-173147-164000
240515-173144-635000
240515-173142-126000
240515-173139-658000
240515-173137-218000
240515-173134-699000
240515-173131-518000
240515-173128-701000
240515-173126-339000
240515-173122-718000
240515-173120-033000
240515-173117-562000
240515-173114-981000
240515-173112-382000

So, @Bethanny @Col_Needham , any objections to these 16 clear-cut mergers?

I hate to be a pest, but I still wait for these 16 mergers to happen. 

I repeat: all these mono-credit slight variations and clones of the original Alan Smithee are cut and dry. What are you waiting for?

@Tonio_Fraga​ Hi! Given that incorrect merges have been done, merging an individual name like the above into that page, our team has decided not to merge more pages for Alan Smithee. This will stay as is. 

Thanks for understanding!

@Bethanny​ But I can't understand. You can't throw away the baby with the bathwater. If any incorrect merge is done and spotted, which is impossible in these 16 cases, there's always time to rectify it.

All these are so evidently fake clones. There's even one of them who is an exact numbered clone of "Alan Smithee" created recently letter by letter: "Smithee, Alan (VI)"

And all the rest are so clear. Where is your famous "aim to be the most complete and reliable source."? How reliable can you be letting this absurd proliferation of Alan Smithee's slight variations? 

Please reconsider this.