Death of a Gunfighter is a 1969 Western film. It is most notable for the first use of the pseudonymous Allen Smithee directorial credit. It stars Richard Widmark and Lena Horne, and features an original score by Oliver Nelson. The film develops its story around the "passing" of the West, the clash between a traditional character and the politics and demands of modern society. The film began under the direction of Robert Totten, an experienced television director . After clashes with star Widmark, and almost a year of work, he was dropped and replaced by Don Siegel. When the film was finished... Siegel did not want his name to replace Totten's. Widmark protested and an agreement was made with the Directors Guild of America for the pseudonym Alan Smithee to be used. Despite this, critics praised the film and its "new" director, with The New York Times commenting that the film was "sharply directed by Allen Smithee who has an adroit facility for scanning faces and extracting sharp background detail," and Roger Ebert commenting, "Director Allen Smithee, a name I'm not familiar with, allows his story to unfold naturally.
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| Release date: | 1969 |
| Directed by: | Don Siegel, Alan Smithee, Robert Totten |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 100 Minutes |
| Genre: | Western |