The "starring-as" credit...

We all know about the "and-as" credit, where the last major player in a title sequence is billed as the character he/she plays (like "And Joan Collins as Alexis," from O-R ABC Dynasty), but what about something I'll call the "starring-as" credit, where the first major player in a title sequence is billed not only by name, but also as his/her character?

One I know of is that of The A-Team from 1983-87 on NBC, where the late George Peppard was billed at the
top as "Starring George Peppard as John 'Hannibal' Smith."

How many others do you know of that had such a credit?

 

That's a negotiated credit, usually positioned at the end of the credits. Basically, the actor's agent says, "OK, if I can't get top-of-show billing, then I want to be at the end with my character name, like "And Joe Schoe as The Doctor." And they also negotiate for size of credits, how many seconds it's on the screen, whether it's a solo credit card or if somebody else's name is on there, and so on.

Famously, Jonathan Harris held out and would not sign a contract for Lost in Space, so he was initially billed as "Special Guest Star" (at the end of the opening credits), but eventually he was so popular he got the lion's share of the money and some creative control of his own dialogue. And he retained that credit as well.

I always laughed when actors would argue whose name came on the screen first, and sometimes they had to live with one name lower but on the left, and the other name higher but on the right:



I think this started with Towering Inferno in 1974, where the two stars received "staggered but equal billing":



and then there are other actors who got their character's names:



Producers also squabble for credits. Famously, Lou Scheimer and Norm Prescott fought over who got their name first on Filmmation cartoons, and they had to settle for a rotating credit:



Everything is subject to negotiation. It's easier to get a credit change than it is more money or (god forbid) a percentage of the profits.

 

wasn't it: jerry mathers as the beaver?

 

I think it was like that! I think also that three of the later Star Trek series (TNG, DS9, and Voyager) not only had the first cast member billed as the character, but every cast member billed as the character.

 

I don't think you can beat this credit from Hawaii Five-0: "Zulu as Kono".

 

I noticed in this “Game of Thrones” season that the actor Iain Glen’s name is now at the end of the opening sequence. He’s billed as “with Iain Glen”. Does he get more money for that?

 

You left off the most notorious example



Although Curtis is clearly playing the lead role, Lewis would not submit to second billing. Curiously the two had been off camera friends since the Dean & Jerry era, but that didn't affect business.

This experience may have colored Tony's attitude toward Jerry, as his remarks In his second autobio about filming BB are not very flattering re JL

 

Get Smart: "And Rupert of Rathskellar as Himself"

Actually James Caan played Rupert, but he only appeared on condition his name not be used.

 

In Tony Randall's memoir he wrote that he didn't care about billing, only money. Perhaps a branded character star can take that attitude, but a leading man is always just one step away from Palookaville.

Billing, among other things, kept us from seeing Steve McQueen or Marlon Brando as the Sundance Kid.

It also prevented Bogart from being paired with Tracy in The Desperate Hours.

 

Oh yeah? How about “Kam Fong as Chin Ho”?

Sounds dirtier than yours too...

 

The Thing.....................................................Itself

 

He’s actually been billed that way since season 4.

 

Ha! See how much I pay attention to opening credits ?

Still, the question remains ...

 

Yeah it’s weird... the show has made him more famous like it has everyone who’s in it but I don't really see why he should be singled out, except that he's more of a veteran than most of the other cast.

 

The one that's stuck in my craw of late, is the "Executive Producer" credit. Considering who gets these titles, it really amounts to little more than "Gaffer With Benefits". An actor wants more money, but is willing to settle for a title that doesn't reflect his contribution? The other lead gets jealous, so they give the other actor the same title? Do they get a desk? A little sign next to the pencil-holder for the desk? I'm not supposing there's any extra money "earned" for this "thankless" task, but, does it somehow come down to more money down the road? Do you suppose someday 20 years from now, Ellen's gonna do a special show, "Executive Producers of prime-time dramas Reunion"...? Will we have chatboards dedicated to Executive Producers fandom?

It all just strikes me as two-and-a-half-seconds extra distraction from the episode really getting underway. And, doncha think it demeans every other cast and crew member on that payroll whose credit on the chyron actually means something? Thanks, ego!

 

Don't forget Mr. Ed as himself, too.

I'm trying to remember the end credits of The Addams Family episodes when Cousin It appeared. I think they read "itself."

 

That's what I was referring to, but the 'Thing' was the hand in the box...I think?

 

Try three random episodes of King Of Queens:

Food Fight -
Producer - 4
Executive Producer - 5
Co-Executive Producer - 1
Consulting Producer - 2
Co-Producer - 1

Vocal Discord -
Executive Producer - 8
Co-Executive Producer - 3
Consulting Producer - 1

Single Spaced -
Producer - 1
Executive Producer -8
Co-Executive Producer - 1
Co-Producer - 2

Hopefully, that's close to being a record.

 

Many of the “producers” credited on TV shows are writers, so they do play a creative role.

 

Just thought of that yesterday...........

An ep of Have Gun Will Travel with Ben Johnson
Johnson received billing on the same screen as Richard Boone at the end (never seen anyone else rate that high), below Boone and in a lower font size

 

"And Jerry Mathers as The Beaver."

 

That job title gets you at least another $5000 a week, sometimes more like $10,000-$20,000. No less than Mary Tyler Moore has admitted her 1970s show probably ushered in this situation: they had a staff of about 9-10 writers on her show every week, and they threatened to leave at one point unless they got a massive raise. The showrunners and MTM balked, because they didn't want the precedent of a mere "writer" making $50,000-$60,000+ a week. As a compromise, they realized that if the writers were given the "producer" title, they could now make an extra $5000-$10,000-$20,000 a week as a producer, so technically their writing fee did not change. And suddenly, there were 5-6-7 producers every week on the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Producers in TV have weird titles:

executive producers
co-producers
line producer
supervising producers
consulting producers
associate producers
producers
coordinating producer
segment producer (usually only on "live" or "reality" shows)

Each of them can have a different meaning, but it's pretty much up to the individual show and the showrunner -- the guy who basically runs the writers rooms and makes all the important decisions on the show week to week -- to decide who gets that credit and what their job functions are (if any). I have seen cases where former network execs got a producer credit because they initially got the show on the air; I've seen cases where the managers of some of the actors, writers, producers, and directors got producer credit; sometimes the person who raises the money for the show gets a producer credit; sometimes the person who wrote or directed the pilot gets an ongoing producer credit. And sometimes, the associate producer (which encompasses a lot of jobs, sometimes including supervising post-production -- putting the pieces together at the very end) gets promoted to being a full producer at some point, but is still doing the same job.

I can recall a case on a show where a guy was given the charge of "Post Production Producer," and I asked, "hey, who is that guy?" because we had never seen them set one foot in the post building. The real producer shook his head and said, "he's an agent who got the deal together with the network. We wouldn't have ever gotten on the air without him. But we couldn't just call him an 'executive producer' because we already had 8 of those, and the network balked, so we gave him a phony title." He basically got $10,000 a week to stay home.

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has a list that briefly explains what each of those job titles describe...

Frequently Asked Questions - Producers Guild of America

 

well, that clears things up.
titles can mean anything. just a way of payroll entry or giving status.

 

Thanks for the informative post.

I've wondered for at least a couple of decades if the producer just financially backed the project or there was more to it, or less, and now that's finally cleared up.

Extra thanks for the added link.

 

What's confusing is that there are some "Producers" credited in a TV show who don't even go into the office once a month (except maybe to pick up a check), and others who work 16 hours a day, 6-7 days a week. I worked on some Castle Rock shows in the 1990s, and they showed me Jerry Seinfeld's parking space near the stage at CBS Studio Center, and told me he basically was there 6AM-10PM six days a week, longer on shoot day. The life of the "showrunner" producer is not an easy one.