Grangehill1
Telly Talk Fan
I know she didn’t have any dialogue but she went in and shot a scene. Why on earth didn’t she receive a credit on the end titles?
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Why didn’t Morgan Brittney get a credit on Swansong?
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Spooky Owl!
Telly Talk Supreme
No dialogue.
Grangehill1
Telly Talk Fan
Did John beck get a credit on the end credits after his reappearance? He had no dialogue
Yes, similar to Morgan, he was credited as a Special Guest Star in the closing credits of that episode only. Then, his credit was moved up to the credits at the beginning of the episode starting with the next show.
Morgan also got the end credit treatment when she returned in 1987, to preserve the surprise of her appearance. Then she moved up to the “Also Starring” credits in the next episode.
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Grangehill1
Telly Talk Fan
Really? I’ve never seen her name on any end credit of Swansong
Angela Chilling
Telly Talk Veteran
End credits of Swansong.
Sea - Boo! - Er
Telly Talk Warrior
A nicety that Dynasty never bothered with, which annoyed me no end.
Spooky Owl!
Telly Talk Supreme
Oh, I know. Although I didn't mind the fluid nature of the DYNASTY opening credits in concept, I didn't want a new actor to appear -- or mysteriously reappear -- with that appearance preceded by their title card in the opening credits.
If you're making your introductory reveal, you shouldn't get an opening credit title card until your second episode. And if you've returned to murder somebody, your name should appear in the closing credits after the deed is done.
But DYNASTY was so effed up on so many levels. They didn't even always know to bill a statured actor with a "With" just before Joan Collins' "And" at the end of the opening credits. They'd place them near the end, yes, after the secondary/tertiary cast, and just before Joan, but with no "With". Making it seem as if, say, Billy Dee Williams and Diahann Carroll were less important than Gerard and Jeanette.
And these things aren't always about contractual details. Sometimes it's just utter confusion and mismanagement -- the kind that allows the title "The Skanks" to be used on four different episodes and no one ever catches it.
That was DYNASTY.
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Grangehill1
Telly Talk Fan
I’m positive my copy of Swansong on the dvd season 8 is missing the Morgan Brittany credit. Am I imaging this?
DallasFanForever
Telly Talk Supreme
I just checked mine and her credit is on there. Hmmm, weird that yours doesn’t have it.
They did handle it correctly when Emma Samms first appeared as Fallon, with Samms listed as a guest star in the closing credits before moving to the opening credits in her second episode. I think Bo Hopkins (Matthew) got the end credit treatment for his return, too. Can’t remember about Jack Coleman.
But Lorimar was more conscious of it. I remember when Julia returned to Falcon Crest in season 4 (a true surprise), they handled it really well, they did a freeze frame on her when she appeared on camera, then credited the executive producers, and after that an “Also Starring Abby Dalton” credit (again, over the final freeze frame). Well done.
Daniel Avery
Admin
This is the part that answers the question best. As others have said, you didn't want to see MB's credit prior to her appearance, because the more astute viewer would spend the hour thinking about her, making the surprise less...surprising. If it's someone the viewer doesn't know, the opening credit would not matter much. Example: I'm fairly sure Alec Baldwin was in the opening credits in the season 6 opener of Knots Landing though he didn't show up until the second episode. At least in the syndicated episodes I watched later. All such a thing does is make the viewer think "Who the heck is that?" and adds to the suspense.
The credits can really spoil things. The two-hour version of “Return to Camelot” had an “Also Starring Steve Forrest as Wes Parmalee” credit at the beginning of the episode, before Bobby stepped out of the shower. As soon as I saw that Forrest wasn’t being credited as Ben Stivers, I knew that the rumors were true and the previous season was being written off as a dream (currently, the show is split into two episodes, and Forrest isn’t credited in the first episode).
Sarah Danner
Telly Talk Active Member
That happened at least once when the establishing shot credits for Act One read "and William Smithers as Jeremy Wendell" on one of the episodes where he was to surprisingly enter a room after an extended absence.
Jock Ewing Fan
Telly Talk Star
I didn't realize that there was some confusion about this.
One result of the Dream season was that Katherine was still here.
Unfortunately, there were no plans, apparently, to utilize her, other than the beginning
of season 11. I would like to have seen Katherine return on a regular basis,
especially with Susan Howard leaving, the eventual departure of William Smithers,
and the introduction of less-than-interesting supporting characters
One result of the Dream season was that Katherine was still here.
Unfortunately, there were no plans, apparently, to utilize her, other than the beginning
of season 11. I would like to have seen Katherine return on a regular basis,
especially with Susan Howard leaving, the eventual departure of William Smithers,
and the introduction of less-than-interesting supporting characters
Sea - Boo! - Er
Telly Talk Warrior
See my and @Snarky Oracle! 's exchange about being certain of things that on rewatch turned out to be not so, somewhere in these threads. :0
You are correct about that.
Alison Carr
Telly Talk Active Member
Jack Coleman was also given end credit treatment for numerous episodes and it was not until he was confirmed as being Steven that he got an opening title shot in the following episode
Daniel Avery
Admin
Another credit issue that came to me regarding "surprise" guest Morgan Brittany:
In a classic Doctor Who story (I want to say "Castrovalva" but it might have been another), actor Tony Ainley was appearing as The Master, who would be revealed within the story as being in disguise as another character. In order to obscure the fact that The Master/Ainley was in the story, they credited his other character as being played by "Neil Toynay" or something like that, which was an anagram of his name.
Maybe Dallas could have written "Guest Star Tonya G. Brantrim" on the screen and confused the heck out of everyone until they broke out some Scrabble tiles and played around a bit.
In a classic Doctor Who story (I want to say "Castrovalva" but it might have been another), actor Tony Ainley was appearing as The Master, who would be revealed within the story as being in disguise as another character. In order to obscure the fact that The Master/Ainley was in the story, they credited his other character as being played by "Neil Toynay" or something like that, which was an anagram of his name.
Maybe Dallas could have written "Guest Star Tonya G. Brantrim" on the screen and confused the heck out of everyone until they broke out some Scrabble tiles and played around a bit.
tommie
Telly Talk Hero
That's pretty generous of them considering she has no speaking lines - Marcia Cross wasn't credited on anywhere on Melrose Place (neither opening or end credits - I checked for curiosity) when she just returned to stare, but I guess she got her money's worth in the following episodes. But yeah, the lack of credit is to not ruin the surprise.
Traditionally, actors who have no speaking lines do not get credit though - and get paid less! That was a thing for David Selby on Dark Shadows, since his character was a menacing ghost. Until he finally spoke, he got lesser pay.
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