- George Spelvin
George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are the traditional
pseudonym s used in programs in Americantheater by actors who don't want to be credited or whose names would otherwise appear twice because they are playing more than one role in a production.In some mystery plays and melodramas, this name has appeared in cast lists as the name of an actor (or actress) portraying a character who is mentioned in the dialogue but never turns up onstage: by crediting the role to "George Spelvin", the audience are not forewarned that the character never makes an entrance.
The name appeared on a cast list for the first time in 1886 in "Karl the Peddler", a play by Charles A. Gardiner. "Georgina Spelvin" has fallen out of general use since it was adopted as a screen name by
pornographic actress Dorothy May, who was credited by that name in "The Devil in Miss Jones " (1973) and her subsequent films.The 1927 musical play "Strike Up the Band" by George S. Kaufman and George and Ira Gershwin features a character named George Spelvin.
The one-act play "
The Actor's Nightmare " byChristopher Durang features a main character named George Spelvin.The columnist
Westbrook Pegler used this name in his writings; one of his books of collected columns is titled "George Spelvin, American".The 15th of November has been designated "George Spelvin Day". [http://www.holidays.net/dailys/2006/dailys11192006.htm]
Related pseudonyms
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Alan Smithee
*Walter Plinge
*David Agnew External links
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