Director: Arthur Hiller

His directing career might not have been quite so stratospheric when he took the job, but Arthur Hiller was already well known for finding the funny (he would go on to make hits like Love Story, The Babe and Man Of La Mancha). Except, as it turns out, when it came to Showgirls writer Joe Eszterhas’ poke at the industry that made him oh-so-rich. In what could have looked like a publicity stunt - and with the famously loud-mouthed/headline-happy Eszterhas behind the project, no one would count it out - Hiller was so unhappy with the way the movie was edited by the studio that he asked to have his name removed from it. This request is all the more remarkable given that the film's plot finds a harried director (Eric Idle) desperate to use the industry pseudonym (Alan Smithee) for his latest, a dreadful action thriller. The result – which Hiller successfully wriggled free from, but which still stains his resume – ended up with four Golden Raspberry Awards. For more details on the farce that was Burn Hollywood Burn, be sure to check out our special Eric Idle podcast.