MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Story (1983) Discussion > Melinda gets top Billing

Melinda gets top Billing

posted 6 years ago by duval7 (143)
5 replies | jump to latest

Anyone else notice the Melinda Dillon is the first name listed in the opening credits? Was she the most prominent actor during the time of release? After all these years i just noticed that.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Doesn't surprise since, though she was hardly a star by 83, she had been in good roles in hit movies that brought attention to her, especially in Bound for Glory, and the two films for which she earned Oscar nominations, Close Encounters and Absence of Malice. All of this predated Christmas Story so by then she would have been the biggest name in the cast.

[–] liscarkat (16496) 4 years ago

McGavin's career had been mostly in television. Although he was a well-known and popular tv actor at the time, his theatrical film work was not at the same level as Dillon's recent resume. Unfortunately her name was misspelled "Dillion" in the end credits, a mistake that could still be corrected, but has not been.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] liscarkat (16496) 3 years ago

It is true. In the end titles of "A Christmas Story" her name is spelled "Dillion". It's easily verifiable by watching the end titles of the movie.

[–] whoanelly (1558) 3 years ago

Billing isn’t based on who the biggest star is (although that does frequently coincide). Billing is negotiated by the actors’ agents. In this case, perhaps it could be attributed to Dillon’s representation having a strong history with the casting dept for this film, or having a bit more clout than McGavin’s rep?