The Name Game

Ty Randolph had the leading female role in Cannon Films’ “Penitentiary III,” but her name appears near the bottom of the credits--while the wife of director/co-producer Jamaa Fanaka, who has a brief bit, gets top female billing! Thus, maintains Randolph, Marie Burrell Fanaka has gotten credit for Randolph’s work--and she has taken her complaint to the Screen Actors Guild.

“Jamaa didn’t want me,” said Randolph, who was hired by star-co-producer Leon Isaac Kennedy. “But that’s no reason to leave my name out of the credits.”

Kennedy said the actress and director Fanaka clashed from the beginning of production, and added that he was out of town when Fanaka aligned the credits. “I don’t know what has to be done,” Kennedy said. “Obviously we--meaning myself and Jamaa and the company--would have to abide by what SAG says.” Fanaka didn’t return our calls.

Randolph said it might all come down to “about 2,000 bucks. If it’s too late to pull a film and correct a credit, SAG normally asks for an extra week’s pay for the actor involved.

“The money is nothing, but I have to do something. Actresses have to have some kind of protection.”