Lee Marvin Under Siege From Hackman and Spacek (Billing wise)

In 1966, veteran supporting actor Lee Marvin won the 1965 Best Actor Oscar for "Cat Ballou" and became a Star. There was a slight problem: his next movie "The Professionals" had a poster done which read only:

Burt Lancaster in
The Professionals

...and evidently Lancaster wouldn't let Marvin's name up there with him, even though they were clearly the "buddy stars" of the film. Marvin did, however, get his name on screen first...with Lancaster saved as "the lead coming last."

Flash forward 6 years.

In 1972, veteran supporting actor Gene Hackman won the 1971 Best Actor Oscar for "The French Connection" and became a Star. There was a slight problem: his next movie "Prime Cut" had on-screen billing thus:

Lee Marvin in
Prime Cut

At least with Prime Cut, Hackman was moved up on the poster to equality with Marvin -- of name and of stylized photo(Marvin with machine gun; Hackman with gleaming meat cleaver.) But on screen? Its just "Lee Marvin in Prime Cut."

Thus does Hollywood work. Burt Lancaster had to deal with Lee Marvin moving up to stardom. Lee Marvin had to deal with Gene Hackman moving up to stardom.

But for both Lee Marvin and Gene Hackman, there was a surprise third star in "Prime Cut" aborning: Sissy Spacek. The Time magazine reviewer who wrote on Prime Cut in 1972 made a little fun of the debuting actress's name and said "she has no promise at all." He ate his words 4 years later with Carrie(Best Actress nomination) and 8 years later with Coal Miner's Daughter(Best Actress win).

All is well today(2017), as Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, and Sissy Spacek take their rightful places as three big stars in "Prime Cut." All three had Oscars, too. Alas, Mr. Marvin is long dead, but Gene and Sissy live on.