Why does Joan Bennett gets top billing and Alexandra Moltke gets bottom billing? ?!?
Listing a performer at the very end of the credits, with "and starring...." or "and introducing...," is the other distinctive way of setting him/her apart from the rest of the cast -- for example, Martin Sheen is last in the credits for The West Wing. Rob Lowe starts off the credits for the show, and everyone else, I think, is listed alphabetically.
Since Joan Bennett was an established movie star, she (or her agent) would have negotiated her star billing before she ever set foot on the set. Even so, Victoria Winters was really the focal point of the show early on, but Alexandra Moltke wasn't on the same professional footing as Bennett, so they opted for the second method to distinguish her contribution to the show.
They finally recognized JF's star status at some point, and gave him equal billing with Bennett, but IIRC, everyone else got treated as part of the ensemble cast.
Cheers,
Linda