title: Override ASP.NET forms authentication for a single page
body: <p>In our ASP.NET MVC application, we automatically redirect users to a log-on page via the <code>&lt;authentication&gt;</code> section of <code>&lt;system.web&gt;</code> when they attempt to access an authorized-only page.  The problem is that one action in the middle of the application, designed to be used by a tool, needs to return a straight-up HTTP 401 response on bad access.  How can I return a real HTTP 401 code <em>without</em> the redirect for this specific action?</p>