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The following is a list of those films and shorts that have either a working title or an explanation of the title's origins, or both, in the database. (Click on a title to go to that filmography page.)
Title
Working Title(s)
Title Origins
Nursery Rhymes
Beer Gardens
'Moonlight and Pretzels', a Universal Studios musical from 1933.
March of Time, Show World; Ring Up the Curtain (UK)
SHIP AHOOEY!
salt water taffy (candy)
HELLO POP (1933)
BACK STAGE; NEW MUSICAL SHORT BY SUBER; TED HEALY SHORT
MONKEY BUSINESS
PLANE NUTS (1933)
AVIATION SHORT and AROUND THE WORLD BACKWARDS
THE BIG LIAR
WHAT A LIAR!
HENRY THE APE
SO YOU WON'T TALK
Stars and Stripes, Reformers, and Reformania
Bluebird of Paradise, also movie "Bird of Paradise" (RKO Radio, 1932)
MUSH
HOLLYWOOD REVUE OF 1933 and STAR SPANGLED BANQUET
ART TROUBLE (1934)
THE NUDE DEAL
PUNCH DRUNKS (1934)
(A) SYMPHONY OF PUNCHES
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
HYDEN ZEEKE
"Horse's asses."
THE FIREMAN'S BRIDE
OPERATORS 12, 14 AND 15
Pardon My Ants
Ants in the pants
MOVIE MANIACS (1936)
G-A-G MEN
Working title is parody of term "G-Man".
Disorder in the Courtroom
"Order in the court!"
FRONTIER DAZE
Song, "I'm An Indian."
TO THE VICTOR
3 DUMB CLUCKS (1937)
FIVE DUMB CLUCKS
"Boots and Saddles" (1937 Gene Autry song and movie)
GOLDDIGGING IN THE TREASURY
HEADIN' EAST (1937)
WEST OF BROADWAY
BENEFITS FORGOT
THE FOREIGN LEGIONEERS
"Oui, oui monsieur."
COLLEGE FOLLIES OF 1938
CUCKOORANCHO (1938)
RANCHO BANGO
CUCKOO OVER CONTESTS
Expression, "Healthy, wealthy and wise."
VALIANT IS THE WORD FOR CARRIE (1936 Paramount)
SHOULD GORILLAS MARRY? and GORILLAS OF 1939
MUTTS TO YOU (1938)
MUTS TO YOU
Expression, "Nuts to you!"
"Flat Foot Floogie" is a popular jazz number of the '20s and '30s, usually associated with Fats Waller. "Floogie" is a 1920s slang expression for prostitute, "flat footed" from streetwalking. Just a play on words... no connection to the film's plot.
THREE GOOFY GOBS, SUBMARINE BEHAVE!
Three little so and so's. "So and so" is a euphemism for "son-of-a-bitch."
"We want our mommy."
NEVER DUCK A DUCK
YES, WE HAVE NO BONANZAS
Song "Yes, We Have No Bananas" (1923) written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn.
ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ
DOG HOSPITAL
"Calling all cars!"
OIL'S WELL
3 SLOPPY PEOPLE
Popular 1938 song "Two Sleepy People" (Frank Loesser and Hoagy Carmichael).
OH, YOU NAZTY SPY!
Possibly from one of popular comedian Joe Penner's many catch-phrases, "You Nasty Man!"
NELL'S BELLES, and GOODBYE MISTER CHUMPS
BEAUTY A LA MUD
BOOBS IN ARMS (1940)
ALL THIS AND BULLETS TOO
BABES IN ARMS (1937 musical production by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart) and the 1939 MGM movie version starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Working title is parody of 1940 Warner Bros. movie ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO.
Expression "beautiful but dumb;" also possibly Beautiful, But Dummies (1938 Educational comedy short)
SHOW BUSINESS
OH, CHARLIE!
ALL THIS AND BEDLAM TOO
WELL, I'LL BE HANGED
Expression, "In the sweet by and by."
30th BANQUET OF INDIANA SOCIETY OF CHICAGO
POOR BUT DISHONEST
The expression, "Local boy makes good"
RUN, BULL, RUN
Expression "what's the matter?"
MATRI-PHONY (1942)
Matrimony
FATHER'S IN JAIL AGAIN
THREE SMART GIRLS (1936 Universal)
THEIR FIRST BABY
"Rock-A-Bye Baby"
Possibly a parody of She Stoops to Conquer, an early (1939) BBC TV series
IDIOTS DELUXE
For origin of working title see entry for IDIOTS DELUXE (1945).
IT AIN'T HAY (1943)
HOLD YOUR HORSES
Retitled IT AIN'T HAY, a reference to Bud & Lou's record-setting War Bond tour prior to IAH production, raising $85MM... "It Ain't Hay" being an old slang expression meaning "a lot of money."
SPOOK LOUDER (1943)
"Speak louder"
A SAILOR'S MESS
THE RIGHT GUY
NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH
Origin of working title: Expression, "nothing but the truth."
DIZZY PILOTS (1943)
PEST PILOTS
FOULED BY A FOWL
Expression, "The joke's on me."
3 OF A KIND (1944)
THREE OF A KIND
SUNK IN THE SINK
TENDERIZED HAMS
STALK THE HUNTER
NO DOUGH BOYS (1944)
THE NEW WORLD ODOR
Origin of working title, term "The New World Order". NO DOUGH BOYS is takeoff on "No-No Boys", WWII internees who had answered "no" to a two-part loyalty question that asked them to renounce the Japanese Emperor and agree to serve in the US Armed Forces
CRAZY KNIGHTS (1944)
Rereleased and retitled by Astor Pictures in 1951, as GHOST CRAZY.
IDIOTS DELUXE (1945)
THE MALADY LINGERS ON
Play "Idiot's Delight" by Robert E. Sherwood (1936), and MGM movie version (1939). Working title is parody of 1927 Irving Berlin song "The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)."
NEARLY IN THE DOUGH
Line from the song, "Comin' Through the Rye."
FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE / JOHN AND MARY
THREE DUDS IN THE SUDS
Song, "Beer Barrel Polka."
LULLABY OF BROADWAY and THE LADY MISBEHAVES
DUCHESS OF BROADWAY
3 SOUTHERN DUMBBELLS
Release title based on "civil warriors" and "war brides." Working title is parody of term "southern belle."
SANITARIUM STOOGE
Expression, "monkey business."
POWER OF ATTORNEY and CORPUS DELECTI
IN HOCK
Possibly a reference to Columbia's movie series "The Lone Wolf" (1935 - 1947)
ACTING UP
Expression, "Read 'em and weep."
NO GENTS --- NO CENTS
THE LION AND THE LOUSE
Football term, "Hold that line," and possibly a reference to the lyric, "Hold that tiger" from song "Tiger Rag."
LOVE AND LEARN
WHERE THE VEST BEGINS
Nursery rhyme, "Sing a song of six pence." Working title is parody of phrase, "Where the west begins."
ALL GUMMED UP (1947)
SWEET VITA-MINE
THREE STOOGES IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT
NOTES TO YOU
WONDERFUL RACE AT RIMROCK
SCOTLAND YARDBIRDS
HEAVENLY DAZE (1948)
HEAVEN'S ABOVE
Expression "heavenly days", a very popular catch-phrase at the time, from radio program "Fibber McGee And Molly".
The phrase, "Grime on their hands"The phrase, "Time on their hands"
THAT'S THE SPIRIT
THE GHOST WALKS (1934 Invincible)
HOKUS POKUS (1949)
THREE BLIND MICE
HERE WE GO SCHMOW
Left in the lurch
Possibly a play on words from the 1929 Rudy Vallee comedy, "The Vagabond Lover".
WHAT A SOLDIER!
NEW GROOMS SWEEP CLEAN
Expression, "love at first sight."
HOW HAMMY WAS MY HAMLET
GENI WITH THE LIGHT BROWN HAIR
Parody of term, "Arabian Nights." Working title is parody of 1854 Stephen Foster song, "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair."
NONCENSUS TAKERS
IMPATIENT PATIENT
GOLD RAIDERS (1951)
The Stooges Go West
A YANK AT THE DENTIST
Expression, "The truth will out."
PEST MAN WINS (1951)
MOUSERS IN THE TROUSERS
Expression, "The best man wins."
'FRAIDY CAT (1951)
SILLY SLEUTHS
DAFFY DRAFTEES
NONE WON
CLAM UP
GULLIBLE'S TRAVELS
Working title is parody of story "Gulliver's Travels".
SMALL DELEGATES AT LARGE
A TRAIN CALLED SCHMOW
Working title was a parody of the 1951 Warner Bros. movie A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. The film parodies both STREETCAR and Universal's HARVEY (1951).
FUN FOR THE MONEY
A take off on the fairy tale, "Beauty and the Beast"
LOOSE LOOT (1953)
FILTHY LUCRE
TRICKY DICKS (1953)
COP AND BULL STORY
SPOOKS! (1953)
CUCKOO DETECTIVES
A PRESSING AFFAIR
DRUGSTORE DUBS
TAX SAPS / INCOME TAX SAPS
PALS AND GALS (1954)
CUCKOO WESTERNERS
LOW AFTERNOON
Working title was a parody of HIGH NOON (1952 movie)
HASSLE IN THE CASTLE
CROOK CRACKERS
BLUNDERING BACHELORS
GRUESOME THREESOME
Expression, "Trouble in paradise."
CAVED IN CAVEMEN
ENJOYING POOR HEALTH
BLUNDER BOYS (1955)
CUCKOO COPS
HOOK A CROOK (1955)
DAFFY DETECTIVES
EAT, DRINK AND BE MARRIED
Working title is parody of the expression, "Eat, drink and be merry."
CREEPS (1956)
THREE BRAVE COWARDS
ARMY DAZE (1956)
ARMY DAYS and WHACKY IN KHAKI
NUTTY NEWSHOUNDS
Expression "for crying out loud."
DIAMOND DAFFY
HOT STUFF (1956)
THEY GASSED WRONG
PIXILATED PLUMBERS
SALT WATER DAFFY
GALLOPING BRIDE / HORSING AROUND
BUILDER UPPERS
A MERRY MARRIAGE MIX-UP
ROCKET AND ROLL IT
NERVELESS WRECK
JUST HORSING AROUND / JUST FOOLING AROUND
RUSTY ROMEOS (1957)
SAPPY LOVERS
OUTER SPACE DAZE
RANCID ROMANCE
PIES AND GUYS (1958)
EASY COME, EASY GO
PARDON MY FLYING SAUCER
CHISELING CHISELER
THAT'S BULLY
HOME COOKING
RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE - A Smash Hit
THE THREE STOOGES MEET THE GUNSLINGERS
THE COMEBACK and HOLLYWOOD HORROR HOUSE
MAKE MINE MANILA
THE JET SET
Mel Brooks' BLAZING SADDLES (1974).




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