# Movie Series with One or Two Titles Different from the Others **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 5, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138 "2024-02-05T13:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/1 "2024-02-05T13:45:16Z")
The threads about non-appearing characters and recently-seen films has made me think of this. They called the first film of the Nick and Nora Charles films _The Thin Man_, and people thought it referred to Nick Charles. So the rest of the series had “The Thin Man” in the title so you’d know it was part of the same series. This was a common thing with movies – they want you to know if the film is connected with a famous and well-loved cycle, so people will be motivated to see the new ones. So you had the “Ma and Pa Kettle” series and the “Blondie” series and the “Tarzan” series. Even the _Star Wars_ films work that title in somehow. Not every series needed this – the James Bond movies didn’t have the name “James Bond” in the title (although it, and “007” were prominent in advertising). But sometimes they’ll give a movie a title that doesn’t fit in the rest of the series. _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ is the first that comes to mind. All the others are “Indiana Jones and…” Of course, it was the first in the series, and they might not have known there would be more. (In a way, it’s like the Ma and Pa Kettle series. That was a spinoff of the movie _The Egg and I_, where the studio didn’t realize how popular the characters would be. But it’s hard to believe Lucas and Spielberg hadn’t considered that Indiana Jones would be similarly popular). A case where it was a sequel that didn’t follow the lead was the Pink Panther films. After the success of the first one (Titled simply _The Pink Panther_), the sequel was _A Shot in the Dark_. It made sense, I guess – the titular jewel was not involved, and they adapted the screenplay from a pre-existing stage play of that title. The second sequel was called _Inspector Clouseau_ (and it didn’t even have Peter Sellers in it). But by the time they got to the next sequel, they put “The Pink Panther” in the title again. Not, I observe “Inspector Clouseau”. Well, it had been a dozen years since the first, the Depatie-Freleng cartoon openings were a draw themselves, and it indicated the sort of zaniness the films would introduce. It also featured the return on the titular diamond, so it really WAS “The Return of the Pink Panther.” The diamond showed up in some later films and the reboot, but not all of them. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/2 "2024-02-05T13:48:22Z")
Well, there’s _Chinatown_, and _The Two Jakes_. If you didn’t already know that the latter was a sequel to the former, there’s no way you could tell from the titles. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/3 "2024-02-05T13:50:59Z")
A Fistful of Dollars For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Why didn’t they call it A Grave full of Dollars, or War of the Dollars, or something with Dollars in the title? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/4 "2024-02-05T13:55:31Z")
**The Love Bug** was the only Herbie movie to not have “Herbie” in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/5 "2024-02-05T13:59:43Z")
The first Rambo movie was just “First Blood”, followed by “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (a truly terrible sequel name). For some reason I thought that the Mad Max movies also had a weird naming convention, at least for the first one. But they’re all “Mad Max…” films. I think I was thinking of how wildly different the first movie is in tone and setting than the others. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/6 "2024-02-05T14:20:28Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > For some reason I thought that the Mad Max movies also had a weird naming convention, at least for the first one. But they’re all “Mad Max…” films. I think I was thinking of how wildly different the first movie is in tone and setting than the others. The second _Mad Max_ movie was _Mad Max 2_ in many territories. It was called just _The Road Warrior_ in North America. Not a movie series but definitely a serialized franchise: only one serial within the history of _Doctor Who_ had those two words in the title. “Doctor Who and the Silurians” (there were a couple of individual episodes earlier on, when each part of a serial had its own title, but this is for one complete story) was named erroneously. Without reigniting the debate about his actual name (the character was listed in the closing credits as “Doctor Who” rather than “The Doctor” up into the Eccleston years). The seven-parter was meant to just be called “The Silurians.” As well, of the two feature films starring Peter Cushing as the titular character (non-canonical, and he’s called “Doctor Who” in them), have different naming conventions. The first one, _Doctor Who and the Daleks_, is followed by the clumsily titled _Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 A.D._ ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/7 "2024-02-05T14:21:41Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > For some reason I thought that the Mad Max movies also had a weird naming convention, at least for the first one. But they’re all “Mad Max…” films. Not the second one. The first sequel to the original _Mad Max_ was _The Road Warrior_. When The Road Warrior first came out in North America, most people didn’t even know it was a sequel. There’s basically nothing from the first movie that you need to know for TRW to make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/8 "2024-02-05T14:22:41Z")
Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. It does seem an odd decision from a marketing standpoint. How would someone even know those two files are related? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/9 "2024-02-05T14:24:03Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > A Shot in the Dark Well, that’s the one I came in to post, so I got nothin’. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/10 "2024-02-05T14:38:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The first Rambo movie was just “First Blood”, followed by “Rambo: First Blood Part II” (a truly terrible sequel name). Then they continued it with simply _Rambo III_. I was so disappointed that it wasn’t First Blood part III or maybe Second Blood Part I. In the _Jaws_ series they got antsy after _Jaws 3D_ and made the next one _Jaws: The Revenge_. Although I think they just wanted you to forget about the dreadful 3D entry inti the series. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/11 "2024-02-05T14:40:55Z")
One series they didn’t even think of using similar titles with was **In the Heat of the Night** (1967). The two sequels were **They Call Me MISTER Tibbs** (1970 (title from a prominent line in the film) and **The Organization** (1971) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/12 "2024-02-05T14:45:54Z")
One special case I can think of – Foreign titles don’t necessarily reflect the original naming at all. The first three in the British series about Professor Bernard Quatermass was titled (after the TV serials they were based on) **The Quatermass Xperiment Quatermas 2 Quatermas and the Pit** In the US these became **The Creeping Unknown Enemy from Space Five Million Years to Earth** Evidently the US releasers didn’t car if you knew they were a series. Or even if the last title made any sense. It looks like an attempt to make people think about the Harryhausen film _Fifty Million Miles to Earth_ ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/13 "2024-02-05T14:50:27Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. > > It does seem an odd decision from a marketing standpoint. How would someone even know those two files are related? Made even worse when the “jewel” in the second film turns out to be a holy man and not a precious gem. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/14 "2024-02-05T14:51:40Z")
[House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(1985_film)) was a blend of horror and comedy. [House II: The Second Story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_II:_The_Second_Story) was produced by the same company and many of the same people, but its only connection to the first movie was that it took place in a magical house where the kitchen door did not always take you to the kitchen. [The third movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_III) was a straight horror film, with no comedy at all. It was released in the USA as _The Horror Show_, and in Europe and Australia as _House III: The Horror Show._ [House IV: The Repossession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_IV) was the only film in the series that was actually a sequel to the first movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/15 "2024-02-05T14:58:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **Five Million Years to Earth** > > Evidently the US releasers didn’t car … if the last title made any sense. It makes perfect sense. The plot revolves around the remains of an alien spaceship that crashed five million years ago. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/16 "2024-02-05T15:07:43Z")
There have been 28 movies of [the Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid). About a third of them have “Cisco Kid” in the title. from the Wikipedia page: > ### List of films > > - _The Caballero’s Way_ (1914) – [William R. Dunn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_R._Dunn_(actor)).[_[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)_] > - _The Border Terror_ (1919) – [Vester Pegg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vester_Pegg)[_[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)_] > - _[In Old Arizona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Old_Arizona)_ (1928) – Warner Baxter > - _[The Arizona Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arizona_Kid_(1930_film))_ (1930) – Warner Baxter > - _[The Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid_(1931_film))_ (1931) – Warner Baxter > - _[The Stolen Jools](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stolen_Jools)_ (1931) – Warner Baxter > - _[The Return of the Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_the_Cisco_Kid)_ (1939) – Warner Baxter > - _[The Cisco Kid and the Lady](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid_and_the_Lady)_ (1939) – Cesar Romero > - _[Lucky Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Cisco_Kid)_ (1940) – Cesar Romero > - _[Viva Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viva_Cisco_Kid)_ (1940) – Cesar Romero > - _[The Gay Caballero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Caballero_(1940_film))_ (1940) – Cesar Romero > - _[Romance of the Rio Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Rio_Grande_(1941_film))_ (1941) – Cesar Romero > - _[Ride on Vaquero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_on_Vaquero)_ (1941) – Cesar Romero > - _[The Cisco Kid Returns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid_Returns)_ (1945) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[In Old New Mexico](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Old_New_Mexico)_ (1945) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[South of the Rio Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_of_the_Rio_Grande_(1945_film))_ (1945) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[The Gay Cavalier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Cavalier_(film))_ (1946) – Gilbert Roland > - _[South of Monterey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_of_Monterey)_ (1946) – Gilbert Roland > - _[Beauty and the Bandit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Bandit)_ (1946) – Gilbert Roland > - _[Riding the California Trail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_the_California_Trail)_ (1947) – Gilbert Roland > - _[Robin Hood of Monterey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood_of_Monterey)_ (1947) – Gilbert Roland > - _[King of the Bandits](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Bandits)_ (1947) – Gilbert Roland > - _[The Valiant Hombre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valiant_Hombre)_ (1948) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[The Gay Amigo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Amigo)_ (1949) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[The Daring Caballero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daring_Caballero)_ (1949) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[Satan’s Cradle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan%27s_Cradle)_ (1949) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[The Girl from San Lorenzo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_from_San_Lorenzo)_ (1950) – Duncan Renaldo > - _[The Cisco Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cisco_Kid_(1994_film))_ (1994) (TV film) – Jimmy Smits ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/17 "2024-02-05T15:18:16Z")
There have been dozens of [Zorro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorro) movies. All of the American films have his name in the title, except for 1936’s _The Bold Caballero_. There is a little more variety in the European films, and a lot more variety in the Mexican films. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/18 "2024-02-05T15:25:24Z")
The sequels to **Beethoven** used the format **Beethoven’s 2nd** , **Beethoven’s 3rd** , etc. - until they got to the sixth movie, which was titled **Beethoven’s Big Break**. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/19 "2024-02-05T15:32:58Z")
**Army of Darkness** is the third movie in the **Evil Dead** film series (5 movies), but the only one to not use “Evil Dead” in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138/20 "2024-02-05T15:36:34Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Not the second one. The first sequel to the original _Mad Max_ was _The Road Warrior_. Only for its US release. In Australia, where it was made, it was Mad Max 2. But because the first movie made zero splash in the US, and because as you say the second movie stands functionally alone, the alternative title was used by US distributors. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-series-with-one-or-two-titles-different-from-the-others/997138.md?page=2)