# Movies/books/plays whose title character wasn't the main character **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375 "2005-07-20T23:35:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/21 "2005-07-21T03:12:15Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > **To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everyting, Julie Newmar**. Neither of them are in the film. Not so- Julie Newmar appears at the end, to crown John Leguizamo as Drag Queen of the Year. A better example: Antonio is the title character of **The Merchant of Venice,** but he’s probably the least memorable person in the play. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/22 "2005-07-21T03:24:16Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Similarly, in **The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert** , Priscilla isn’t a charater; she’s a vehicle. > > **Raising Arizona** – Arizona is the McGuffin, not the main character. > > **Glengarry Glen Ross** – There is no one in the movie by that name. It comes from various names for housing developments (Glengarry Acres, Glen Ross Farms) used in the play, but there is no “Glengarry Glen Ross” ever mentioned. > > **Howards End** – There is no Howard. It’s the name of a piece of property… Do these count? I guess it’s up to the OP, but there musty be millions of these stories that have titles that might conceivably be construed as a person’s name but actually have no corresponding character even mentioned in the story. Of the “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Howard’s End” type where a peice of geography has a name that is or might be a person’s name we have “Wall Street”, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “Coming to America” “Dante’s Peak”, and so on. After all there might just as well be or have been someone named “Wall” or “Dante” or “Amerigo” or"Tiffany" as someone named “Howard”. But does that really make the titles references to non-existent characters? I wouldn’t call any of those ‘people’ or Glengarry Glen Ross characters in those stories. For every “Priscilla” we have a dozen such a “Das Boot”, “Titanic”, “Appollo 13”, “Phantom Tollbooth” etc where the title is also a vehicle’s name with absolutely no correspondence to an actual character in the story. In fact we could fill a thread with stories where the title is a vehicle’s name, particularly women’s names for ships. But once again I’m not sure that makes them minor characters rather than named props. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/23 "2005-07-21T03:38:44Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > After all there might just as well be or have been someone named “Wall” or “Dante” or “Amerigo” or"Tiffany" as someone named “Howard”. Wall Street is named for a wall, not a person. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/24 "2005-07-21T03:48:28Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Raising Arizona** – Arizona is the McGuffin, not the main character. And yet you didn’t mention _The Big Lebowski_, where thee BIG Lebowski isn’t the main character…The Dude is. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/25 "2005-07-21T03:53:08Z")
Yes, that’s why I said “might be”. And Glenn Ross may well have been named for a physical object and not a person as well, either Rose Glen or Horse Glen. It isn’t made clear in the play that it isn’t. That’s my point. It’s a piece of geography that sounds plausibly like it might be named after a person and nothing more. There is no actual reason for even believing that it is. I wouldn’t have thought that constitutes a character. And if it does this list is endless. Every single movie with what sounds like it might be a person’s name gets thrown in. That means every movie with the words “Rose”, “Dawn”, “America” and so on in their titles. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/26 "2005-07-21T04:38:17Z")
How about The Legend of Zelda? ---
**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:** [July 21, 2005, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/27 "2005-07-21T09:38:39Z")
Akira (the movie) The Prisoner Of Azkaban The Half Blood Prince The Return Of Martin Guerre. Sommersby ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/28 "2005-07-21T11:41:55Z")
Harvey. Jesus Christ Superstar is more about Judas, though Jesus does get some good songs. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2005, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/29 "2005-07-21T11:51:33Z")
**Amadeus** is really about Antonio Salieri, and his reaction to God’s favoring Mozart. Why not call it _Salieri_? (Or even _Mozart_?). Well, look at what _Amadeud_ means. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/30 "2005-07-21T12:10:21Z")
Even though it’s really the secret of the plot, _The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance_ was all about the James Stewart character, but John Wayne’s character turns out to be the guy referred to in the title. Too tricky to count in the spirit of the OP, but that hasn’t slowed down others so I thought I’d be cute, too. ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/31 "2005-07-21T13:43:42Z")
**Dr. Strangelove** , or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb would certainly qualify. The good doctor’s nowhere near the central figure of the whole piece… ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/32 "2005-07-21T13:45:41Z")
**The Trouble With Harry** ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/33 "2005-07-21T13:47:42Z")
**Oscar** (the movie with Sylvester Stallone) ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/34 "2005-07-21T14:07:24Z")
The original novel _The Phantom of the Opera_ was really about Raoul and his relationship with Christine. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/35 "2005-07-21T14:16:19Z")
**Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Lorenzo’s Oil Mr Skeffington The Manchurian Candidate** ---
**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:** [July 21, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/36 "2005-07-21T14:19:50Z")
**The Hound of the Baskervilles** is really about some doctor named Watson. There’s a detective named Holmes in it for a little while, too, but the Hound doesn’t even show up until the end. Y’know, for that matter, you never even really see Sauron in **The Lord of the Rings**. He’s always offstage. In the movie you get to look at his Big Glowing Eye every now and then, but you don’t get that in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/37 "2005-07-21T14:32:43Z")
**Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory** - half points because it’s a rename from **Charlie and the Chocolate Factory** , and Charlie is the central character **Monty Python and the Holy Grail** - Monty Python isn’t even in the movie! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/38 "2005-07-21T14:36:03Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > The Prisoner Of Azkaban > The Half Blood Prince I don’t think these count – the full titles are “Harry Potter and [secondary character]”. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/39 "2005-07-21T14:36:34Z")
Ooops – **Blake** already did LoTR. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375/40 "2005-07-21T14:58:39Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Jesus Christ Superstar is more about Judas, though Jesus does get some good songs. Hijacking for a moment, what good JC song except for GESTHEMANE (and part of EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT)? Every other song by JC (What’s the Buzz, Poor Jerusalem, The Last Supper) is pretty whiny. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-books-plays-whose-title-character-wasnt-the-main-character/313375.md?page=3)