I’ve read that Gone With The Wind was called by Margaret Mitchell Mules In Horses’ Harnesses
Logan’s Run was A Wild Run For Morgan 5 (or maybe it was Morgan 3).
I seem to recall that Robert Heinlein’s novel titles were usually supplied by either his wife Ginny or his agent Lurton Blassingame, since RAH’s were usually dull, but for the life of me I can’t remember where I read this, or any of the original titles, except I think Stranger In A Strange Land was originally called A Martian Named Smith.
What about characters with distinctive names. Did any start with dull monikers?
The Beatles’ second movie was scheduled to be called “Eight Arms To Hold You” - this is indicated on the label of the single “Ticket To Ride”. It was only after John wrote “Help!” that the movie title was changed.
I understand that the character Jonathan Archer in “Star Trek: Enterprise” was originally intended to be caled Jeffrey Archer until some Brit pointed out the potential for amusement.
Scarlett O’Hara was originally Pansy O’Hara. Margaret Mitchell’s editor had to inform her that “pansy” had a double meaning. In the dreadful sequel “Scarlett,” Riley winks and nods as she names Scarlett’s maid “Pansy.”
It’s very common in books and movies. My novel was titled “Syron Song,” the publisher changed the name to “Quarnian” and then “Staroamer’s Fate.”
“I Love Louisa” was the original title for The Band Wagon. Dancing in the Dark, and What a Way to Go. No movie has been made titled “I Love Louisa.”
Sobbin’ Women --> Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Tribute to a Bad Man --> The Bad and the Beautiful
We Believe in Love --> Three Coins in the Fountain
The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore --> Boom --> Goforth --> Sunburst --> Boom
The Innocent --> Mr. Innocent --> It’s What’s Happening --> The Happening
“Gone with the Wind” went through multiple titles, including “Another Day”. Someone at the publisher’s eventually suggested the title they used.
Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” was originally “Ten Little Niggers”, believe it or not. That was a long time ago, of course. Later still it was republished as “And Then There Were None”.
Which leads to the matter of novels being republished under different titles. This seems to happen to murder mysteries a lot; “Murder on the Orient Express” was also published as “Murder on the Calais Coach”, for example. Sometimes there’s a good reason–Dorothy Sayer’s “Five Red Herrings” was titled “Suspicious Characters” for the US market on the grounds that Americans wouldn’t know what a “red herring” was. But often the changes were inexplicable, unless as an effort to increase sales by confusing fans. The worst example I ran across was Agatha Christie’s excellent title “Sparkling Cyanide” junked for the tiresome “Remembered Death”.
Not all that long ago. My copy of *Ten Little Niggers * (Fontana paperback) was published in the mid 1970s and has a lovely front cover of a golliwog strung up by a noose.
This may be a little off the subject, but I recall reading a long time ago (no I don’t have a cite, but I’m sure some more diehard trekkers may be able to confirm this) that there was to have been a 1970s era spinoff of the original “Star Trek” called “Enterprise II.” It would have featured most of the original crew (save Nimoy who was heavily into his “I am NOT Spock!!” mode) with two new characters added:
Xom - a pure-blood Vulcan who is intensely curious about human emotion. Although he has no capacity for feelings, he would be more empathetic than Spock, and would (in his own way) be ‘envious’ of this human trait.
Ilia- an alien from an empathic race who are intensely sensual and empathic (a watered-down version of this character appeared in the dreadful first Trek movie.)
In reading the fuller descriptions of these characters that Roddenberry had written, it’s easy to see that these two characters were the original models for the characters that became Data and Deanna “Counselor Cleavage” Troi.
GR used most of his Star Trek: Phase II characters for both TMP and TNG. The full-blooded Vulcan was named Xon, and actor David Gautreaux was even cast. A scene he read for his screen test is included on the TMP Special Edition DVD. As a consolation to Gautreaux when the series was cancelled in favor of making a motion picture, he was cast as Commander Branch (of the Epsilon Space Station eaten by V’ger).
Willard Decker’s and Ilia’s relationship is pretty much a spot-on match to Riker’s and Troi’s.
Families were to be onboard in Phase II. They were in TNG.
Aesiron and others may know even more about the recycled bits.
I have a copy of a Phase II script (about 13 scripts were written and ready to go) called Kitumba. It presents a fascinating look at the inner-workings of a very different Klingon Empire than what we wound up with.