Sunday Morning Puzzle #81 ---Movie Mystery

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

What do these movie titles have in common?

The eighteen movie titles below have something in common. To make the titles harder to identify, each has had one word replaced with a synonym. The replaced word is never part of the common factor. These altered titles were then broken into doublets (with the occasional triplet) and the doublets were alphabetized.

Example:

Movie Title: PETER PAN
Altered Title: PETER SKILLET
Altered Title in Alphabetized Doublets: ET KI LL PE RS TE

If a solver untangles all the original movie titles, but still cannot identify the common factor, he/she may use the eight extra doublets that have been scattered throughout the puzzle. These extra doublets can be arranged to spell out the common factor.

Can you discover the altered movie titles, the original titles, and the common factor?

++++++++++

  1. AG CH CR DR ED ER GT IG IN OB ON OU SC TS UR
  2. AL DO IA NO OM PA RA TC
  3. AU CR ER ID LA LE OF RA RA SO TM UM
  4. EC EI IN IS NS OU PE RS TE TL TM
  5. AD CE ES LF NT OL WO
  6. AY BI CL CR EN IP NS OE OF ON PE RC RO US
  7. BU EA ER FL LI THE TT YR ZE
  8. AB CI HA IE OU RA RL TC TY THE VE
  9. AT IA IO IT ND NS NT OI RA
  10. AD AL BA DI EY IT LY ND OK ON SM THE TI
  11. AL AN BE CE ED HO LI MA NW OG OT PH PH PR RA RT THE YV
  12. AN BU DD DO EC LY OL TE THE YH
  13. ER GE LE LI ND NG OF RA RY SO TA THE
  14. EC EG HA LE NL OM PR RO TI UN 4I
  15. BA CH CK DR EA EN E3 GU JO IL IN MA RL THE
  16. EE EM FE GY ID PT RO
  17. DI DR EN FI FU HU IG IN MA NC OF SH THE TR UE
  18. AN BI EN ES GH GS IN NG RM RO TE TI TS
2

#13 … shouldn’t the “3” be a colon and the “in” be “to”?

3

Hmm… I’ll have to double check my references. You indeed may be right regarding the “to” in number 15. This is not exactly a movie of which I am well acquainted. The “3”, as far as I can tell, is accurate.

As to the punctuation (in typical mean-spirited puzzle fashion), it has all been removed.

4

I think I might have a few of them:

1. Crouching Tiger Obscured Dragon = Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [+ TS]
2. Paranoia Dot Com = Fear Dot Com [+ AL]
3.
4.
5. Adolescent Wolf = Teen Wolf
6.
7. The Butterfly Realize = The Butterfly Effect
8. The Veracity About Charlie = The Truth About Charlie
9.
10. Smokey Additionally the Bandit = Smokey and the Bandit
11.
12. The Buddy Holly Anecdote = The Buddy Holly Story
13. Legend of the Solitary Ranger = Legend of the Lone Ranger
14.
15.
16. Emeer of Egypt = Prince of Egypt [+ ID]
17. The Fiendish Intrigue of Dr. Fu Manchu = The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
18.

5

Also:

3. Lara Croft: Mausoleum Raider = Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
9. A Transition to India = A Passage to India

6

Not bad at all Second Guest! Not bad at all.

Now, what do those titles have in common?

(And by the way, Euty was right, as he usually is, about the “IN” in #15 actually being a “TO”)

7

Four more:

[spoiler]11. The Man Who Photographed Liberty Valance = The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [+ PR]
14. Leprechaun 4: In Leg Room = Leprechaun 4: In Space [+ TI]
15. Major League 3: Back in the Children = Major League 3: Back in [to] the Minors
18. Robin Gangster: Men in Tights = Robin Hood: Men in Tights [+ ES]

So far, six of the eight doublets are: AL ES ID PR TI TS.
[/spoiler]

Only two to go, but I’m still not seeing a connection. :confused:

8

Okay. I’ve got it!

1. Crouching Tiger Obscured Dragon = Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [+ TS]
2. Paranoia Dot Com = Fear Dot Com [+ AL]
3. Lara Croft: Mausoleum Raider = Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
4. Intersect Me in St. Louis = Meet Me in St. Louis [+ PE]
5. Adolescent Wolf = Teen Wolf
6. Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Cay = Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island [+ EN]
7. The Butterfly Realize = The Butterfly Effect
8. The Veracity About Charlie = The Truth About Charlie
9. A Transition to India = A Passage to India
10. Smokey Additionally the Bandit = Smokey and the Bandit
11. The Man Who Photographed Liberty Valance = The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [+ PR]
12. The Buddy Holly Anecdote = The Buddy Holly Story
13. Legend of the Solitary Ranger = Legend of the Lone Ranger
14. Leprechaun 4: In Leg Room = Leprechaun 4: In Space [+ TI]
15. Major League 3: Back in the Children = Major League 3: Back in the Minors
16. Emeer of Egypt = Prince of Egypt [+ ID]
17. The Fiendish Intrigue of Dr. Fu Manchu = The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu
18. Robin Gangster: Men in Tights = Robin Hood: Men in Tights [+ ES]
PRESIDENTIAL PETS! (All the titles include the names of pets owned by U.S. Presidents.)

That was fun. Thanks. :slight_smile: