US vs. UK Titles

June 2, 2008

Most of Charles Starrett’s films were released in the United Kingdom under different titles. Some of these titles were startlingly different than their originals.

It’s interesting to ponder the factors that contributed to these changes. For example, gone from the UK titles are almost all US regional references like “South of Death Valley” or “Stranger from Texas”.

At other times, it feels as if the distributor was trying to position the film in an entirely different genre.

Here is a list of some of those titles and what they suggest to me.

Mysteries

Blazing the Western Trail … aka Who Killed Waring? (UK)

Rustlers of the Badlands … aka By Whose Hand? (UK)

The Medico of Painted Springs … aka Doctor’s Alibi (UK)

Adventure / Mysteries – like the Hardy Boys

The Blazing Trail … aka The Forged Will (UK)

Trail to Laredo … aka Sign of the Dagger (UK)

Outcasts of Black Mesa … aka The Clue (UK)

Bandits of El Dorado … aka Tricked (UK)

Hardboiled

Saddle Leather Law … aka The Poisoner (UK)

Bad Men of the Hills … aka Wrongly Accused (UK)

Down Rio Grande Way … aka The Double Punch (UK)

Cautionary Tales

Law of the Canyon … aka The Price of Crime (UK)

Roaring Rangers … aka False Hero

Lyrical

Horsemen of the Sierras … aka Remember Me (UK)

Overland to Deadwood … aka Falling Stones (UK)

Western Caravans … aka Silver Sands (UK)

Just Weird

The Royal Mounted Patrol … aka Giants A’Fire (UK)

Riding West … aka Fugitive from Time (UK)