When shown abroad, JW’s films often changed titles to fit the public’s taste. I think it could be interesting to hear – having many members from different countries – to hear what the titles in other countries are. To start with, here’s how they sold JW in Germany (I’m translating the German titles into English)
GERMAN TITLES
The Fighting Seabees would be ALARM IN THE PACIFIC
They Were Expandable: SPEED-BOATS AT BATAAN
Fort Apache: TO THE LAST MAN
Quiet Man: THE WINNER
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon: The Devil’s Captain
Three Godfathers: Tracks in the Sand
Flying Leathernecks: Wildcat Squadron or (in later release) Wings of Steel
Wings of Eagles: Like the Eagle
The Horse Soldiers: The Last Command
North to Alaska: Land of 1000 adventures
Cahill: Buzzards don’t give pity
Rooster Cogburn: WITH DYNAMIT AND A PRAYER
Stagecoach: RINGO or (in earlier release): HELL RIDE TO SANTA FE (stupid, since the coach drives to Lordsburg)
Tall in the Saddle: WITH RIFLE AND ROPE
Sands of Iwo Jima: YOU WERE OUR COMRADE or DEATH COMMAND IWO JIMA
In Harm’s Way: FIRST VICTORY
The War Wagon: THE MAGNIFICENT
Hellfighters: THE UNAFRAID
Hondo: THEY CALL HIM HONDO
McQ: MCQ – A MAN OF STEEL
The Train Robbers: DIRTY GOLD
Allegheny Uprising: BLACK RIVER
Red River: PANIC AT THE RED RIVER
True Grit: THE MARSHAL (100 DOLLARS FOR A SHERIFF in France – even though he’s a marshal!)
The Searchers. THE BLACK HAWK (they changed „Scar“ to Black Hawk and gave him the title as well)
Bad Luck for the Italians when they renamed RIO GRANDE to RIO BRAVO – and 9 years later couldn’t give the real RIO BRAVO that same title! So Rio Bravo became A GOLD DOLLAR in Italy.
Interesting to know: The French re-named The Cowboys and The Green Berets JOHN WAYNE ET LE COW-BOYS and JOHN WAYNE ET LES BERETS VERTS, Wayne’s name could even be IN the title.
The funniest would be Big Jim McLain, renamed MARIHUANA. The Germans skipped the whole Commie plot, the Communists became drug dealers, and all the narrator’s and actor’s lines were changed accordingly.