Poll: Run-Off: The Best Film Titles Part I

Results of 1,143 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

    

   Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: Supposedly, Stanley Kubrick considered several other titles, including Dr. Doomsday or: How to Start World War III Without Even Tr…
2. 2.
   

   A Clockwork Orange (1971)

    

   A Clockwork Orange: From the novella, by Anthony Burgess, of the same name. Some sources state Burgess has given three explanations of the title, but according to The New Yorker, "The writer firs…
3. 3.
   

   Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

    

   Breakfast at Tiffany's: From the novel, by Truman Capote, of the same name.
4. 4.
   

   To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

    

   To Kill a Mockingbird: From the novel, by Harper Lee, on which the film is based.
5. 5.
   

   Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

    

   Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: From the play by Tennessee Williams.
6. 6.
   

   A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

    

   A Streetcar Named Desire: From the play, by Tennesse Williams, of the same name.
7. 7.
   

   The Wizard of Oz (1939)

    

   The Wizard of Oz: Adapted from the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum.
8. 8.
   

   Double Indemnity (1944)

    

   Double Indemnity: Double indemnity refers to a clause in a life insurance policy whereby the insurance company agrees to pay double the amount in the contract in cases of death by accidental means. &q…
9. 9.
   

   The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

    

   The Grapes of Wrath: From the novel by John Steinbeck. The title, suggested by the author's wife, Carole Steinbeck, references lyrics from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," by Julia Ward Ho…
10. 10.
    

    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

     

    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: From the short story, by Dorothy Johnson, of the same name.
11. 11.
    

    Paper Moon (1973)

     

    Paper Moon: As IMDb member, cocoken, explains, "Director Peter Bogdanovich was looking for authentic music from the period to use in his film and when he stumbled across the song "It's Only …
12. 12.
    

    The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

     

    The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds: From the Pulitzer-winning play by Paul Zindel, in which the young heroine's science project is on the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon ma…
13. 13.
    

    To Sir, with Love (1967)

     

    To Sir, with Love: From the autobiographical novel by E. R. Braithwaite.
14. 14.
    

    A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972)

     

    A Day in the Death of Joe Egg: From the play, of the same name, by Peter Nichols.
15. 15.
    

    Of Human Bondage (1934)

     

    Of Human Bondage: From the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, who had originally considered titles such as Beauty from Ashes but finally decided on a phrase taken from a section of the philosopher Baruch S…
16. 16.
    

    The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)

     

    The Ox-Bow Incident: From the novel, by Walter Van Tilburg Clark, of the same name.
17. 17.
    

    The Egg and I (1947)

     

    The Egg and I: From the novel by Betty MacDonald.
18. 18.
    

    A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

     

    A Raisin in the Sun: The playwright, Lorraine Hansberry, used, for the title of the play on which the film is based, a phrase from the poem, "Harlem," sometimes known as "A Dream Deferr…
19. 19.
    

    I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968)

     

    I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!: Alice B. Toklas, a writer and life partner of Gertrude Stein, published recipes along with recollections in her memoir. Among the recipes is one for marijuana brownies, w…