Perfectly Frank
A title card from Riccardo Freda’s THE HORRIBLE SECRET OF DOCTOR HICHCOCK (sic).
Obviously, it’s the second name down that amuses me in puerile fashion. Doubtless a literal translation of an Italian name that sounds perfectly reasonable in its native language. The credits also feature an “Evar Simpsom,” which is arguably even funnier but in a subtler way. And “Inoa Starly” is just poetic as hell.
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May 31, 2010 at 10:47 am
What can one say against Joseph Goodman, credited uselessly as “scenografo”. They should have translated it into Italian -Giuseppe Bonuomo. Of all variations of the Biblical name of Joseph in the romance languages, Giuseppe is undeniably the best.
May 31, 2010 at 11:01 am
Yes, his real name is Franco Fumagalli, a surname which indeed literally translates as smoke – cocks (as in the animal). NB Vincent Gallo is just a singular “cock” by the same token
May 31, 2010 at 11:06 am
That all makes PERFECT sense.
Starly and Simpsom seem more enigmatic…
May 31, 2010 at 11:33 am
At least Barbara Steele was never renamed ‘Barbara Acciaio’ by her Italian fans.
‘Gallo’ doesn’t have the double meaning in Italian that ‘cock’ has in English. But the Pasolini film UCCELLINI ED UCCELLACI (HAWKS AND SPARROWS) also translates as BIG PRICKS AND LITTLE PRICKS. Knowing Pasolini as we do, we can assume the double meaning was intentional.
May 31, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Should be on a double bill with Prick Up Your Ears (where the last word can be usefully taken as anagram).
May 31, 2010 at 11:02 pm
I understand “fumare” used to mean “to steal”, so maybe Frank Stealscock wouldn’t have fit so well, altho Chevy Chase’s Fletch character stumbling over “John Coc tost on” may have a deeper meaning now. Had a friend whose name translated to most as “those who masque”, as in actors – turned out it was the other mask-wearers it was originally meant to be – the number of gallows endings in his ancestors clued him in.
June 1, 2010 at 9:00 am
Heh!
I bet they hanged plenty of actors too.