3rd Chair Trombone: Rejected titles for Ang Lee's 1994 film "Eat Drink Man Woman"

3CT's Insider Guide to Movies - Part 65

"Eat Drink Man Woman"

Lovers of cinema will remember a beautiful and well acted foreign language drama, but 1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman" was anything but a success only weeks before the film's release. Plagued by translation problems, director Ang Lee was unable to accurately capture the mood of the film's original title, "Yin shi nan nu," which roughly translated means "To eat, to drink is divine." A last minute summit was held at Twentieth Century Fox, and Lee was given an ultimatum by studio chief Max Albemarle: Find a suitable title for this film, or we shelve it.

Panicking, Lee enlisted the help of Richard Carnes (21), a college student and part-time front desk clerk at the Sheraton Santa Monica at which he was staying. Lee offered Carnes $500 (American) to create a winning title during his midnight to 8am desk shift. With just hours to spare, a twelve pack of Miller Genuine Draft, and faithful lacrosse teammate Andy Denzer at his side, Carnes realized the title that English audiences would come to know and love, but not before drafting a number of other intriguing possibilities that were, until now, only scribbles on a notebook in Ang Lee's provincial estate outside Hong Kong. Here now, are the titles that the studio rejected:

Eat Drink Teacup Ladle

Eat Drink Mousetrap Vacuum

Eat Drink Wet Towel

Eat Drink Man Tubesnake

Eat Sleep Air Mattress

Eat Sleep Man I'm Tired

Eat Drink She's the Sherriff

Eat Drink Man Werewolf

Eat Drink Man Wiener

Eat Drink Masked Shemale

Eat Drink Mark Spitz

Eat Shit Andy Denzer

Eat Drink MILF Woody

Eat Drink Mac Davis

Eat Stink Go Home

February 2012