A Problem Like Maria

I enjoyed this twisty, well-acted episode of the series, which balanced attention to the main characters (especially Keesha Sharp's role of Murtaugh's wife) with the action/suspense of the weekly story at hand. But in adding the show to my list of what I've viewed I was surprised by the episode title listed in IMDb.

The database indicates five TV episodes identically titles "A Problem Like Maria", taken from the song in "The Sound of Music". Even a reality TV show for Andrew Lloyd Webber of all people uses the full title "How to Solve a Problem Like Maria". This re-use or lifting of a title is the opposite of creativity, more like cuteness for its own sake.

I bring this up because before IMDb was created (circa 1990) the episode titles of most TV shows were unknown to the public, as only certain series, especially anthology shows like "Twilight Zone" or "Alfred Hitchcock", ever displayed the name of an episode on screen. As a result silliness or in-joking by the writers has often run rampant, the most egregious case being the series "3rd Rock from the Sun" (check out the list of episode names in IMDb for an amusing if ridiculous result).

As a kid addicted to TV, my favorite episode name was on "Route 66", Stirling Silliphant's "Narcissus on an Old Red Fire Engine". Now there's creativity at work, and the show itself a model of same.