''Abracadabra'' is a 1952 Italian
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Max Neufeld
Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film '' The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica.
Select ...
and starring
Mario Riva
Mario Riva (26 January 1913 – 1 September 1960) was an Italian television presenter and actor. He appeared in 51 films between 1941 and 1960.
Life and career
Born in Rome as Mariuccio Bonavolontà, the son of a composer, Giuseppe (Joseph) ...
,
Riccardo Billi
Riccardo Billi (22 April 1906 – 15 April 1982) was an Italian film actor and comedian. With Mario Riva he appeared as ''Billi & Riva'', one of the most popular Italian comic duos in the 1950s.
He appeared in around 85 films between 1938 a ...
and
Lilia Landi
Lilia Landi (born 24 August 1929) is a retired Italian film actress.Burke p.381
Selected filmography
* ''My Beautiful Daughter'' (1950)
* ''Turri il bandito'' (1950)
* '' Era lui... sì! sì!'' (1951)
* '' Licenza premio'' (1951)
* ''Destiny'' (1 ...
.
[Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del Cinema Italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991. p. 16. .]
It was shot at
Cinecittà Studios
Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios wer ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. The film's sets were designed by the
art director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
s
Alfredo Montori
Alfredo Montori (1893-1969) was an Italian art director. He designed the sets for more than a hundred films.Smith p.116
Selected filmography
* '' My Little One'' (1933)
* '' Lady of Paradise'' (1934)
* '' The Ferocious Saladin'' (1937)
* ''A Lad ...
and Camillo del Signore.
Plot
Three crooks scheme to swindle a wealthy widow out of her fortune, but their plans are thwarted by the sudden return of her husband who is far from dead.
Cast
*
Mario Riva
Mario Riva (26 January 1913 – 1 September 1960) was an Italian television presenter and actor. He appeared in 51 films between 1941 and 1960.
Life and career
Born in Rome as Mariuccio Bonavolontà, the son of a composer, Giuseppe (Joseph) ...
as Amleto
*
Riccardo Billi
Riccardo Billi (22 April 1906 – 15 April 1982) was an Italian film actor and comedian. With Mario Riva he appeared as ''Billi & Riva'', one of the most popular Italian comic duos in the 1950s.
He appeared in around 85 films between 1938 a ...
as Antonio
*
Lilia Landi
Lilia Landi (born 24 August 1929) is a retired Italian film actress.Burke p.381
Selected filmography
* ''My Beautiful Daughter'' (1950)
* ''Turri il bandito'' (1950)
* '' Era lui... sì! sì!'' (1951)
* '' Licenza premio'' (1951)
* ''Destiny'' (1 ...
as Carmela
*
Guglielmo Inglese
Guglielmo Inglese (24 November 1892 – 14 January 1972) was an Italian actor, radio personality and playwright.
Life and career
Born in Naples into a family of Apulian origins, Inglese debuted on stage as a child actor at 2 years old, and t ...
as Nicola Caiazzo
*
Alberto Sorrentino
Alberto Sorrentino (16 February 1916 – 31 January 1994), was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 89 films between 1943 and 1988. He was born in La Spezia, Italy.
Selected filmography
* '' The Last Wagon'' (1943) - Un passante
* '' I c ...
as Fernando, detto Fefè
*
Paul Muller as Alfredo
*
Marcella Rovena
Marcella Rovena (22 January 1905 – 6 October 1991) was an Italian film and voice actress. Born in Conegliano, she started her career on the big screen in 1932 with director Nunzio Malasomma
Nunzio Malasomma (4 February 1894 – 12 J ...
as Cesira Caiazzo
*Simona Gori as Maria
* as Antonietta
*
Marco Tulli
Marco Tulli (20 November 1920 – 20 March 1982) was an Italian character actor, probably best known in the role of "Smilzo" in the Don Camillo film series.
Born in Rome, Tulli debuted as actor while he was still a university student, at the end ...
as Il maggiordomo
*
Silvio Bagolini
Silvio Bagolini (4 August 1914 – 26 September 1976) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1936 and 1973.
Life and career
Born in Bologna, Bagolini studied architecture at the Bologna University, without gr ...
as Il signore balbuziente
*
Bruno Corelli
Bruno Corelli (20 August 1918 – 17 February 1983) was an Italian actor.
Life and career
Born in Bologna, after being part of a dramatic society of his hometown Corelli moved to Rome to attend the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He ma ...
as Il Decio
*
Pietro Tordi
Pietro Tordi (12 July 1906 – 14 December 1990) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 100 films between 1942 and 1988. He was born in Florence, Italy.
Selected filmography
* '' Doctor Antonio'' (1937) - L'altro conspiratore
* '' Don C ...
as Giacomo
References
External links
*
1952 comedy films
Italian comedy films
Films directed by Max Neufeld
Films shot at Cinecittà Studios
Italian black-and-white films
1950s Italian films
{{1950s-Italy-film-stub