''Totò Tarzan'' is a 1950 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

Mario Mattoli Mario Mattoli (; 30 November 1898 – 26 February 1980) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 86 films between 1934 and 1966. His 1939 film ''Defendant, Stand Up!'' was shown as part of a retrospective on Italian comedy ...

and starring

Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi de Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April 1967), best known by his stage name Totò (), or simply as Antonio de Curtis, and nicknamed ''il Principe della risata ...

, Marilyn Buferd and

Alba Arnova Alba Arnova (15 March 1930 – 11 March 2018) was an Italian-Argentine ballerina and film actress. Life and career Born in Buenos Aires as Alba Fossati, daughter of two Italian emigrants, Arnova studied piano at the Conservatory and enrolled ...

. It is a parody of

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

's novel ''

Tarzan of the Apes ''Tarzan of the Apes'' is a 1912 story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the first in the Tarzan series. It was first serialized in the pulp magazine '' The All-Story'' beginning October 1912 before being released as a novel in June ...

''. It was shot at the

Farnesina Studios Farnesina may refer to: Architecture * Casa della Farnesina, an historic building of the ancient Rome, in the neighborhood of Trastevere, Rome * Palazzo della Farnesina, the headquarters of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the government of the ...

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 ...

Piero Filippone Piero Filippone (1911–1998) was an Italian art director who designed the sets for around two hundred films. He created the sets for Roberto Rossellini's 1954 film '' Journey to Italy''.Brunette p.416 Selected filmography * '' Three Cornered H ...

. As with Totò's other films of the era it was a commercial success, taking around 385 million

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

at the box office.Chiti & Poppi p.371

Plot

Antonio is a foundling who has lived for years in the jungle along with the monkey Bongo. But one day a troop of scouts passed into the forests of the Congo and finds him out. Antonio is well reported in civil society, where he learned, not without many difficulties and funny situations, the usages of men. In addition egl falls also Iva, only girl to truly understand his suffering due to separation from its environment. In fact, Antonio discovers that he also came from a noble family and had inherited a substantial sum of money. This opportunity will be exploited by cruel colleagues of Iva to seize all the money taking advantage of the inability Antonio, but Iva protects him and soon the two find themselves in trouble. The project of the monkey Bongo will help Antonio and Iva against the wicked.

Cast

as Antonio Della Buffas * Marilyn Buferd as Iva *

Bianca Maria Fusari Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka ( Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, ...

as La maestra *

as Sonia *

Adriana Serra Adriana Serra (27 November 1923 – 13 November 1995) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 18 films between 1943 and 1952. She was born in Milan, Italy. She was Miss Italia in 1941. Filmography * ''Mont Oriol'' (1958) * ''Miracle i ...

as Marta * Luisa Poselli as Giacoma, la moglie dei procuratore generale *

Galeazzo Benti Galeazzo Benti (6 August 1923 – 21 April 1993) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1942 and 1991. Life and career Born Galeazzo Bentivoglio in Florence, Italy, a descendant of the Bentivoglio family, which rul ...

as L'esercitatore dei superparacadutisti *

Vira Silenti Vira Silenti (16 April 1931 – 1 November 2014) was an Italian actress. Career Born in Naples as Elvira Giovene, Silenti debuted as child actress at ten years old in ''Una notte dopo l’opera'' (1942). She studied law at the university and ...

as Dora *

Tino Buazzelli Agostino "Tino" Buazzelli (13 September 1922 – 20 October 1980) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. He appeared in 46 films between 1948 and 1978. After a diploma of education, Buazzelli enrolled the Accademia d'Arte Dramma ...

as Spartaco *

Mario Castellani Mario Castellani (24 November 190625 April 1978) was an Italian comic actor, best known as the sidekick of famous comic actor Antonio De Curtis (Totò). He appeared with the latter in all his major movies, as well as many of Totò's theatre pro ...

as Stanis *

Enrico Luzi Enrico Luzi (27 September 1919 – 18 October 2011) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than sixty films from 1941 to 1980. Selected filmography References External links * 1919 births 2011 deaths Italian male film actors ...

as Lawyer Finotti *

Vinicio Sofia Vinicio Sofia (13 November 1907 – 30 December 1982) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Corleone, Sofia began his career on screen in 1933 when he made his film debut in '' Black Shirt'' directed by Giovacchino Forzano ...

as Baron Rosen *

Luigi Pavese Luigi Pavese (25 October 1897 – 13 December 1969) was an Italian actor and voice actor. Biography Born in Asti, Pavese started his career in 1916 working as a silent film actor at 19 years of age. He then began his theatrical debut in 192 ...

as Roy *

Guglielmo Barnabò Guglielmo Barnabò (11 May 1888 – 31 May 1954) was an Italian stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 90 films between 1926 and 1954. Life and career Born in Ancona, Barnabò made his stage debut in 1921 at the Greek Theatre of ...

as Colonel *

Nico Pepe Nico Pepe (19 January 1917 – 13 August 1987) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1936 and 1981. Selected filmography * '' The Two Sergeants'' (1936) * ''The Cavalier from Kruja'' (1940) * '' Captain Fraca ...

as Lawyer Micozzi *

Carlo Croccolo Carlo Croccolo (9 April 1927 – 12 October 2019) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Naples, Croccolo began his acting career on the radio and he appeared in more than 100 films since 1949. His debut ...

as Lo sposino *

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 Anselmo *

Giacomo Furia Giacomo Matteo Furia (2 January 1925 – 5 June 2015) was an Italian film, television and stage actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1948 and 1998. Life and career Born in Arienzo, near Caserta, Furia started his acting career ...

as Chef *

Aldo Giuffrè Aldo Giuffrè (10 April 1924 – 26 June 2010) was an Italian film actor and comedian who appeared in over 90 films between 1948 and 2001. He was born in Naples and was the brother of actor Carlo Giuffrè. He is known for his roles in '' The F ...

as Paratrooper *

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 Il capostazione siciliano *

Nino Vingelli Nino Vingelli (4 June 1912 – 26 March 2003) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1941 and 2000. Selected filmography * ''I mariti (Tempesta d'anime)'' (1941) * '' The Betrothed'' (1941) - (uncredited) * '' ...

as Il capostazione napoletano *

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 Il capostazione pugliese *

Ughetto Bertucci Ughetto Bertucci (18 October 1907 – 25 June 1966) was an Italian film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1945 and 1960. Life and career He was born and died in Rome, Italy. A fruit vendor in a Roman market square ...

as Il capostazione romano *

Mario Siletti Mario Giovanni Siletti (22 July 1903 – 19 April 1964) was an Italian actor. He was born in Turin. He performed in more than 160 films from 1932 to 1964. He began appearing in American films no later than 1946. From 1962 to 1964, he also portra ...

as Butler *

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

as Tarzanide

References

Bibliography

* Chiti, Roberto & Poppi, Roberto. ''Dizionario del cinema italiano: Dal 1945 al 1959''. Gremese Editore, 1991.

External links

* 1950 films 1950 comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Italian black-and-white films Italian comedy films Films directed by Mario Mattoli Tarzan parodies 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-comedy-film-stub