''Toto and the Women'' ( it, Totò e le donne) is a

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film directed by Mario Monicelli and Steno.

Plot

The cloth retailer Philip (

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 ...

) is no longer able to stand his possessive and tyrannical wife (

Ave Ninchi Ave Maria Ninchi (14 December 1914 – 10 November 1997) was an Italian supporting actress who played character roles on stage, television, and in over 98 feature films that included ''Tomorrow Is Too Late'' (1949) and Louis Malle's ''Murmur ...

) who claims a higher lifestyle. In fact, for years now after the wedding, Philip was totally deprived of his freedom as a husband. The only freedom left is to hole up in the attic reading police novels and venerating an altar dedicated to the infamous serial killer Landru. The balance family collapses as the younger daughter of Philip became engaged to a young doctor (

Peppino De Filippo Peppino De Filippo (born Giuseppe De Filippo; 24 August 1903 – 27 January 1980) was an Italian actor. De Filippo was born in Naples, brother of actor and dramatist Eduardo De Filippo and of Titina De Filippo. He made his stage debut at th ...

): to prove to everyone her talent in giving injections, she decides, along with her mother, to use the poor Philip as a guinea pig. When enough is enough, Philip decides live the high life together with his young lover. However Philip soon realizes that the girl is too young for him and, avoiding ridiculousness, breaks off the relationship. At home, things get worse: his wife is complaining about the low wage and tells him about the poor quality of what she has been cooking for years and how she was forced to pawn her gold jewelry. Anyway, the marriage of the couple's daughter is the chance to find new finance and strength and the pair get back together. The easy moral is that women are hard to manage but unmissable as well.

Cast

as Filippo Scaparro *

Lea Padovani Lea Padovani (28 July 1920 – 23 June 1991) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1945 and 1990. She starred in the film '' Black Dossier'' which was entered into the 1955 Cannes Film Festival. Partial filmography ...

as Ginetta * Franca Faldini as La signora dell'appuntamento *

as Giovanna Scaparro *

Giovanna Pala Giovanna Pala (born 15 July 1932) is an Italian actress. She appeared in ten films from 1951 to 1956. Filmography References External links

* 1932 births Living people Italian film actresses {{Italy-film-actor-stub ...

as Mirella Scaparro *

Clelia Matania Clelia Matania (28 March 1918 – 14 October 1981) was an Italian film and voice actress. Life and career Born in London, the daughter of the Capri-born naturalized Briton painter Fortunino Matania (best known as Saturnino), Matania attended th ...

as La cameriera *

Alda Mangini Alda Mangini (1914–1954) was an Italian singer and film actress.Ponzi p.67 She appeared in several films alongside the Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Napl ...

as La signora nel negozio * Primarosa Battistella as Antonietta *

Teresa Pellati Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

as Irene *

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 Rag. Carlini *

as Il dottor Desideri *

Pina Gallini Pina Gallini (19 March 1888 – 31 January 1974) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 82 films between 1935 and 1963. Selected filmography * ''The Countess of Parma'' (1936) * ''The Ferocious Saladin'' (1937) * ''The Former Mattia ...

as La suocera *

Carlo Mazzarella Carlo Mazzarella (30 July 1919 – 7 March 1993) was an Italian actor and journalist. Life and career Born in Genoa, Mazzarella enrolled in the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 1942. Almost immediately he debuted on s ...

as Il presentatore del concorso di bellezza

External links

* 1952 films 1950s Italian-language films 1952 comedy films Italian black-and-white films Films set in Rome Films directed by Mario Monicelli Films directed by Stefano Vanzina Films scored by Carlo Rustichelli Films with screenplays by Age & Scarpelli Italian comedy films 1950s Italian films {{1950s-Italy-comedy-film-stub