''Seven Hours of Trouble'' (Italian: ''Sette ore di guai'') is a 1951 Italian

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Vittorio Metz Vittorio Metz (18 July 1904 – 1 March 1984) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 110 films between 1939 and 1977. Selected filmography * '' Defendant, Stand Up!'' (1939) * '' Lo vedi come sei... lo vedi c ...

and

Marcello Marchesi Marcello Marchesi (; 4 April 1912 – 19 July 1978) was an Italian author, screenwriter and film director. He wrote more than 60 films between 1939 and 1977. He also directed six films between 1951 and 1952. He was born in Milan and died in ...

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 risat ...

Isa Barzizza Isa Barzizza (22 November 1929 – 28 May 2023) was an Italian actress whose career spanned over 60 years. Life and career Early life Born in Sanremo, Barzizza was the daughter of the conductor and composer Pippo Barzizza. Gianfranco Baldazzi ...

and

Carlo Campanini Carlo Campanini (5 October 1906 – 20 November 1984) was an Italian actor, singer and comedian. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1939 and 1969. Life and career Born in Turin, Campanini attended a technical school and a course of ...

.Goble p.958

Plot

Toto De Pasquale (Toto) is the holder of a modest tailoring. The day of the baptism of his son, receives the visit of the Advocate Espinaci (Eduardo Passarelli), charge d'notice the seizure of his property because of a debt long overdue and unpaid. When the lawyer discovers that the wife of De Pasquale (Clelia Matania) is an old friend of his, he decides to postpone. Toto, to ingratiate himself further, he decides to do godfather, forgetting that he had already entrusted the task to brother Matthew (Nino Milano), incurable bully. A few minutes later Toto, the lawyer and Matthew discover that the nurse (Bice Valori) has lost the baby after a fight on the streets with her husband. Without saying anything to his wife, Toto goes to look for the child and, in order not to suspect anything to the new mother, the child does bring the Romolini, a family of distracted students living close to De Pasquale. Oblivious to the fact that the child is brought home by a friend of De Pasquale mercy, Toto, the lawyer and Matthew end up at the home of a prostitute (Isa Barzizza) and his crazy protector (Guido Celano). Later, they are led to believe that the child has been brought in the wrong country estate of Romolini. Once in the village on the estate, the three divide and Toto pulls what he believes to be his son (but it is actually the child of Romolini) to grandfather Arturo (Arturo Bragaglia), who called for help immediately denounced the kidnapping of the baby. A few minutes later, the entire town chasing the poor tailor, mistaken for a kidnapper. Toto may first lynching and then fall from the roof of a building. At the end of many vicissitudes, Toto joins lawyer and brother with the baby, but arrived at the church where the baptism was to take place, he discovers that his son was already baptized. The poor man must therefore suffer the insults of the lawyer (who threatens to sequestrargli the workshop on behalf of its customers) and the mother-in-law (who denies financial support), as well as Romolini. At the end of the film, Toto sits on the steps of the church, while everyone is running behind a tow truck on which was accidentally placed his son and the small Romolini.

Cast

as Totò De Pasquale *

as signor Romolini *

as Amelia *

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (; 22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in '' Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Fi ...

as figlia di Romolini *

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 ...

as Angelina, signora De Pasquale *

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 prod ...

as Antonino *

Eduardo Passarelli Eduardo Passarelli (20 July 1903 – 9 December 1968) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 43 films between 1937 and 1962. Life and career Born Eduardo De Filippo in Naples, the son of Eduardo Scarpetta, he was the brother-in-law of ...

as avvocato Peppino Espinaci *

Guido Celano Guido Celano (19 April 1904 – 7 March 1988) was an Italian actor, voice actor and film director. He appeared in 120 films between 1931 and 1988. He also directed two spaghetti Westerns: '' Cold Killer'' and '' Gun Shy Piluk''. Selected f ...

as Achille, marito geloso di Amelia *

Alberto Sorrentino Alberto Sorrentino (16 February 1916 – 31 January 1994) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 89 films between 1943 and 1988. Selected filmography * '' The Last Wagon'' (1943) - Un passante * '' I cadetti di Guascogna'' (1950) - Il c ...

as Raffaele *

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 ru ...

as Ernesto *

Arturo Bragaglia Arturo Bragaglia (7 January 1893 – 21 January 1962) was an Italian actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1938 to 1961. Selected filmography References External links * 1893 births 1962 deaths Italian male f ...

as Arturo * Nino Milano as Matteo *

Gildo Bocci Gildo Bocci (1 September 1886 – 22 July 1964) was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1913 and 1959. He was born and died in Rome, Italy. Partial filmography * '' Messalina'' (1924) - Apollonio * '' Quo Vadis'' (1924) ...

as l'ubriaco *

Gisella Monaldi Gisella is an Italian variant of the feminine given name Gisela. Notable people with the name include: *Gisella Anastasia (born 1990), Indonesian actress *Gisella Caccialanza (1914–1998), American prima ballerina * Gisella Delle Grazie (1868� ...

as Carmela *

Bice Valori Maria Beatrice "Bice" Valori (; 13 May 1927 – 17 March 1980) was an Italian actress, comedian and television and radio personality. Early life and career Born in Rome, Valori studied at the Silvio d'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating ...

as Maddalena, la balia *

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 Annibale *

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 st ...

as Ludovico *

Liana Del Balzo Liana Del Balzo (4 March 1899 – 26 March 1982) was an Italian film actress. She appeared in 90 films between 1935 and 1979. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died in Rome, Italy. Even making her film debut quite late, in her for ...

as donna Lucrezia * Liliana Mancini as Ragazza dell'autobus

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Hours of Trouble 1951 films 1951 comedy films Italian comedy films 1950s Italian-language films Films based on works by Eduardo Scarpetta Films set in Rome Titanus films Films directed by Vittorio Metz Films directed by Marcello Marchesi Italian black-and-white films 1950s Italian films