Ciccio Ingrassia Movies
Ciccio Ingrassia and his longtime partner Franco Franchi were the last surviving practitioners of the high-energy commedia all'italiana, and in their heyday were among Europe's most popular acts. They used to say they were "first united by hunger and then success," and started out working in outdoor Sicilian theaters until they were discovered by pop singer Domenico Modugno and then cast in small parts in Mario Mattoli's Appuntamento a Ischia (1960). The two had another small scene in a Vittorio De Sica film before they made their debut as the stars of L'Onorata Societa (1961). This and their subsequent films followed strict patterns and were variations of favorite variety show sketches; they often parodied other popular films. Like Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and other popular comic duos, the two represented inseparable opposites. With his seedy aristocratic countenance, the almost painfully gaunt Ciccio was the straight man, always trying to retain a sense of dignity -- always edged with an underlying hysteria that eventually burst forth, in which case all concept of a straight man would fly straight out the window -- while coping with the crazy antics of the flamboyantly blue-collar and mustachioed Franco. Together Ciccio and Franco made over 100 films. Two of their films reached cult status in the early '70s, Ultimio tango a Zagarol (The Last Italian Tango) (1973) and Farfallon (1974). In 1973, Ciccio made a memorable solo appearance in Federico Fellini's Amacord as the crazed Uncle Teo. Ciccio also wrote, directed, and starred in two films, Paolo il Freddo (1974) and L'esorciccio (The Exorcist -- Italian Style) (1975). Franco retired in the mid-'80s, but Ciccio continued on with his career. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1963
Somewhere there is someone who finds the lunatic Italian comedy team of Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia funny; most filmgoers watch in stony silence, longing for Jerry Lewis to make a comeback. In The Shortest Day, F and C play a pair of zany World War I conscripts who cause more trouble on the front than all the Kaiser's troops combined. To assure international distribution of the Franco and Ciccio films, most of their vehicles featured popular veteran stars in secondary roles. In War Italian Style, Buster Keaton was the unlucky guest performer, while in Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs Vincent Price did the box-office duty. The Shortest Day, perhaps in emulation of Darryl Zanuck's somewhat more expensive The Longest Day, has a manifest of 44 celebrity "bit actors:" Walter Pidgeon, Simone Signoret, Sylva Koscina, Steve Reeves, Stewart Granger, David Niven, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anouk Aimee...There are more, but there's no point in embarrassing the entire motion picture industry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, (more)
- 1962
The Italian comedy team of Franco and Ciccio spoofs westerns in Due Sergenti del Generale Custer. If it's possible to play the Little Big Horn for laughs, be assured that the stars will give it their best shot. Franco and Ciccio do their usual horrendous mugging and interminable double-talk; sometimes it's funny. This frantic effort was part of an unofficial Franco and Ciccio series, distinguished by such titles as Two Mafiosi versus Goldfinger and Two Marines and a General. The latter film has gained notoriety as the final movie appearance of Buster Keaton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Seven samurai complicate the lives of 2 men who inherit a Japanese fortune, but they receive help from some beautiful geishas. ~ All Movie Guide
