Totò lascia o raddoppia?
Directed by	Camillo Mastrocinque
Written by	Vittorio Metz Marcello Marchesi
Starring	Totò
Cinematography	Mario Fioretti
Music by	Lelio Luttazzi
Release date	1956 (1956)
Running time	94 min
Country	Italy
Language	Italian

Totò lascia o raddoppia? ("Totò double or nothing?") is a 1956 Italian comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque.^[1]

The Duke Gagliardo della Forcoletta dei Prati di Castel Rotondo is a fallen nobleman who lives in a hotel and frequents the racetrack. There, assisted by his loyal butler Camillo, he scrapes by selling information about supposedly winning horses to inexperienced gamblers, among whom is the notary Baracca. The latter confides in him that he has long been searching for a man because of an illegitimate paternity case.

The Duke thus discovers that he is the father of a young woman, Elsa, born from a youthful affair. Without revealing his true identity, he goes to the Aurora Bar, where Elsa works, and learns that its owner, Mr. Anastasio, has been forced to sell it, being no longer able to manage it. One of his employees, Bruno — Elsa’s fiancé — has decided to take part in the television quiz show Leave It or Double It? (Lascia o raddoppia?) in order to raise the money needed, but he fails on the 640,000-lira question.

At this point, relying on his extensive knowledge of horse racing, the Duke decides to appear on the quiz himself, hoping to win the prize of 5,120,000 lire and use the money to buy the Aurora Bar, thus saving his daughter’s job.

Thanks to his colorful manners and his vast expertise in the equestrian world, the Duke becomes extremely popular and manages to advance in the game, doubling the prize at every round. His success, however, attracts the attention of Nick Molise, a gangster deported from Chicago as an undesirable individual and now the owner of a chain of butcher shops, as well as that of his rival Joe Taccola, manager of a nightclub.

Wagering fur coats to be given to their respective girlfriends, the two men decide to bet on the Duke: Nick bets that he will “leave,” while Joe bets that he will “double.” Although Nick sends his woman ahead in an attempt to seduce the Duke and persuade him to quit, the Duke avoids the trap, takes part in the show, and correctly answers the penultimate question worth 2,560,000 lire.

Having lost the bet, Nick raises the stakes: all of his butcher shops against Joe’s nightclub, while Joe continues to bet on the Duke doubling. This time it is Joe who uses his girlfriend Hélène as bait, bringing the Duke to his club in order to pressure him into doubling, promising him a generous reward and threatening severe consequences should he refuse. Upon leaving the nightclub, however, the Duke finds Nick waiting for him, who likewise threatens him with serious trouble if he decides not to quit.

On Hélène’s advice — repentant for having taken part in the scheme — the Duke decides to disappear and vanish without a trace.

On the evening when he could win the entire jackpot, the Duke is escorted to the television studios by Joe’s bodyguards, who threaten him with death. Before leaving, he hands Elsa proof of his paternity. Once in the studio, the Duke sees Nick being taken away by the police along with his accomplice Tom; believing himself finally safe, he calms down and decides to double. In reality, Molise has merely been reprimanded by the officers.

Pretending to be a horse-racing expert, the criminal manages to enter the booth — as allowed by the rules for the final episode — and secretly points a gun at him. Exhausted by fear and convinced that his fate is sealed, the Duke, when asked the last of the three final questions by Mike Bongiorno (“Which horse won the Buenos Aires Grand Prix in 1929?”), answers, “I quit,” accidentally guessing the correct name of the horse. He then publicly declares before the show’s notary that he wishes to donate the entire prize money to his daughter.

Behind the scenes, thanks also to the help of Bruno and Hélène, the Duke manages to neutralize Nick, and is finally able to reunite with Elsa.

• Totò: Duke Gagliardo della Forcoletta
• Dorian Gray: Hélène
• Mike Bongiorno: Himself
• Valeria Moriconi: Elsa Marini
• Carlo Croccolo: Camillo
• Rosanna Schiaffino: Colomba
• Bruce Cabot: Nick Molise
• Gabriele Tinti: Bruno Palmieri
• Luigi Pavese: Anastasio
• Elio Pandolfi: Osvaldo
• Rocco D'Assunta: Joe Taccola
• Edy Campagnoli: Herself
• Vincent Barbi : Molise's henchman

• Totò lascia o raddoppia? at IMDb