Antonio, having had what was needed to make banknotes of ten thousand liras by a former money engraver for the State, convinces the typographer Giuseppe and the painter of signs Felice to help him making the banknotes. Once printed, they circulate one of them at the tobacconist’s. Antonio, informed by his son, a financier, that the police is on the forgers’ tracks, convinces his accomplices to give up. But the band that the police was looking for was another one, and the three friends get rid of the false banknotes, happy to be back to honesty.

The movie was shot in January 1956, and became one of Totò’s classical movies, although when it came out some critics, as usual, did not think so. It is the first movie where the pair Totò – Peppino bursts out with all their comic spirit: the mangling of the victim-partner’s surname Lo Turco are famous (Lo Truzzo, Turchetti, Lo Turzo, Lo Struzzo), and will appear again in following movies. The scene of the three protagonists in the typography, shot with the typical speed of American comic movies, is an idea of Totò’s himself.

Giuseppe Marotta wrote: “Neapolitans muses, so many times we have eaten watermelons and lupins together, help me to say the worst and the best things ever about Totò. Who is more actor and less artist than him? Who, if not Totò, is the only, biggest denigrator of Totò’s, the furtive guest, the poor cousin, the humble visitor, misunderstood, stammering about himself? […] For twenty years he has put on the screen the Totò of the variety show […] In fact, “La banda degli onesti” could as well have been titled “Totò portinaio” (“Totò the doorkeeper”) or “Totò falsario” (“Totò the forger”), according to the old standards; no one would have lost anything, not the author of the text, nor the actors, nor the director […]”.

The usual "vice" by the Italian magazine Il Messaggero : " […] Among all our comic movies, which are not so exciting, this one deserves to be honoured. Blithe, with lively dialogues and truly new ideas […], thanks also to Totò, Peppino de Filippo and Giacomo Furia’s performance”.

In 1927 he joined Achille Maresca’s company, where the famous Isa Bluette was the prima donna; at the beginning of the Thirties he became actor-manager and successfully performed many shows throughout Italy.

In 1937 he made his appearance on TV with "Fermo con le mani!" by Gero Zambuto, followed by "Animali pazzi" (1939) by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and "San Giovanni decollato" (1940) by Amleto Palerminon, all of which were successful, so he got back on stage, and his shows, produced by Antonio Galdieri, were triumphantly welcome by the audience.

In 1947 he got back to the cinema with "I due orfanelli" by Mario Mattoli, the first of a long series of successful movies, the number of which increased more and more, until he decided to retire from theatre in 1950.

Some titles are: “Fifa e arena" (1948) by Mattoli, "Totò le Moko" (1949) by Bragaglia, "Totò cerca casa" (1949) by Steno and Mario Monicelli, "Napoli milionaria" (1950) by Eduardo De Filippo, "Guardie e ladri" (1951) by Steno e Monicelli, "Totò a colori" (1952) by Steno, "Gold of Naples" – “L’oro di Napoli” (1954) by Vittorio De Sica, "Totò, Peppino e la malafemmina" (1956) by Camillo Mastrocinque, "The usual unidentified thieves" (1958) by Mario Monicelli, "Signori si nasce" (1960) by Mario Mattoli, "Totò Diabolicus" (1962) by Steno, "Uccellacci e uccellini" (1966) and the episodes of "La terra vista dalla luna" (1967, from "Le streghe") and "Che cosa sono le nuvole" (1967, from "Capriccio all’italiana"), all by Pier Paolo Pasolini.

He also wrote some very successful songs, the most famous of wich is surely "Malafemmena" (1951), as well as Neapolitan poetries collected in the book "‘A livella" (1964). Totò died in Rome, April 15th 1967.