Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his more spicy gags raised much controversy in a society that was both strictly Catholic and ruled by the conservative Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) party. For example, Totò's 1964 movie Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? (a parody of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) included a humorous celebration of cannabis in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something exotic, depraved and dangerous.
Partly because of the radical, naive immorality of his roles, some of his more spicy gags raised much controversy in a society that was both strictly Catholic and ruled by the conservative Democrazia Cristiana (Christian Democracy) party. For example Totò's 1964 movie Che fine ha fatto Totò Baby? (a parody of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) included a humorous celebration of cannabis in an era when drugs were perceived by the Italian audience as something exotic, depraved and dangerous.