While best known for his neorealist classics like The Bicycle Thief, Vittorio De Sica began and ended his career as the maker of breezy, commercial entertainments spanning all genres: comedies, spy thrillers, romances, and more. “A romantic screwball comedy of the first rank,” (New York Times), the rare Teresa Venerdi offers us a chance to see De Sica “let his hair down,” so to speak, as both director and actor (he was a Cary Grant–like leading man for much of the '30s). Here he stars as a lecherous doctor on the make with various patients, specifically the showgirl played by Anna Magnani. His skirt chasing is soon hobbled by the appearance of a doe-eyed young orphan (of course), who falls for him, too. “More RKO programmer than Paramount roadshow,” (Stephen Harvey), Teresa Venerdi (released as “Doctor Beware” in the United States) offers a wonderful glimpse of pre-war Italian romantic comedy, and also of De Sica's talents in all realms.