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Initially released in Italy in 1957 as Poveri Ma Belli, Poor But Beautiful had its first American theatrical go-round under the not entirely appropriate cognomen Poor, But Handsome. Marisa Allasio plays a teen-aged heartbreaker who is actively wooed by two moonstruck young Italian swains. After 90 minutes or so of playing one boy against the other, Allasio leaves them both in the lurch when she chooses a rather homely, but financially comfortable, older man. The film's brightest moment is a buffoonish bit by popular Italian comedian Memmo Carotenuto. Made at a time when the Italian film industry was tightening its belt, Poor But Beautiful was swiftly assembled by Dino Risi on a beggarly budget of around $100,000 -- a fact which gives its title something of a double meaning.