Gerardo, an aspiring actor, trying unsuccessfully to cross over from comedy to tragedy, is involved, due to his ability to mimic dialects of Italy, in a scam concocted by Lallo against a rich cloth-merchant.

An aging gossip columnist, tired of the social life of the Roman Dolce-vita set, goes to New York with hopes of a literary career. He marries a nurse, but succumbs to his former mistress.

Luke Barrett, having lost his memory due to an accident, does not realize that Dingus had killed his wife and brother to take possession of the Barretts' land and money. At first Luke trusts him, but while looking for his forgotten identity he discovers the truth.

Chad Stark is offered his life and a nice ammount of dollars if he is to bring back the runaway son of mexican land-owner Gutierrez . This son, Fidel, teams up with an outlaw band lead by a former military man going by the name The Major. When Stark finds Fidel he is reintroduced to an old acquaintance which makes his job of returning the son a lot more difficult.

This loose adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic shifts the story to Italy and back in time, with the deformed protagonist meeting Lucrezia Borgia instead of Queen Anne. Also, Gwynplaine is renamed Angelo (Jean Sorel) with his disfigurement represented by a single broad slash across his mouth, crude yet convincing. The story (not credited to Hugo) is a swashbuckler pitting the disfigured acrobat against the henchmen of the Borgias.

Three clumsy thieves come up with a robbery scheme against the "Grandi Magazzini Romani". They call to their aid a skilled "only by reputation" French burglar, Pierre Le Compte.

In the 21st century, aliens with mind-control powers attempt to take over the earth.