This week’s mystery movie was the 1934 Twentieth Century film The Affairs of Cellini, with Constance Bennett, Fredric March, Frank Morgan, Fay Wray, Vince Barnett, Jessie Ralph, Louis Calhern, Jay Eaton, Paul Harvey, John Rutherford and Irene Ware.
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For the Record, 8:12 a.m., July 11, 2026: An earlier version of this post said the film was produced by Twentieth Century-Fox. As James Curtis points out, it was produced by Twentieth Century Pictures and released through United Artists.
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Directed by Gregory LaCava.
Associate producers William Goetz and Raymond Griffith.
Screenplay by Bess Meredyth.
From the play by Edwin Justus Mayer.
Photographed by Charles Rosher.
Art direction by Richard Day.
Edited by Barbara McLean.
Costumes by Gwen Wakeling.
Assistant director Fred Fox.
Music by Alfred Newman.
Ballet master Adolph Bolm.
Further information on The Affairs of Cellini is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Affairs of Cellini is available on DVD from Critics’ Choice Video.
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I came across The Affairs of Cellini while going through the trades looking for a mystery film and it sounded more interesting than my original choice. Frank Morgan has rarely been so blustery and flustery, and Fredric March’s wig and beard disguise his features completely. It was clearly intended as an opulent film with high production values. Costumes and jewelry were apparently carefully copied. Note that the Harrison’s Reports review says the film is unsuitable for children, adolescents or Sundays.
The Affairs of Cellini began life as a play, so I’ll guess that The New York Times treated it favorably.
As The Firebrand, it received 261 performances on Broadway in 1924-25 with Edward G. Robinson in the cast.
But wait! It was also an operetta called The Firebrand of Florence by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, with a cast that included Lotte Lenya, receiving 43 performances in 1945.
We are in Mordaunt Hall territory (September 6, 1934):
A further attempt at polishing up the past by having the characters express themselves in a more or less modern fashion while arrayed in costumes of old has reached the screen of the Rivoli, where it aroused no end of mirth from an audience at the first showing. It is known as The Affairs of Cellini and is the film transcription of Edwin Justus Mayer’s successful play The Firebrand. As an entertainment it is a fitting pendant to that extraordinarily popular picture The Private Life of Henry VIII. In this romantic and farcical histoire, Fredric March appears as the fiery Florentine, Benvenuto Cellini, a role played in the stage version by Joseph Schildkraut. Frank Morgan portrays the Duke of Florence, a part he created in the play. The glamorous Duchess of Florence is impersonated by Constance Bennett. Although Miss Bennett and Mr. March give able performances, the brunt of the comedy is shouldered by Mr. Morgan, who is at the peak of his form.
For Monday, we have a mysterious fellow who is not enjoying life at the moment. (Don’t worry, he’s spared and it all works out in the end).
Update: This is Fredric March, right, with Constantine Romanoff and Harry Wilson.
For Tuesday, we have a mysterious woman.
Update: This is Irene Ware.
For Wednesday, we have a mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Ward Bond.
And another mysterious fellow.
Update: This is Louis Calhern.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie, Monday’s and Tuesday’s mysterious guests). Note to Sylvia: You’ve got the right era!
For “Aha Thursday,” we have a mysterious fellow and Back of the Head Woman.
Update: This is Frank Morgan with Fay Wray as Back of the Head Woman.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (mystery movie and all mystery guests), Sheila (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Megan and Thom (Wednesday’s mysterious man No. 1), L.C. (mystery movie and mysterious cast), Greg (mystery movie, Monday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests), Stacia (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie, and Monday’s and Wednesday’s mysterious guests), Suz n Chaz (Wednesday’s mystery man No. 1), Sylvia (mystery movie and all mystery guests), B.J. Merholz (Wednesday’s mystery man No. 1), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and all mysterious guests), and Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mysterious guests).
For Friday, we have a woman of mystery.
Update: This is Constance Bennett. Lucille Ball is credited as one of the ladies in waiting, but the print is so poor that a screen capture of her would be nothing but a milky blob.
We also have a mystery woman and an enigmatic fellow.
Update: This is Fay Wray and Fredric March.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mysterious fellow and Back of the Head Woman), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie, Thursday’s mystery fellow), Mike Hawks (Thursday’s mysterious guest and Back of the Head Woman), Sylvia (Thursday’s mystery chap and Back of the Head Woman), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guest and Back of the Head Woman), and Funky PhD (mystery movie, Wednesday’s mystery guest No. 1 and Thursday’s mystery fellow).
ladailymirror.com 
That sure looks like Donald Crisp on the left but I can’t figure out what movie this might be.
I briefly thought, if that’s Donald Crisp, maybe this is THE FIGHTING EAGLE but I’m sure it’s not. I probably unconsciously just wanted to make a Rod La Rocque joke.
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A great guess! But alas, I’m afraid not…
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The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)?
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An excellent guess! But alas, I’m afraid not.
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Way to early and maybe it’s her chapeau but our Tuesday lady looks like royalty and our Monday guy seems dressed as though from 1500-something, is this set in Spain or Portugal of that era?
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THE SCARLET EMPRESS,Ruthelma Stevens today.
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That’s Fredric March with the noose about his neck. And on Tuesday, Irene Ware in “The Affairs of Cellini.”
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AFFAIRS OF CELLINI. Fredric March with Theodore Lorch on right and Lane Chandler on left Monday, Irene Ware Tuesday, and Ward Bond and Jay Eaton today.
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Actually Louis Calhern today.
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‘The Affairs of Cellini’, Fredric March, Irene Ware, Ward Bond, Louis Calhern?
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Is today’s first guest Ward Bond in I Found Stella Parish?
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The Affairs of Cellini (1934) w/Fredric March, Constance Bennett, Louis Calhern, Fay Wray, Frank Morgan, Jesse Ralph, Lucille Ball, Ward Bond, Paul Harvey, Theodore Lorch, Constantine Romanoff…
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Fredric March is getting roughed up on Monday. Tuesday is possibly Bonnie Bannon. Wednesday is Ward Bond and Louis Calhern. The movie is The Affairs of Cellini (1934).
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Wednesday is definitely Ward Bond, and probably Louis Calhern in glue-on facial hair, and based on the costumes I think this is THE AFFAIRS OF CELLINI (1934), which I remember almost nothing about except that Fredric March wasn’t very good in it! And he’s good in everything!
I was pretty sure Tuesday was Susan Fleming, lovely star of not one but TWO El Brendel movies, but I guess it’s Irene Ware, who was in multiple Bela Lugosi movies so I really should have recognized her.
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The Affairs of Cellini (1934) – Monday’s hanging man is Fredric March; Tuesday’s mysterious woman is probably Bonnie Bannon; Wednesday’s mysterious palace guard is Ward Bond and Louis Calhern is the mysterious man in the plumed hat
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The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938)….Ward Bond as a guard? Will Gary Cooper and Lana Turner show up?
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Ha! Should always send in my, “… don’t know why this name popped into my head, but…” guesses on Mondays. Anyhooo…
The Affairs of Cellini 1934
Monday – Frederick March is our ‘almost’ victim. His ‘almost’ executioners are Theodore Lorch and Constantine Romanoff
Tuesday – Irene Ware (‘youngest daughter of the Royal House of Bocce’). Very funny in the clip I saw.
Wednesday – Ward Bond and Louis Calhern
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Ward Bond?
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Theodore Lorch, Constantine Romanoff, Fredric March, Irene Ware, Ward Bond and Louis Calhern in THE AFFAIRS OF CELLINI.
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On Wednesday, Ward Bond and Louis Calhern …
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Frank Morgan and Fay Wray.
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Frank Morgan, The Affairs of Cellini.
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Fay Wray and Frank Morgan.
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Frank Morgan (found a blog that said he’s practicing his Wizard of Oz character in this film). The BOTHW is Fay Wray who’s a hoot in the clips I’ve seen.
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Fay Wray and Frank Morgan
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Thursday’s mysterious fellow is Frank Morgan. The Affairs of Cellini? Wednesday’s mysterious fellow is Ward Bond.
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Constance Bennett, Fay Wray, and Fredric March.
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Friday – Constance Bennett and the reveal of Fay Wray and Frederick March
Fun one.
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