Elsa Merlini (1903-1983) was a star of the Italian cinema of the 1930s. She excelled in the 'telefoni bianchi', an Italian genre of sophisticated comedies which were wildly popular before WWII.
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & C., Milano, 1937.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 42. Photo: Cines-Pittaluga. Elsa Merlini and Nino Besozzi in La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931).
Italian postcard by N.M.M., Milano, 1941 - XIX. On the retro side: "Elsa Merlini - l'artista che sa accoppiare il brio più indiavolato, espressioni di languore e di malinconia" (Elsa Merlini - the artist who knows to pair the most devilish vivacity with expressions of languidness and melancholy). This card could be for the film Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933) in which spicy Ilonka (Merlini) from Hungary becomes a housemaid to win the heart of her misogynist master (Renato Cialente).
With Vittorio De Sica. Italian postcard. The caption 'Ritorna Elsa Merlini tutto pepe' translates as:' Elsa Merlini returns, all pepper'. Photo: probably a publicity still for the film Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, Mario Bonnard, 1936). The pepper refers to the title of her previous film Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933).
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & C., Milano, 1939. Photo: Pesce.
Elsa Merlini, pseudonym of Elsa Tscheliesnig, was born in Trieste in 1903, when the city was still part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. She moved to Florence, where she worked on her diction because of her German and Slavic influences.
She changed her name to the more Italian Merlini, and at 17, she made her stage debut with Annibale Ninchi, the future leading actor of the film Scipione l'Africano / Scipio the African (Carmine Gallone, 1937).
In 1930, she entered the Nicodemi company and over the years she proved to be an excellent comedian, working with Sergio Tòfano and Luigi Cimara.
In 1934, she established a new company with her life partner, Renato Cialente, Merlini-Cialente. They produced dramatic plays by Anton Chekhov and Luigi Pirandello.
Merlini also started a career as a singer, recording several songs. She sometimes sang duets with Vittorio De Sica, such as the song 'Dammi un bacio e ti dico di si' from the film Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, Mario Bonnard, 1936).
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 56. Photo: Cines-Pittaluga. Elsa Merlini and Nino Besozzi in La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931).
Italian postcard in the series Cines-Pittaluga by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 2564. Card given as memory to a visit of La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931) starring Merlini.
Italian postcard by Ferrania.
Italian postcard by Ballerini & Fratini, Florence, no. 2858. Photo: S.A.P.F. production.
Elsa Merlini is best remembered for her 'Telefoni Bianchi', the elegant film comedies of the 1930s.
Her first film set the tone: it was the musical comedy La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931), an Italian version of the German film operetta Die Privatsekretärin (Wilhelm Thiele, 1931) starring Renate Müller.
Getting a simple job as a dactylograph - remember we are right in the Depression years - is enough for Elsa to sing out loud: "Oh come son felice, felice, felice", the recurring motif of the soundtrack. Unknowingly, she bonds with the director of the company, who regards her as a fling first, but who is finally won over.
After this hit, Merlini continued appearing in films such as Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933) - again an Italian version of a German picture with the same title, Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, 1936), and La dama bianca / The White Lady (Mario Mattoli, 1938).
She often co-starred with Nino Besozzi, who plays the director in La segretaria privata, Renato Cialente, and with Vittorio De Sica.
With Nino Besozzi. Italian postcard by B.F.F. edit., no. 2598. Photo: Produzione SAPF.
Italian postcard by B.F.F. edit., no. 2631. Photo: Produzione SAPF.
Italian postcard. Enrico Viarisio, Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica in the Italian comedy Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma 1936). The 'tutte pepe' (all pepper) refers to Merlini's previous film Paprika (1933).
Italian postcard by Istituto Romano di Arti Grafiche Tumminelli & Co., Roma. Enrico Viarisio, Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica in Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma 1936). The film was promoted as a return for Elsa Merlini, 'gay, sentimental and malicious'.
In 1943, Elsa Merlini's lover, Renato Cialente, was killed by a passing German car while he was leaving the theatre.
After the war and her partner's tragic death, Merlini returned to the stage. She did not perform in films until 1951.
Then she was relaunched in the cinema with the comedy Cameriera bella presenza offresi / Housemaid (Giorgi Pastina, 1951). An all-star cast surrounded Merlini: Gino Cervi, Eduardo and Titina De Filippo, Giulietta Masina, Vittorio De Sica and Isa Miranda.
Few other films followed, however. From the late 1950s on, she also performed on television, and she also had a prolific career on the radio, first for EIAR, then for the RAI. In 1968, she had her own radio programme, 'La maga Merlini' (The Sorceress Merlini).
In 1983, Elsa Merlini died of a tumour at the age of 80. From 1934 until he died in 1943, she was the partner of Renato Cialente. From 1965 on, she was married to Luciano Zuccolini.
Italian postcard by Istituto Romano di Arti Grafiche di Tumminelli Co. Roma. Photo: Amato Film. Elsa Merlini in Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma, 1936). Caption: Elsa Merlini returns with sparkling, spirited and overwhelming funniness. The film would be remade in 1980 with Monica Vitti.
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & Co, Milano, 1936.
Italian postcard by B.F.F. (Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze), no. 2414. Photo: Vaselli / ICI. Elsa Merlini in Amicizia (Oreste Biancoli, 1938).
Italian postcard by Ed. B.F.F. (Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze), no. 2415. Photo: Vaselli / ICI. Elsa Merlini in Amicizia (Oreste Biancoli, 1938).
Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica sing 'Dammi un Bacio e ti Dico di Sì'. Source: maxmenox60 (YouTube).
Sources: AllMovie, Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 5 August 2025.
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & C., Milano, 1937.
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 42. Photo: Cines-Pittaluga. Elsa Merlini and Nino Besozzi in La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931).
Italian postcard by N.M.M., Milano, 1941 - XIX. On the retro side: "Elsa Merlini - l'artista che sa accoppiare il brio più indiavolato, espressioni di languore e di malinconia" (Elsa Merlini - the artist who knows to pair the most devilish vivacity with expressions of languidness and melancholy). This card could be for the film Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933) in which spicy Ilonka (Merlini) from Hungary becomes a housemaid to win the heart of her misogynist master (Renato Cialente).
With Vittorio De Sica. Italian postcard. The caption 'Ritorna Elsa Merlini tutto pepe' translates as:' Elsa Merlini returns, all pepper'. Photo: probably a publicity still for the film Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, Mario Bonnard, 1936). The pepper refers to the title of her previous film Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933).
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & C., Milano, 1939. Photo: Pesce.
Excellent comedian
Elsa Merlini, pseudonym of Elsa Tscheliesnig, was born in Trieste in 1903, when the city was still part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. She moved to Florence, where she worked on her diction because of her German and Slavic influences.
She changed her name to the more Italian Merlini, and at 17, she made her stage debut with Annibale Ninchi, the future leading actor of the film Scipione l'Africano / Scipio the African (Carmine Gallone, 1937).
In 1930, she entered the Nicodemi company and over the years she proved to be an excellent comedian, working with Sergio Tòfano and Luigi Cimara.
In 1934, she established a new company with her life partner, Renato Cialente, Merlini-Cialente. They produced dramatic plays by Anton Chekhov and Luigi Pirandello.
Merlini also started a career as a singer, recording several songs. She sometimes sang duets with Vittorio De Sica, such as the song 'Dammi un bacio e ti dico di si' from the film Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, Mario Bonnard, 1936).
Italian postcard by G.B. Falci, Milano, no. 56. Photo: Cines-Pittaluga. Elsa Merlini and Nino Besozzi in La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931).
Italian postcard in the series Cines-Pittaluga by Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze, no. 2564. Card given as memory to a visit of La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931) starring Merlini.
Italian postcard by Ferrania.
Italian postcard by Ballerini & Fratini, Florence, no. 2858. Photo: S.A.P.F. production.
Private secretary
Elsa Merlini is best remembered for her 'Telefoni Bianchi', the elegant film comedies of the 1930s.
Her first film set the tone: it was the musical comedy La segretaria privata / The Private Secretary (Goffredo Alessandrini, 1931), an Italian version of the German film operetta Die Privatsekretärin (Wilhelm Thiele, 1931) starring Renate Müller.
Getting a simple job as a dactylograph - remember we are right in the Depression years - is enough for Elsa to sing out loud: "Oh come son felice, felice, felice", the recurring motif of the soundtrack. Unknowingly, she bonds with the director of the company, who regards her as a fling first, but who is finally won over.
After this hit, Merlini continued appearing in films such as Paprika (Carl Boese, 1933) - again an Italian version of a German picture with the same title, Non ti conosco più / I Don't Know You Anymore (Nunzio Malasomma, 1936), and La dama bianca / The White Lady (Mario Mattoli, 1938).
She often co-starred with Nino Besozzi, who plays the director in La segretaria privata, Renato Cialente, and with Vittorio De Sica.
With Nino Besozzi. Italian postcard by B.F.F. edit., no. 2598. Photo: Produzione SAPF.
Italian postcard by B.F.F. edit., no. 2631. Photo: Produzione SAPF.
Italian postcard. Enrico Viarisio, Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica in the Italian comedy Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma 1936). The 'tutte pepe' (all pepper) refers to Merlini's previous film Paprika (1933).
Italian postcard by Istituto Romano di Arti Grafiche Tumminelli & Co., Roma. Enrico Viarisio, Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica in Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma 1936). The film was promoted as a return for Elsa Merlini, 'gay, sentimental and malicious'.
Tragic death
In 1943, Elsa Merlini's lover, Renato Cialente, was killed by a passing German car while he was leaving the theatre.
After the war and her partner's tragic death, Merlini returned to the stage. She did not perform in films until 1951.
Then she was relaunched in the cinema with the comedy Cameriera bella presenza offresi / Housemaid (Giorgi Pastina, 1951). An all-star cast surrounded Merlini: Gino Cervi, Eduardo and Titina De Filippo, Giulietta Masina, Vittorio De Sica and Isa Miranda.
Few other films followed, however. From the late 1950s on, she also performed on television, and she also had a prolific career on the radio, first for EIAR, then for the RAI. In 1968, she had her own radio programme, 'La maga Merlini' (The Sorceress Merlini).
In 1983, Elsa Merlini died of a tumour at the age of 80. From 1934 until he died in 1943, she was the partner of Renato Cialente. From 1965 on, she was married to Luciano Zuccolini.
Italian postcard by Istituto Romano di Arti Grafiche di Tumminelli Co. Roma. Photo: Amato Film. Elsa Merlini in Non ti conosco più (Nunzio Malasomma, 1936). Caption: Elsa Merlini returns with sparkling, spirited and overwhelming funniness. The film would be remade in 1980 with Monica Vitti.
Italian postcard by Rizzoli & Co, Milano, 1936.
Italian postcard by B.F.F. (Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze), no. 2414. Photo: Vaselli / ICI. Elsa Merlini in Amicizia (Oreste Biancoli, 1938).
Italian postcard by Ed. B.F.F. (Ed. Ballerini & Fratini, Firenze), no. 2415. Photo: Vaselli / ICI. Elsa Merlini in Amicizia (Oreste Biancoli, 1938).
Elsa Merlini and Vittorio De Sica sing 'Dammi un Bacio e ti Dico di Sì'. Source: maxmenox60 (YouTube).
Sources: AllMovie, Wikipedia and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 5 August 2025.
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