 Filmed at the new Cincecitta Studio in Rome, a long delayed  production complex originally conceived by Benito Mussolini (qv)  and Hal Roach (qv) under their proposed R.A.M. ("Roach and  Mussolini") Corporation, which was ultimately aborted. This fascist  business alliance horrified 1930s studio moguls and ultimately led  to Roach defecting from his MGM distribution deal to United Artists  in 1937. This new studio complex offered massive sets and cheap  Italian labor. It would be later utilized by many producers,  including Federico Fellini (qv).