Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Julius J. Epstein (screen play), Philip G. Epstein (screen play),

Stars:

Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Grant	...	Mortimer Brewster
Priscilla Lane	...	Elaine Harper
Raymond Massey	...	Jonathan Brewster
Jack Carson	...	O'Hara
Edward Everett Horton	...	Mr. Witherspoon
Peter Lorre	...	Dr. Einstein
James Gleason	...	Lt. Rooney
Josephine Hull	...	Abby Brewster
Jean Adair	...	Martha Brewster
John Alexander	...	'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster
Grant Mitchell	...	Reverend Harper
Edward McNamara	...	Brophy
Garry Owen	...	Taxi Cab Driver
John Ridgely	...	Saunders
Vaughan Glaser	...	Judge Cullman

Storyline

Mortimer Brewster is a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage. We watch him being married at city hall in the opening scene. Now all that is required is a quick trip home to tell Mortimer's two maiden aunts. While trying to break the news, he finds out his aunts' hobby; killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar. It gets worse.

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Plot Keywords:

insanity | critic | cellar | dramatic critic | corpse | 

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Taglines:

She Passed Out On Cary ! No Wonder . . . She's just discovered his favorite aunts have poisoned their 13th gentleman friend !

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

23 September 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frank Capra's 'Arsenic and Old Lace'

Filming Locations:

City Island, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,120,175 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Frank Capra enlisted in the U. S. Army Signal Corps in 1941 during filming. He received an extension of his order to report for active duty until late January 1942 so he could finish editing the picture.

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Goofs

When Mortimer discovers the body in the window seat his hair changes from being flipped over his forehead to being neat and then back again without any obvious motions that would have changed it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Baseball Fan: I'll knock your block off, you big stiff! You're a bum!

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Connections

Referenced in Charade (1984)

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Soundtracks

"The Sidewalks of New York"
(1894) (uncredited)
Music by Charles Lawlor
Some bars in the score when Brooklyn is mentioned

User Reviews

And who said comedy is not an art form?

With many silly comedies of recent years, comedy has become the most underrated art form. People take comedy for granted. As if there's nothing to it. True, there are some people will just laugh at anything. In some cases, it doesn't take much to raise a chuckle out of a certain someone. But this is the kind of film that will make you fall on the floor laughing. Why? Because it makes use of every comic device you can think of. The timing, the delivery, the choreography. Absolutely perfect!

That's right, no cheap shots here. There are some absolutely brilliant scenes in this film that made me laugh out loud, while at the same time scream out "Capra's a genius!" If you wanna see what comedy is truly all about, watch the scene where Cary Grant (noted drama critic) is describing the story of a bad play he had just seen to Peter Lorre. As he's doing so, everything that happened in the story is going on right behind his back. Doesn't sound like much on paper, but you have to see it to believe it. There are also many great lines, including "Pull up a tombstone."

The acting is topnotch. I can't believe Grant felt this was the worst movie he's ever done (check the Trivia section). I actually liked the fact that this was a different role for him, as opposed to the suave, quiet, laid-back romantic he-man he usually plays. In this movie, we really get to see his knack for slapstick--and he's great at it! Every facial expression, every bulge of the eyes--he did it with such perfect timing. There's also a great scene where they all start fighting, and Grant sits on the stairs and smokes a cigarette while all this bedlam ensues. His deadpan expression during that scene is classic. I also have to give it up for everyone else in the cast--though Grant deserves the most acclaim.

There are lulls here and there, and the film runs a little long (though that wouldn't surprise me being that it was adapted from a stage play), but there are so many beautifully crafted, hilarious moments that I can't rate this movie as anything less than a must-see! I would go on and on about which scenes I found memorable, but I don't wanna spoil it for anyone. Just see it for yourself! Trust me, you'll die laughing!

My score: 9 (out of 10)