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

The film was shot between October 20 and December 16, 1941. During 1943, the film was shown to the Armed Forces overseas. but went unissued domestically until its Manhattan debut at the Strand Theatre on September 1, 1944, followed by the nationwide release on September 23. Warner Bros. had been contractually required to wait for the Broadway play to finish its run, which finally occurred on June 17, 1944. By the time the movie opened, Priscilla Lane and Warner Bros. had ended their association.

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Goofs

The movie opens with a baseball game, on Halloween, weeks after the end of season. This is a dramatization of a folk truism of the times: "The only way the Brooklyn Dodgers could win is to play on Halloween!" Presumably 1940s audiences would have recognized the joke immediately.

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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 Pushing Daisies: Dummy (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
(1908) (uncredited)
Music by Albert von Tilzer
In the score for the baseball game

User Reviews

What A Nut House

A presumably sane young drama critic (Cary Grant) visits the home of his two elderly aunts. Upon arrival, he finds that his two dear, sweet, lovable aunts have embarked on what they see as their mission of mercy ... killing lonely old men, by giving them arsenic-laced wine. Our sane young drama critic soon learns that insanity runs in the family.

Five years ago, the American Film Institute selected America's 100 funniest movies. "Arsenic And Old Lace" (1944) came in at Number 30. And that's not surprising. A lot of people enjoy this dark, screwball comedy, with its slapstick, its fast pace, its sharp dialogue, and its engaging characters. A lot of viewers like it simply because of Cary Grant.

The film's underlying premise is really great. And I must confess that Aunt Abby (Josephine Hull) and Aunt Martha (Jean Adair) are cute and entertaining. (Interestingly, the film portrays them as usually together and almost always in agreement with each other. It's like they function as a single entity). And the other denizen of the house, Uncle Teddy (John Alexander) is also a hoot.

But I'm not a big fan of Cary Grant. His performance here is exaggerated. His hyper and jerky behavior is distracting and grating. The plot gets ever sillier as it moves along, and downright tedious toward the end. Lastly, I have never cared much for films that are so top heavy with dialogue.

The best part of the film is the cinematography. Most of the scenes take place in a big living room, at times with lights out. The B&W lighting is very stark with high contrast, which renders a suitably sinister atmosphere.

"Arsenic ..." is not my cup of tea. But, for viewers who like talky stage plays with an accent on macabre humor, this film is a fine choice. Could I interest you in a glass of elderberry wine, perhaps?