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Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) 8.0
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 |
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Title: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Cary Grant | ... | ||
| Priscilla Lane | ... | ||
| Raymond Massey | ... | ||
| Jack Carson | ... |
O'Hara
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| Edward Everett Horton | ... | ||
| Peter Lorre | ... | ||
| James Gleason | ... | ||
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Josephine Hull | ... | |
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Jean Adair | ... | |
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John Alexander | ... | |
| Grant Mitchell | ... | ||
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Edward McNamara | ... | |
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Garry Owen | ... |
Taxi Cab Driver
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John Ridgely | ... |
Saunders
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Vaughan Glaser | ... |
Judge Cullman
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Taglines:
She Passed Out On Cary ! No Wonder . . . She's just discovered his favorite aunts have poisoned their 13th gentleman friend !Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
23 September 1944 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Frank Capra's 'Arsenic and Old Lace' See more »Box Office
Budget:
$1,120,175 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Baseball Fan: I'll knock your block off, you big stiff! You're a bum!
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(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Music by Richard Wagner
Variations often in the score
Whistled by Priscilla Lane
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Some 20 years before filming this movie, actress Jean Adair had helped to nurse a very sick vaudeville performer named Archie Leach back to health; by the time she was asked to reprise her Broadway "Arsenic and Old Lace" role as Aunt Martha for this film, Adair and Leach, now known as Cary Grant, were old friends. See more »Goofs
When Mortimer Brewster pushes the policeman O'Hara out the front door, he firmly shuts the door behind the policeman. However, he immediately goes to leave the house and, when he approaches the door, it is wide open. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Baseball Fan: I'll knock your block off, you big stiff! You're a bum!
See more »
Soundtracks
"Bridal Chorus"(1850) (uncredited)
from "Lohengrin"
Music by Richard Wagner
Variations often in the score
Whistled by Priscilla Lane
See more »
For those who enjoy dark comedy, it's hard to see how anything could be funnier than "Arsenic and Old Lace". With Cary Grant's talent for madcap comedy, with hilariously sinister performances by Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre, with two adorable old ladies who have a very dark secret, plus half-a-dozen other eccentric characters, all involved in a complicated and unpredictable plot, this is a comic masterpiece. Director Frank Capra keeps everything moving and adds his own touch, keeping some dark material entirely light-hearted.
This is the kind of movie for which mere analysis cannot do justice to how well everything fits together. The characters, cast, and writing are all perfect, and the crazy story gives every character some great moments. There is plenty of witty dialogue, lots of funny slapstick and physical humor, and quite a few wild plot developments. None of it is meant to be plausible, but it is all hugely entertaining, and done with such skill that it is easy to suspend disbelief. If you happen not to have seen this before, stick with it for the first few minutes, until you arrive at the home of Cary Grant's two aunts, and then things will take off quickly.
If you enjoy morbid humor, "Arsenic and Old Lace" is an absolute must-see.