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Arsenic and Old Lace

  • 1944
  • PG
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
75K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,125
3,609
Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:50
2 Videos
96 Photos
FarceScrewball ComedyComedyCrimeThriller

Mortimer Brewster, a Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage, risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things grow complicated when he learns that his beloved maid... Read allMortimer Brewster, a Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage, risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things grow complicated when he learns that his beloved maiden aunts Abby and Martha are serial murderers.Mortimer Brewster, a Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage, risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot. Things grow complicated when he learns that his beloved maiden aunts Abby and Martha are serial murderers.

  • Director
    • Frank Capra
  • Writers
    • Julius J. Epstein
    • Joseph Kesselring
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Priscilla Lane
    • Raymond Massey
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    75K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,125
    3,609
    • Director
      • Frank Capra
    • Writers
      • Julius J. Epstein
      • Joseph Kesselring
    • Stars
      • Cary Grant
      • Priscilla Lane
      • Raymond Massey
    • 330User reviews
    • 66Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:50
    Watch Trailer
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:50
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos96

    Edward Everett Horton, Jean Adair, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Peter Lorre, John Alexander, and Raymond Massey in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Jean Adair, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, and Raymond Massey in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Jean Adair, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Jean Adair, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Jean Adair, John Alexander, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Jean Adair, Josephine Hull, and Priscilla Lane in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
    Cary Grant, Jean Adair, and Josephine Hull in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

    Top cast35

    Edit
    Cary Grant
    Cary Grant
    • Mortimer Brewster
    Priscilla Lane
    Priscilla Lane
    • Elaine Harper
    Raymond Massey
    Raymond Massey
    • Jonathan Brewster
    Jack Carson
    Jack Carson
    • O'Hara
    Edward Everett Horton
    Edward Everett Horton
    • Mr. Witherspoon
    Peter Lorre
    Peter Lorre
    • Dr. Einstein
    James Gleason
    James Gleason
    • Police Lt. Rooney
    Josephine Hull
    Josephine Hull
    • Abby Brewster
    Jean Adair
    Jean Adair
    • Martha Brewster
    John Alexander
    John Alexander
    • 'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster
    Grant Mitchell
    Grant Mitchell
    • Reverend Harper
    Edward McNamara
    • Brophy
    Garry Owen
    Garry Owen
    • Taxi Cab Driver
    John Ridgely
    John Ridgely
    • Saunders
    Vaughan Glaser
    Vaughan Glaser
    • Judge Cullman
    Chester Clute
    Chester Clute
    • Dr. Gilchrist
    Charles Lane
    Charles Lane
    • Reporter
    Edward McWade
    Edward McWade
    • Gibbs
    • Director
      • Frank Capra
    • Writers
      • Julius J. Epstein
      • Joseph Kesselring
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At the time of production, Warner Bros. announced that the Brewster house was the largest set ever built at the studio. The house was complete, room by room, in every detail. Production records confirm that several scenes were shot in various rooms of the Brewster house. (Mortimer's grandfather's study, the aunts' bedroom, and the cellar were filmed, but not included in the final cut of the film).
    • Goofs
      The movie opens with the Brooklyn Dodgers winning a baseball game on Halloween, weeks after the end of baseball season. This is a gag to suggest that the only time the Brooklyn Dodgers could win is on Halloween, similar to saying when pigs fly.
    • Quotes

      Mortimer Brewster: Look I probably should have told you this before but you see... well... insanity runs in my family...

      [he hears Abby and Martha singing]

      Mortimer Brewster: It practically gallops.

    • Crazy credits
      This is a Hallowe'en tale of Brooklyn, where anything can happen -- and it usually does. At 3 P.M. on this particular day, this was happening. [Scene of Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees baseball game, irate fans and brouhaha between teams on the field, then...] While at the same time across the river in the UNITED STATES PROPER there was romance in the air. [Scene of cruise ship on the river with NY City skyline in the background, then...] And now, back to one of Brooklyn's most charming residential districts -- [Scene of old gabled Brewster house next to a cemetery, then...] -- From here on you're on your own.
    • Alternate versions
      Also available in a computer colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      There Is a Happy Land
      (uncredited)

      Music by Leonard P. Breedlove

      Arranged by Max Steiner

      [quoted in score]

    User reviews330

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Suspense from start to finish
    Comedy and suspense. At first I thought the film was a romantic comedy but when we moved on to the second part we began to perceive the macabre tone of the plot. The horror of the film starts from the dialogues of the Brewster sisters that are soft and macabre and until a certain moment I wonder if all that is a joke to scare Mortimer and him marry his beloved Elanie because there is a dialogue between them that says "This is part of the plan we have for Mortimer". The film through Jonanthan references the already classic Frankenstein at the time. A really creepy thriller film, I believe that if the film hadn't appealed so much to comedy, it would have gotten better and more macabre.

    The film shows that even without jumpscares or special features it is possible to tell a horror story without even showing dead people, blood everywhere, witches, murderers, spirits, ghosts, demons, just telling a story of sick human beings.
    helpful•10
    0
    • igornveiga
    • Aug 14, 2022

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    FAQ24

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    • Is 'Arsenic and Old Lace' based on a book?
    • Where does the title come from?
    • How closely does the movie follow the play?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 21, 1944 (Uruguay)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Frank Capra's 'Arsenic and Old Lace'
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 19, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,164,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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