Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 58min
- Comedy, Crime
- 21 Sep 1944 (Uruguay)
- Movie
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:
Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
- 4 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Cary Grant | ... |
Mortimer Brewster
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| Priscilla Lane | ... |
Elaine Harper
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| Raymond Massey | ... |
Jonathan Brewster
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| Jack Carson | ... |
O'Hara
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| Edward Everett Horton | ... |
Mr. Witherspoon
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| Peter Lorre | ... |
Dr. Einstein
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| James Gleason | ... |
Police Lt. Rooney
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| Josephine Hull | ... |
Abby Brewster
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| Jean Adair | ... |
Martha Brewster
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| John Alexander | ... |
'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster
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| Grant Mitchell | ... |
Reverend Harper
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Edward McNamara | ... |
Brophy
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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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| Chester Clute | ... |
Dr. Gilchrist
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| Charles Lane | ... |
Reporter
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| Edward McWade | ... |
Gibbs
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Mary Brodel | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Spencer Charters | ... |
Marriage License Clerk (uncredited)
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Jimmy the Crow | ... |
Graveyard Raven (uncredited)
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Alberta Gary | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Sol Gorss | ... |
New York Pitcher (uncredited)
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| Herbert Gunn | ... |
Undetermined Supporting Role (uncredited)
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Rolan Jones | ... |
Undetermined Supporting Role (uncredited)
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| Vera Lewis | ... |
Undetermined Suecondary Role (uncredited)
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| Hank Mann | ... |
Photographer at Marriage License Office (uncredited)
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Pat McKee | ... |
Irate Dodgers Baseball Fan (uncredited)
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| Spec O'Donnell | ... |
Young Man in Line (uncredited)
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Lee Phelps | ... |
Umpire (uncredited)
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Don Phillips | ... |
Undetermined Supporting Role (uncredited)
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| Juanita Stark | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Raymond Walburn | ... |
Drummer at baseball game (uncredited)
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| Leo White | ... |
Man in Phone Booth (uncredited)
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Jean Wong | ... |
Young Woman in Line (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Frank Capra | ||
Written by
| Julius J. Epstein | ... | (screen play) |
| Joseph Kesselring | ... | (play) |
Produced by
| Frank Capra | ... | associate producer (uncredited) |
| Jack L. Warner | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Max Steiner | ||
Cinematography by
| Sol Polito | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Daniel Mandell | ||
Art Direction by
| Max Parker | ||
Costume Design by
| Orry-Kelly | ... | (gowns) |
Makeup Department
| Perc Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
| George Bau | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
| Anita De Beltrand | ... | hair stylist (uncredited) |
| John Wallace | ... | makeup man (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Eric Stacey | ... | unit manager (uncredited) |
| Steve Trilling | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Claude Archer | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Russell Saunders | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Dorothea Fischer-Nosbisch | ... | poster artist : West Germany (uncredited) (1965) |
| Lucien Hafley | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Hans Hillmann | ... | poster artist : West Germany (uncredited) (1970) |
| Keefe Maley | ... | second propman (uncredited) |
| Alfred Williams | ... | assistant propman (uncredited) |
| Levi C. Williams | ... | assistant propman (uncredited) |
| Gösta Åberg | ... | poster artist : Sweden (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| C.A. Riggs | ... | sound |
| Everett Alton Brown | ... | sound mixer (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Robert Burks | ... | special effects |
| Byron Haskin | ... | special effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Wesley Anderson | ... | second camera (uncredited) |
| Joe Cramer | ... | best boy (uncredited) |
| Frank Evans | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Mickey Marigold | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| Harold Noyes | ... | grip (uncredited) |
| Charles O'Bannon | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Eugene Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
| Cora Lobb | ... | wardrobe (uncredited) |
| Leon Roberts | ... | wardrobe (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Leo F. Forbstein | ... | musical director |
| Hugo Friedhofer | ... | orchestrator |
Script and Continuity Department
| Wandra Ramsey | ... | script clerk (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Russel Crouse | ... | producer: stage play |
| Howard Lindsay | ... | producer: stage play |
| Harold Winston | ... | dialogue director |
| Alfred Argus | ... | french voice dubbing: Edward McNamara (uncredited) |
| Mario Corte | ... | italian voice dubbing: Edward McWade (uncredited) |
| Leonardo Cortese | ... | italian voice dubbing: Cary Grant (uncredited) |
| Dhia Cristiani | ... | italian voice dubbing: Priscilla Lane (uncredited) |
| Jean d'Yd | ... | french voice dubbing: Vaughan Glaser (uncredited) |
| Robert Dalban | ... | french voice dubbing: Jack Carson (uncredited) |
| Allain Dhurtal | ... | french voice dubbing: Grant Mitchell (uncredited) |
| Henri Ebstein | ... | french voice dubbing: James Gleason (uncredited) |
| Bob Fender | ... | unit publicist (uncredited) |
| Richard Francoeur | ... | french voice dubbing: Edward Everett Horton (uncredited) |
| Lauro Gazzolo | ... | italian voice dubbing: Edward Everett Horton (uncredited) |
| Camille Guérini | ... | french voice dubbing: Chester Clute (uncredited) |
| Paul Lalloz | ... | french voice dubbing: Garry Owen (uncredited) |
| Herman Lissauer | ... | researcher (uncredited) |
| Mal Merrihugh | ... | stand-in: Cary Grant (uncredited) |
| Germaine Michel | ... | french voice dubbing: Josephine Hull (uncredited) |
| Albert Montigny | ... | french voice dubbing: Charles Lane (uncredited) |
| Pierre Morin | ... | french voice dubbing: Raymond Massey (uncredited) |
| Luigi Pavese | ... | italian voice dubbing: Raymond Massey (uncredited) |
| Bruno Persa | ... | italian voice dubbing: Peter Lorre (uncredited) |
| Amilcare Pettinelli | ... | italian voice dubbing: James Gleason (uncredited) |
| Claude Péran | ... | french voice dubbing: John Alexander (uncredited) |
| Corrado Racca | ... | italian voice dubbing: Vaughan Glaser (uncredited) |
| Raymonde Reynard | ... | french voice dubbing: Priscilla Lane (uncredited) |
| François Richard | ... | french voice dubbing: Cary Grant (uncredited) |
| Clara Ristori | ... | italian voice dubbing: Josephine Hull (uncredited) |
| Carlo Romano | ... | italian voice dubbing: John Alexander (uncredited) |
| Maria Saccenti | ... | italian voice dubbing: Jean Adair (uncredited) |
| Stefano Sibaldi | ... | italian voice dubbing: Jack Carson (uncredited) |
| Paul Villé | ... | french voice dubbing: Edward McWade (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros. (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture) (presents)
Distributors
- Warner Bros. (1944) (United States) (theatrical)
- Vitagraph Limited (1944) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Warner Brothers Pictures (1945) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as Warner Brothers Pictures, Ltd.)
- Warner Bros. (1948) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1948) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1949) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1949) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1949) (Norway) (theatrical)
- AFEX (1953) (Austria) (theatrical)
- Dominant Pictures Corporation (1956) (United States) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Associated Artists Productions (AAP) (1956) (United States) (tv)
- Meridian-Films (1976) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Antenne 2 (A2) (1980) (France) (tv) (French subtitles)
- 20th Century Fox Video (1982) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1982) (Australia) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1982) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox (1983) (United States) (VHS) (Betamax) (drawer box release)
- RCA (II) (1983) (United States) (VHS) (CED VideoDisc)
- CBS/Fox (1984) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1987) (Canada) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1987) (Finland) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1988) (United States) (VHS)
- Scanvideo (Finland) (VHS) (for MGM/UA)
- Turner Entertainment (1988) (World-wide) (tv) (colorized version)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1989) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1990) (United Kingdom) (VHS)
- The Criterion Collection (1991) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (United States) (video) (laserdisc)
- Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Warner Home Video (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
- Junes Planning (2003) (Japan) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
- GP Museum Soft (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
- First Trading (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD)
- Keep(I). (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
- Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2009) (Canada) (DVD) (4 film collection)
- Warner Home Video (2009) (United States) (DVD) (4 film collection)
- Filmtrade - Spentzos Film (2012) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Versátil Home Vídeo (2012) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Vintage Films (2012) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Eén (2016) (Belgium) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- RCA Sound System (sound recording system)
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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 |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | She Passed Out On Cary ! No Wonder . . . She's just discovered his favorite aunts have poisoned their 13th gentleman friend ! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $1,164,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| 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). See more » |
| 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. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in The 42nd Annual Academy Awards (1970). See more » |
| Soundtracks | There Is a Happy Land See more » |
| 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. See more » |
| 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. See more » |