{"id":2543,"date":"2007-03-17T13:16:07","date_gmt":"2007-03-17T20:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2543"},"modified":"2021-01-07T20:25:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-08T03:25:52","slug":"arsenic-and-old-lace-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2543","title":{"rendered":"Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;This is developing into a <em>very<\/em> bad habit!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-31458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Poster.jpg 324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nOn a windy Halloween night in Brooklyn, newly married drama critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) visits his kind spinster aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair), only to discover that they&#8217;ve gone batty and are killing off elderly gentlemen. While he&#8217;s deciding what to do about the twelve bodies buried in the basement, Brewster&#8217;s psychotic brother (Raymond Massey) shows up with an accomplice (Peter Lorre) and a corpse of his own.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Black Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Cary Grant Films<\/li>\n<li>Frank Capra Films<\/li>\n<li>Hiding Dead Bodies<\/li>\n<li>Jack Carson Films<\/li>\n<li>Mental Illness<\/li>\n<li>Peter Lorre Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Priscilla Lane Films<\/li>\n<li>Raymond Massey Films<\/li>\n<li>Serial Killers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary&#8217;s response to this &#8220;super screwy black comedy&#8221; &#8212; directed by Frank Capra from an adaptation of Joseph Kesselring&#8217;s hit Broadway play &#8212; is lackluster at best. He lambastes Grant&#8217;s performance &#8212; calling him &#8220;out of control&#8221; and &#8220;truly annoying&#8221; &#8212; and, rather than citing any of the film&#8217;s strengths, simply notes that the &#8220;worst part [is how] so much humor comes from characters being frustrated when trying to get information or give information.&#8221; What Peary&#8217;s review neglects to mention, however, is how uniformly funny and zany <em>Arsenic <\/em>is, with many wonderfully comedic performances, countless memorable lines, and an endless series of madcap situations.  <\/p>\n<p>While this is perhaps Frank Capra&#8217;s least &#8220;Capra-esque&#8221; film, he does a fine job opening up the play for the big screen, making good use of the windy environs surrounding the Brewster house, and applying dramatic cinematography to great effect. He directs a powerhouse cast, with Hull and Adair especially notable; their interactions together (notice their smiles!) are truly priceless. The supporting players do a fine job as well: I love the interactions between Massey and Lorre (especially while arguing over how many bodies Massey has killed), and the good-natured oblivion of John Alexander (playing Grant&#8217;s insane uncle, who believes he&#8217;s Teddy Roosevelt).  Finally, while many reviewers (including Peary) have argued that Grant overplays his part (and he apparently hated his own performance here), he serves as a suitable foil for the craziness surrounding him; indeed, it&#8217;s hard to imagine <em>Arsenic and Old Lace<\/em> without him. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Josephine Hull and Jean Adair as the kind yet murderous maiden aunts<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-1024x785.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"491\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-1024x785.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-768x589.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2-352x270.png 352w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Aunts2.png 1347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Raymond Massey as Jonathan Brewster, a.k.a. &#8220;Boris Karloff&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-1024x784.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"490\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-1024x784.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-768x588.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey-353x270.png 353w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Massey.png 1349w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Peter Lorre as Jonathan&#8217;s accomplice, &#8220;Dr. Einstein&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-1024x769.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-768x577.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2-360x270.png 360w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lorre2.png 1341w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jack Carson as aspiring playwright Officer O&#8217;Hara<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-1024x775.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"484\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-1024x775.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-300x227.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-768x582.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2-357x270.png 357w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Carson2.png 1359w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Priscilla Lane as Mortimer&#8217;s frustrated new wife<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-1024x772.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"483\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-1024x772.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-768x579.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane-358x270.png 358w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Lane.png 1349w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Alexander as &#8220;Teddy Roosevelt&#8221;, charging up the stairs with bugle in hand<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-1024x777.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"486\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-1024x777.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-128x97.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-768x583.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2-356x270.png 356w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Charge2.png 1343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>C. Everett Horton as the director of Happydale Sanitorium<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-1024x782.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"489\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-1024x782.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-768x587.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton-353x270.png 353w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Horton.png 1347w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective use of atmospheric cinematography and sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-1024x782.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"489\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-1024x782.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-300x229.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-768x586.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3-354x270.png 354w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/03\/Arsenic-and-Old-Lace-Cinematography3.png 1343w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. <em>Arsenic and Old Lace<\/em> remains a classic black comedy, and shouldn&#8217;t be missed. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0036613\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1944\/09\/02\/archives\/arsenic-and-old-lace-with-cary-grant-in-premiere-at-strand-youth.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/577\/arsenic-and-old-lace#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moria.co.nz\/horror\/arsenic.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/78184.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;This is developing into a very bad habit!&#8221; Synopsis: On a windy Halloween night in Brooklyn, newly married drama critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) visits his kind spinster aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair), only to discover that they&#8217;ve gone batty and are killing off elderly gentlemen. While he&#8217;s deciding what to do about the twelve bodies buried in the basement, Brewster&#8217;s psychotic brother (Raymond Massey) shows up with an accomplice (Peter Lorre) and a corpse of his own. Genres,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2543\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2543"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62166,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2543\/revisions\/62166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}