To celebrate the birthdays of Cary Grant (January 18th) and Josephine Hull (January 3rd), we’re going to be tackling their collaboration in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)! I know.. it’s not Halloween, but this brilliant film can be enjoyed any time! But I do watch it around Halloween too. I just couldn’t resist taking a deeper dive into it for their birthday month!
I can’t even remember the first time I saw this film, but there are so many great moments that I rewatch it yearly.
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Synopsis
There’s no doubt that this is a dark comedy. There are some intense moments (like when Jonathan is about to torture Mortimer), but thankfully, nothing really happens on-screen.
We open with Mortimer (Cary Grant) and Elaine (Priscilla Lane) going to get married. The problem? He’s an author who writes books against marriage. So, he’s all jumpy and in disguise, so as not to ruin his reputation by *gasp* getting married to the adorable Elaine.
If only Mortimer knew that would be the LEAST of his worries that day. He marries her and stops to check in with his aunts before embarking on his honeymoon. This turns out to the the worst decision he could have made because his joyful and horny mood is soon ruined when he discovers a dead body in their window seat. Thinking that his insane brother Teddy (who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt) is behind it, he struggles to come up with a plan. His aunts soon confirm that it wasn’t Teddy who killed him, but the elderly man is one of their “gentlemen.” Apparently, they have been murdering old dudes with no family for quite some time, and Mr. Hoskins is just one of 12 who are buried in the cellar.
Mortimer decides to pin the murders on his crazy brother to save his aunts when his other brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey) shows up with a plastic surgeon (Peter Lorre) and a new face. He also has a hot stiff on his hands and they soon discover that both he and his aunts each murdered 12 people. Mortimer tells Elaine he can’t stay married to her because his entire family is insane and it’s only a matter of time before he succumbs to it as well. Thankfully, his aunts reveal he’s not actually related to them before they are carted off to the sanitarium and Jonathan goes back to jail.
Let the honeymoon begin! End credits!
The Players
Cary Grant and Priscilla Lane
I can’t say enough about the chemistry and cuteness between this pair. They are brilliant. The scene where he chases her around the tree even gives us some sexual tension, which is rare for a movie in the 40s, let’s be real. Anyone with a pulse would catch on to what Cary Grant’s character is talking about, but this is how they used to have to get around censors. But him chasing her around the tree after they’re married is silly and sexy, which is fun to see from Cary Grant. Neither of them did the play, which was going on at the time of production, but they add some great fun to the film. I would be curious to see the originals here, but these two were bigger movie stars at the time, so this makes sense.
Josephine Hull and Jean Adair
Josephine Hull and Jean Adair are great. They both reprised their roles from the play. The mannerisms that contrast with the fact that they’re murderers is well done. Hull bounces when she moves, showing a joy that is so funny when considering she poisons people. These two work very well together and it shows.
Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre
I love Peter Lorre and anything I see him in, I always appreciate him. He has sort of a demure quality in this movie as he plays the doctor to Mortimer’s brother played by Raymond Massey. The brother was originally brought to life by Boris Karloff onstage, but Massey does a respectable job. He is frightening and delivers his expressions and lines in a beautiful, terrifying way.
What if…?
Bob Hope had played Mortimer?
There’s no question that Bob Hope would have had that over-the-top quality and that it comes easily to him. Frank Capra originally wanted him to play Mortimer, but he was unavailable at the time, so he cast Cary Grant instead.
They had reshot what Cary considered over-the-top?
Although Cary takes issue with his performance in this film, I think his great expressions really make the movie a riot. He thought it over the top, but I think it adds so much to the comedic value of this movie. If they had let him reshoot the scenes he wanted, I don’t think the film would be nearly as funny. The studio agreed to let him do it, but director Frank Capra was unavailable to oversee the changes due to enlisting in the army. Because he wouldn’t have been able to give approval, the studio canceled these plans and Cary was extremely unhappy.
Boris Karloff had played Jonathan?
Karloff played Jonathan on stage, and while Hull and Adair were allowed to do the film, he was not released from his contract to do the same. He was pretty upset about it. I think he would have, of course, been great. He’s the epitome of creepy dude, so I that would have been really cool to see.
If you like alternative history or biographical/historical fiction, I write that as well under the pen name Dottie Fray.
If you choose to buy this film, I may earn a commission as an Amazon affiliate. Grab it here on DVD or streaming!