Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
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A theater critic discovers his aunts are serial killers who poison lonely bachelors while his brother believes he is Theodore Roosevelt.
The story
On Halloween day, Mortimer Brewster, a theater critic who denounces marriage, marries his neighbor Elaine Harper. Before their honeymoon, Mortimer returns to the family home where his aunts, Abby and Martha, live with his delusional younger brother, Teddy, who believes he is Theodore Roosevelt. While searching for notes for his next book, Mortimer discovers a corpse hidden in a window seat. He initially fears Teddy has committed a murder, but the aunts cheerfully confess to killing lonely bachelors to end their suffering. Mortimer must then navigate the chaos of his family's secrets while trying to have Teddy legally committed to an asylum.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mortimer Brewster marries Elaine Harper and returns to his family home in Brooklyn. He finds a corpse and discovers his aunts, Abby and Martha, have been murdering lonely bachelors, burying the bodies in the cellar with the help of his brother Teddy, who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt. Mortimer attempts to have Teddy committed to an asylum. Meanwhile, Mortimer's older brother Jonathan, whose face resembles Frankenstein's monster due to plastic surgery, arrives with his accomplice Dr. Einstein. Jonathan is a serial killer who intends to kill Mortimer. After a series of chaotic events involving a police officer who mistakes the situation for a play, Jonathan is arrested. The aunts insist on joining Teddy at the asylum. Finally, the aunts reveal Mortimer is not a biological Brewster, and Mortimer whisks a horrified Elaine away on their honeymoon.
- First release year
- 1944
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Frank Capra
- Writers
- Julius J. Epstein · screenplay; Philip G. Epstein · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Cary Grant · Mortimer Brewster; Raymond Massey · Jonathan Brewster; Jack Carson · Dr. Herman Einstein; Priscilla Lane · Elaine Harper; Peter Lorre · himself; Edward Everett Horton · Teddy Brewster; James Gleason · Mr. Witherspoon; Josephine Hull · Abby Brewster; Jean Adair · Martha Brewster; John Alexander · Teddy Brewster
- Genres
- screwball comedy; black comedy; crime
- Themes
- the consequences of liberty; reconciling the past with myths of freedom
- Tone and mood
- macabre fun; hilarious; frantic
- Premise and plot tags
- black comedy; crime; screwball comedy; serial killer; poisoning; disability
- Source material / true-story basis
- Joseph Kesselring's 1941 play of the same name
- Reception
- The contemporary critical reviews were uniformly positive, describing it as 'good macabre fun' and 'hilarious entertainment.' Later assessments were mixed, with some critics finding the performances overstated or the humor manic, while others praised it as a model of stage play adaptations.
- Production trivia
- The film was not released until 1944 because of a contract with the play's producers.; The set for the Brewster home was reused in the 1942 film George Washington Slept Here.; The entire film was shot within eight weeks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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