Wednesday, September 23, 2020

On This Day...Arsenic and Old Lace(1944).

 So hot on the heels of his 46th film yesterday is Arsenic and Old Lace, Cary Grant's 47th full length feature film. The reason? It was completed two years earlier, but had to wait until the stage show had completed its run.


Cary Grant plays Mortimer Brewster, whose Aunt Abby(Josephine Hull) and Aunt Martha(Jean Adair) are the Old Lace who provide the Arsenic!


"Cary Grant's role as written for the screen is strongly slapstick, but despite the handicap he scores remarkably well." - Citizen News




With Josephine Hull and Jean Adair.

"More is made of the Grant character than on the stage. Indeed, he carries this picture with pantomime, facial expressions and a wild sort of farcical delivery of lines. He is an expert at that."
 - Edwin Schallert, Los Angeles Times.


With Peter Lorre, Raymond Massey, Josephine Hull, Priscilla Lane and Jean Adair.

"I was embarrassed doing it. I overplayed the character. It was a dreadful job for me...Jimmy Stewart would have been much better in the film." - Cary Grant




With Priscilla Lane.


Cast:

Mortimer Brewster           Cary Grant
Jonathan Brewster            Raymond Massey
Elaine Harper                   Priscilla Lane
Abby Brewster                 Josephine Hull
Martha Brewster               Jean Adair
O'Hara                              Jack Carson
Mr. Witherspoon               Edward Everett Horton
Dr. Einstein                       Peter Lorre
Lieutenant Rooney           James Gleason
Teddy "Roosevelt"
Brewster                           John Alexander
Reverend Harper              Grant Mitchell
Brophy                             Edward McNamara
Taxi Driver                       Garry Owen
Saunders                           John Ridgely
Judge Cullman                 Vaughan Glaser
Doctor Gilchrist                Chester Clute
Reporter                           Charles Lane
Gibbs                               Edward McWade
Man in Phone Booth        Leo White
Marriage License Clerk    Spencer Charters
Photographer                    Hank Mann
Umpire                             Lee Phelps


Italian "Arsenic and Old Lace".


Press Article and Publicity Shots.





Lobby Cards:










Directed by Frank Capra.
Produced and distributed by Warner Bros.
Running time: 118 minutes.


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