Is It Worth the Watch?

Frank Capra, one of Golden Age Hollywood’s finest directors, helmed a fantastic film version of the stage hit Arsenic and Old Lace in 1942, however Warner Brothers had agreed to not release the film until the comedy had closed on Broadway. No one suspected a farce about a family riddled with insanity, full of murder, kidnapping, torture and plastic surgery was going to be a smash sensation and run three and a half years, so the movie wasn’t released until 1944.

It’s a surprisingly solid version of the play (film adaptations of stage works sometimes pale compared to their sources), with most of the jokes intact, although not having original New York star Boris Karloff playing the character of the serial-killer brother who “looks like Boris Karloff” is sorely missed.

I hadn’t seen this film in years, and was delighted to still find it charming, hysterically funny and a lot of fun. The idea of sweet little old ladies murdering people (not a spoiler, it’s revealed very early on) isn’t really as shocking or hilarious today as it was in 1944, but it’s still an intriguing promise. And, of course, there are spectacular performances from Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, and Peter Lorre, as well as Josephine Hull, Jean Adair and John Alexander reprising their brilliant roles from the original Broadway production.

Is It Worth The Watch? It’s a masterful adaptation of a classic Broadway comedy. It’s a benchmark in the history of Hollywood, and it’s still hilariously funny. What’s not to love?

1944

118 minutes

Starring – Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, John Alexander, Priscilla Lane, Peter Lorre, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton

Director – Frank Capra

Screenplay – Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein

Source – Joseph Kesselring’s play of the same name