"Arsenic and Old Lace" is not the best example of Frank Capra's work. He's known for optimistic, bright-eyed fables about humanity being fundamentally good and helpful. His penchant for sentimentality resulted in some of his films being labeled "Capra-corn" by critics of the time. "Arsenic and Old Lace," on the other hand, is a screwball comedy about two lovely little old ladies who murder people for fun. It's set on Halloween, and features a fiend who looks like Boris Karloff, a nutty uncle who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, and several corpses that get mixed up over the course of the evening. However, Capra's facility with pratfalls and gags were absolutely vital to translating the original play into cinematic form.
Adapting "Arsenic and Old Lace" was harder than it looked. A major laugh line had to be removed from the end of the play because of censorship concerns. Boris Karloff, who originated the role of the evil Jonathan, was not available so all the meta jokes about his appearance had to be reworked. But more pressing was the runaway success of the original play. Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941 with key members of the play's cast, but it wasn't released until 1944. The stage version of "Arsenic and Old Lace" had to close before the film could hit theaters - which turned out to be two years later than originally planned. By that time the play had gained such a reputation that the film version was immediately saddled with outsized expectations.
The other major creative force in the film's production was Cary Grant, who had to be convinced to take the lead role, and then famously regretted it. Capra originally wanted Bob Hope for the part, but Grant was the better choice. He imparts so much endearing perplexity and charm as the frazzled Mortimer Brewster. This is Grant's most over-the-top performance, full of big exaggerated reactions, cartoonish behavior, and wild takes. And he's so good at it, we must lament that Grant rarely allowed himself to appear so silly onscreen afterwards, preferring to cultivate a cooler persona. The other performers are also fantastic. I adore John Alexander as Teddy, Josephine Hull and Jean Adair as the spinster sisters, and Raymond Massey as the hulking Jonathan. And then there's Peter Lorre. When I think of Peter Lorre, this is the performance I always remember - the nervous little crook who has been bullied into being a baddie by Jonathan, but happily plays along with Teddy digging up the basement.
A big reason that "Arsenic and Old Lace" holds up so well after so many decades is because it's exceptionally well constructed. The momentum builds slowly, as the film sets up all the different subplots and running gags, from the taxi cab kept waiting outside, to Mortimer's attempts to have Teddy committed, to Jonathan and Dr. Einstein's machinations, to those little old ladies who are alarmingly bold in their murderous tendencies. I love the way that the ensemble works together, with Mortimer constantly having to ping-pong among the different problems and cast members, more and more people entering the house to complicate matters, and everyone finding out about the bodies at just the right (or wrong) time. There are some odd bits, like the opening that flits around New York to establish the setting, and the sequence at City Hall. However, once Mortimer finds that first corpse, the film finds its groove and never lets up.
I've liked all of the Frank Capra films that I've seen, and admire the idealism of films like "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and "Meet John Doe. However, my favorites are the ones that make me laugh - "It Happened One Night" and "Arsenic and Old Lace." "Arsenic" especially gets to me because of how sincere and how silly it is. Where else could you have a film where an old lady sees nothing wrong with murdering someone, but is aghast at the thought of telling a fib? Or where the proprietor of the local "rest home" complains of having too many Teddy Roosevelts, and wonders if maybe a Napoleon is available? Or where you can cheer at Peter Lorre getting away in the end?
My sympathies to Cary Grant's ego, but this is the most entertaining film he ever appeared in.
What I've Seen - Frank Capra
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
Lady for a Day (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Lost Horizon (1937)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Meet John Doe (1941)
Why We Fight (1942-1945)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
State of the Union (1948)
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
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