Your Gold Box VHS Used Videos DVD DVD & VHS Movie Showtimes All Products Explore This Video buying info technical information editorial reviews customer reviews I dislike it I love it! 1 2 3 4 5 Edit your ratings Favorite Magazines! Explore our new Magazine Subscriptions store . Visit the Books Store Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring Calphalon $50 Offer Spend $249 on Calphalon and save $50 on your next Amazon purchase. So You'd Like to... discover some Screwball Comedi... : A guide by carry_the_zero, Avid movie buff and music appreciator! Create your guide Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. Used & new from $11.07 Have one to sell? Don't have one? We'll set one up for you. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) see larger picture List Price: $14.95 Price: $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details . Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours Used & new from $11.07 Edition: See more product details Great Buy Buy this video with The Philadelphia Story VHS ~ Cary Grant today! Buy Together Today: $ 29.90 Customers who bought this video also bought: Bringing Up Baby VHS ~ Katharine Hepburn Harvey VHS ~ James Stewart Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House VHS ~ Cary Grant His Girl Friday VHS ~ Cary Grant The Bishop's Wife VHS ~ Cary Grant Explore similar items Product Details Starring: Cary Grant , See more Director: Frank Capra Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC Rated: Unrated Studio: Warner Studios VHS Features: NTSC format ( US and Canada only. This VHS will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about VHS formats .) Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia ASIN: B00005BCON Other Formats: VHS , DVD Average Customer Review: Based on 81 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank (VHS): 452 Popular in: Maryland (#8) , Juno Online Services, L.P (#2) . See more Our Customers' Advice See what customers recommend in addition to, or instead of, the product on this page. Recommend an item! 1 person recommended Young Frankenstein - Special Edition in addition to Arsenic and Old Lace See more customer buying advice Editorial Reviews Amazon.com essential video Frank Capra made this film in 1941 before he went off to make films for America's war effort, but it wasn't released until 1944. Adapted from the hit play by Joseph Kesselring, this frantic black comedy shows Capra at his best as a master of mood and timing. Actresses Josephine Hull and Jean Adair reprise their Broadway performances as two gentle old ladies who poison men with elderberry wine to put them out of their misery. Cary Grant plays one nephew, a normal guy who just gets wind of their little hobby and tries to get them to stop, while Raymond Massey plays another, a villain just escaped from jail. Capra encourages the cast, especially Grant, to give a somewhat more outsized performance than one might expect. But made during the war years as it was, this overstated comic approach to killing was probably cathartic. --Tom Keogh --This text refers to the VHS Tape edition. Spotlight Reviews (what's this) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: Grant, 2 Old Ladies & Elderberry wine=hilarity now on DVD!! , March 21, 2002 Reviewer: forrie (see more about me) from Nashua, NH United States Frank Capra delivers a great film adaptation of Joseph Kesselring's Broadway hit, "Arsenic and Old Lace". Originally filmed in 1941 just prior to WWII, but not released until 1944 because of the contract agreement to allow the play to complete its Broadway run. (The play ran for 1,444 performances.) Cary Grant in the leading role as nephew, Mortimer Brewster is at his comedic best in this black comedy of wine, family & insanity. His 2 fabulous Aunts played by Josephine Hull & Jean Adair were encored to the screen and are perfect in their roles. Boris Karloff's obligations prevented him from doing the movie and was replaced by Raymond Massey in the movie version as Grant madcap brother. The great ensemble cast also included Peter Lorre, Edward Everett Horton, Priscilla Lane & John Alexander as a delightful zany crazy, thinking he is President "Teddy Roosevelt". Summary: It is Halloween, Mortimers wedding day & his life is about to change forever. Visiting his 2 Aunts (Hull & Adair) with his wife (Lane - Ministers daughter!) on their way to their honeymoon to Niagara Falls discovers a body in the window seat. Thinking his crazy cousin, (Alexander) has committed the crime approaches his Aunts. They not only know about the body, but they know who he was & how he died. Their elderberry wine laced with a mixture of arsenic. Oh by the way, he is the 12th to be buried in the cellar. What is Mortimer to do & is his entire family insane? We began a very entertaining & hilarious journey to answering these & many more questions. This DVD is an excellent Black & White Full Screen (before WideScreen) transfer. Extras include Production notes. "Arsenic and Old Lace" film adaptation is very close to the actual Broadway play & is a great classic to have in your DVD library. Enjoy. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: Good for a scary movie party , February 5, 2005 Reviewer: Betsy (see more about me) from MN Even if it isn't scary, it's in the perfect halloween spirit. Mortimer Brewster, a confirmed bachelor, throws his comnfirmation out the window and takes up with elaine harper, the bishop's daughter. on the day of their wedding, Mortimer's long-lost brother, Jonathan, returns back home to his aunt's boarding house. His aunts, a pair of seemingly sweet, charming old ladies, are terrified of the hulking jonathan (Who looks like karloff) and his shrimpy friend Dr. Einstien (PLayed by an amzingly thin Peter Lorre). What Mortimer )And Jonathan) doesn't know is that his aunts are a pair of arsenic-givers! In fact, there are 12 bodies in the basement (13, when mean old jonathan buries his hot stiff, too!) A great, hilarious movie! Was this review helpful to you? 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Comedies don't get much blacker. , February 5, 2005 Reviewer: Zack Davisson (see more about me) from Sakurai, Nara, Japan Rarely does a movie make me laugh as much as "Arsenic and Old Lace." I don't even know what it is that gets me going, but this film has it. It is just...crazy! The plot is charmingly ridiculous, full of outrageous twists and turn, sight gags and snappy dialog. The cast is perfect, with effective overacting from Cary Grant , silly looming from Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre and the innocent evil of Josephine Hull and Jean Adair. Priscilla Lane also captures hearts as the longing Mrs, Brewster, wondering what has become of her new husband. The use of a single set is barely noticed amongst the antics. The director gets just what he wants out of every scene. A black comedy if ever there was one, each murder becomes an avenue for further comedy and madness is the enviable state. Elderberry wine is an elegant murder weapon, and the two old biddies are perfectly adorable murderers. For such a classic film, one could wish for a better DVD presentation. There is really not much here other than the movie. Still, it looks nice and the comedy would not be improved by extras. This one will keep me laughing for years to come. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? 0 of 5 people found the following review helpful: "Two hours and when it was all over, what?" , November 17, 2002 Reviewer: tvtv3 (see more about me) from Sorento, IL USA I was first introduced to ARSENIC AND OLD lace as a child after visiting two sweet aunts and a crazy uncle of mine who lived together and had a "mysterious" celler of their own. My father told me they reminded him of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE and I had never seen the movie, so when we returned home we watched it. The movie was filmed over 60 years ago and except for the dated references (WWII, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boris Karloff) the film remains amazingly fresh. Though this was one of Cary Grant's least favorite performances, his comedic talents shine, offsetting the rather low key peformances by the other members of the cast. The movie stays fairly close to the play, especially in dialogue. The major difference being that Mortimer and Elaine are married rather than just engaged. The movie starts off rather slow, but quickly picks up steam and doesn't lift up until the film's conclusion. Full of wit and vitality, this is the type of movie comedy that Hollywood rarely makes nowadays. Great viewing for anytime of the year, but it especially makes a nice treat around Halloween. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? See all customer reviews... Customers who bought videos directed by Frank Capra also bought videos by these directors: Howard Hawks George Cukor William Wyler Henry Koster Leo McCarey Explore similar directors Auctions and zShops sellers and our other stores recommend: Arsenic And Old Lace - Video starring Cary Grant - Cat#. PES51568 (Current bid: $12.99) Arsenic And Old Lace - Video starring Cary Grant - Cat#. PES51568 (Price: $11.99) So You'd Like To... Know my favorite movies & what's in my movie Libary #3 : by Luna , a movie lover know why these great classic movies aren't out on dvd yet? : by nicholls84 , film studies major take a peek at the Steven Film Institute (SFI) list. : by Steven Y. , dude who spends his days trying to achieve cinematic nirvana. Listmania! Cary Grant at His Best : A list by Brett Kratz , A Devouted Movie Critic Classics To Fill Your Saturday Night With Laughter!!! : A list by pinkflamingo85 , Laughing out loud! 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