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Poster for Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace

Seen it?

1944 | 118 min | Comedy, Crime

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences rate it highly (7.6 out of 10) and it's still drawing plenty of interest. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for crime fans and anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Kind Hearts and Coronets or The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, start here.
The mood
Light and funny.
The pace
Breezy, at 1 hr 58 min.
What might put you off
Made in 1944: an older pace and style.

Mortimer Brewster, a newspaper drama critic, playwright, and author known for his diatribes against marriage, suddenly falls in love and gets married; but when he makes a quick trip home to tell his two maiden aunts, he finds out his aunts' hobby - killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar!

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    86% on Rotten Tomatoes

  • AudiencesStrong

    7.6 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Box office & staying powerSolid

    $5 million worldwide on a $1 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactStrong

    About 168K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Frank Capra

  • Cary GrantMortimer Brewster
  • Priscilla LaneElaine Harper Brewster
  • Josephine HullAunt Abby Brewster
  • Jean AdairAunt Martha Brewster
  • Raymond MasseyJonathan Brewster
  • John Alexander'Teddy Roosevelt' Brewster
  • Peter LorreDr. Einstein
  • Jack CarsonOfficer Patrick O'Hara
  • Edward Everett HortonMr. Witherspoon
  • James GleasonLt. Rooney