338: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

This week, we're finishing up our first Cary Grant series AND welcoming Spooky Movie Season at the same time with the 1944 comedy, Arsenic and Old Lace. Adapted from the hit Broadway play, Frank Capra's classic was originally slated for release in 1942, but the stage production was such a big hit that the film was delayed two extra years. Grant stars as Mortimer Brewer, a playwright and confirmed bachelor who surprises even himself by marrying Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), the girl next door. After their city hall nuptials, the pair run home to Brooklyn to announce their big news, but Mortimer is shocked and dismayed to discover his sweet, elderly maiden aunts Abby (Josephine Hull) and Martha (Jean Adair) are serial murderers with a dozen bodies buried in the basement. And hilarity ensues! Arsenic and Old Lace also stars Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, John Alexander, Grant Mitchell, Jack Carson, James Gleason, Gary Owen.