Amy Archer, the Inspiration for "Arsenic and Old Lace" Pa...

What this episode covers

Part Two of two: Amy Archer’s reign of terror inside a nursing home in the early 1900s was the basis for the play and later the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Amy took in boarders in a nursing home and systematically killed them over the course of about 6 years. It was owing to the attention and tenacious investigative reporting of a local reporter that she was eventually found out, but was she a cold-blooded killer, insane, or just a confused old lady? Show Notes Sources and resources: Wikipedia Amy Archer-Gilligan: Entrepreneurism Gone Wrong in Windsor, Windsor Historical Society, https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/amy-archer-gilligan-entrepreneurism-gone-wrong-in-windsor/ The Devil’s Rooming House by M. William Phelps, Lyons Press, 2010. The Hartford Courant, Newspapers.com Arsenic and Old Lace, Warner Brothers 1944, directed by Frank Capra This podcast uses sound from Freesound.org: minor-key-music-box by user darkwaryurmc (http://freesound.org/s/318908/) licensed under CCBYNC 4.0 All statements in this podcast represent the opinions of the host and her guests. Cover art photos: photo, public domain.

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How long is this episode of Poisoned History?

This episode is 47 minutes long.

When was this Poisoned History episode published?

This episode was published on February 1, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Part Two of two: Amy Archer’s reign of terror inside a nursing home in the early 1900s was the basis for the play and later the movie Arsenic and Old Lace. Amy took in boarders in a nursing home and systematically killed them over the course of...

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