Arsenic and Old Lace

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Timing: 1:58 (118 min)

7.643/10
893

7.792/10
6455

7.9/10
79000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 33

Actors and characters

Release date

1944-09-01

Country

United States

Production

Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre

Comedy, Crime

Budget

$1 120 175

Revenue

$0

Website

Director

Frank Capra

Actors

Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Raymond Massey, John Alexander, Peter Lorre, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton, James Gleason
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Frank Capra, Jack L. Warner

Operator

Sol Polito

Composer

Max Steiner

Artist

Audition

Editing

Daniel Mandell
All team (29)

• The film is based on Joseph Kesselring's play «Arsenic and Old Lace», written in 1939 and first performed in 1941.
• In 1941, director Frank Capra (1897-1991) was drafted into the army during the production of a film, but was granted a deferment until the end of January 1942 so he could finish editing.
• The film's script was based on real events – the story of Amy Duggan Archer-Gilligan (1873-1962), nicknamed "Sister," who owned a nursing home in Connecticut. Between 1907 and 1916, 60 deaths occurred in her nursing home, and one of the deceased was her second husband, Michael Gilligan. Amy poisoned her victims with arsenic and, occasionally, strychnine.
• The film is based on Joseph Kesselring's play "Arsenic and Old Lace," written in 1939 and first performed in 1941.
• The screenplay was based on the real-life events surrounding Amy Duggan Archer-Gilligan, nicknamed "Sister" (1873-1962), who owned a nursing home in Connecticut. Between 1907 and 1916, 60 deaths occurred at her nursing home, including that of her second husband, Michael Gilligan. Amy poisoned her victims with arsenic and occasionally strychnine.