She Passed Out On Cary! No Wonder . . . She's just discovered his favorite aunts have poisoned their 13th gentleman friend!
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!
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Comic, relentless, resolved and classical in form.
- gravecomic
- contemplativerelentless
- resolvedopen-ended
- classical in formformally daring
- intimateepic
Who loves it, who doesn't
29 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters; disliked most by The Comfort Seekers.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is Cary Grant the best thing in Arsenic and Old Lace?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is this Frank Capra's best work?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Does the smallness hold it back?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Curator Co.'s numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Jul 20199/10
Frenetic roller-coaster ride - Capra style! The Broadway show this film is based on ran for something like four years, such was the yearning for riotous rompathons in the 40s, and thus here the Capra adaptation is pretty much non stop mania. Led by the perfectly cast Cary Grant, the film barely pauses for breath, stopping only briefly to put a bit of creepy menace into the otherwise insane plot. Oh yes the plot, the elderly Brewster sisters are the dear hearts of the neighbourhood, but what folk don't realise is that they are poisoning elderly male visitors to their home to save them from being lonely! This sets us up for romps as nephew Mortimer (Grant) lurches from one incredulous scene to another upon finding out about his dear Aunt's penchant for murder. Peter Lorre & Raymond Massey add to the madness upon visiting the house, whilst John Alexander almost steals the film as the barmy uncle who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt! But it's Grant's show all the way, rarely will you see an actor express so many faces of incredulity with such mirthful results as what Grant gives us here. A joyous performance from the great man. Directed with all the sharpness and knowing of tones we exp
Read the whole review on TMDB - barrymoston TMDB · Jan 202010/10
There are thirteen bodies in the cellar! Oh, piffle. Drama critic Mortimer Brewster has just gotten married. But his newfound wedded bliss is interrupted by the disturbing discovery that his sweet old spinster aunts have been murdering lonely old men with their homemade elderberry wine, and burying the bodies in the cellar. This demented screwball comedy was the film that introduced me to Cary Grant. The utterly black comedic treatment never gets old, and the laughs never let up. Every time he gets another surprise, Grant puts on a slightly different flustered expression. Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey, as the villains of the piece, are very amusingly sinister, and the spinster aunts Brewster are utterly charming, in spite of their, uh, somewhat morbid hobby. It's a hilariously insane romp from the brilliant director of some of America's greatest films, Frank Capra. Do yourself a favor and watch it already! Prepare to laugh nonstop. As Mortimer Brewster says, "Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops!"
Read the whole review on TMDB - Filipe Manuel Netoon TMDB · Dec 202310/10
**An extraordinary comedy that stands out for its unpretentiousness.** I didn't have high expectations when I decided to watch this film, and I think this increased the impact it ended up having even more: based on a successful play, the film is an extraordinary comedy full of bizarreness and mischief, without a single dead moment and full of twists and turns that make us laugh and amuse us. The script begins with the sudden marriage of Mortimer Brewster, a famous theater critic known for being a bachelor. When preparing his bags for his honeymoon trip, the young man discovers that the two elderly aunts he has been living with are two remorseless killers, who believe they are doing enormous good by speeding up the deaths of lonely men. and sad people who will knock on their door to rent a room and sleep. Furthermore, their brother, who lives in that house, firmly believes that he is President Theodore Roosevelt and is digging the Panama Canal in the basement. And as if the madness wasn't enough, Mortimer has a crazy, murderous brother. The dialogues and situations are memorable, and the humor is contagious. I can understand why Cary Grant didn't like the work he did in this film: h
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- 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
Crew
- Frank CapraDirector
- Julius J. EpsteinScreenplay
- Philip G. EpsteinScreenplay
- Sol PolitoDirector of Photography
- Max SteinerOriginal Music Composer
- Leo F. ForbsteinOriginal Music Composer
- Daniel MandellEditor
- Jack L. WarnerProducer
- Frank CapraProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
The Palm Beach Story 194278% alikeBoth comic, relentless, classical in form.
Blithe Spirit 194574% alikeBoth comic, intimate, relentless.
Bringing Up Baby 193873% alikeBoth comic, relentless, resolved.
The Front Page 197472% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, relentless.
It Happened One Night 193472% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, resolved.
Flirting with Disaster 199671% alikeBoth comic, relentless, classical in form.
My Man Godfrey 193671% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, relentless.
Switching Channels 198870% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, relentless.
101 Dalmatians: The Series 199763% alikeSeries · Both resolved, comic, relentless.
You Don't Know Jack 199959% alikeGame · Both comic, relentless, plot-driven.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
