Arsenic and Old Lace

It's hard, if not impossible, to remake a classic. Since its theatrical release in 1944 only one attempt has been made to remake Frank Capra's "Arsenic and Old Lace and the fact that it came in the form of a "made for TV" movie made it seem, at first glance, even greater sacrilege. The production is, nonetheless, first class. Bob Crane (Hogan's Heroes) just shines as the befuddled newlywed Mortimer Brewster, suddenly confronted with the fact that his gene pool was more like a fetid DNA swamp of psychotic chromosomes. Careful updating of the original play only served to make it perhaps more appealing to contemporary audiences without detracting from the perfection of its predecessor. Casting was beyond reproach. Who could possibly protest Lillian Gish and Helen Hayes as the sweet, dotty albeit homicidal aunts or Fred Gwynne as the ominous brother Jonathan. This version is seldom if ever shown but if you ever get a chance to see it, do. It is an updated interpretation of the original and every bit as good.

Luther Davis adapted (and misguidedly updated) Joseph Kesselring's play about two darling little old ladies in Brooklyn, sisters who commit a series of murders, visited by their now-grown nephew who is aghast at the comically grisly goings-on. Broadcast by ABC-TV, this galumphing special was filmed live before a studio audience (with awkwardly interjected pre-filmed exteriors), though the combination of Robert Scheerer's static direction and the manic performances cause even the (amplified) audience laughter to sound artificial. Helen Hayes and Lillian Gish play the murdering siblings (Hayes recreating her role from a previous television production from 1955); while the two seasoned stars have the comic timing to put this production over, they have been encouraged to play up this material to the proverbial rafters. Bob (Robert) Crane (then-hot from TV's "Hogan's Heroes") tries his best as their nephew, but the supporting players are lost at sea, including Sue Lyon (looking unsure), Bob Dishy, Fred Gwynne, Jack Gilford and David Wayne. Writer Davis brings the play into the 1960s in order to make the nephew a TV critic bemoaning all the violence on the tube, though nothing much else is done with the time change (and it plays havoc besides with some of the characterizations, Gwynne's and Gilford's in particular, which seem frozen in the 1940s). Hammy and unfunny in the extreme, this version of the chestnut is stricken with a fatal case of the cutes.

This is not the Frank Capra film and it makes no attempt to be. When I saw Arsenic on Broadway in the eighties, the near stellar cast was wasted by their director, who obviously told them to emulate the actors in the film. The lead, whose name I won't mention out of respect but whose initials are TR (you can look this up) was speaking in Cary Grant's voice and diction and running up and down stairs, like Cary did in the film. The two aunts, played by rather brilliant stage actresses who had made their permanent marks on TV, were made up to look, talk and act like the women in the film. The noted film and TV actor who played Jonathan Brewster was thirty years too old for the role but cast because he looked like Raymond Massey's depiction of the character. The iconic New York performer and acting teacher who played Dr. Einstein did his best Peter Lorre impression. Even though I saw the 1986 staging before I'd seen the 1944 film, the pretension of it still came through. But even through all of that, it was still the play, Arsenic and Old Lace and it couldn't help but be hilarious, unique and compelling.

For this TV version, that I didn't discover until fifty years after its creation, you have to forget all previous Arsenics and just focus on the most inspired bit of casting imaginable. Who better to portray Jonathan, a criminal whose face was reconstructed to look like a near monster, than Fred Gwynne. As much as Fred was said to be proud of his extensive stage work and didn't want to be forever associated with Herman Munster, he clearly saw the humor in this casting and even allowed for a couple of subtle Munster references. Bob Crane, who was known for playing reserved characters with an edge, was said to have had an actual life that was totally outrageous. Putting Bob in the lead, years before most people knew about his personal endeavors, was truly inspired. Helen Hayes and Lillian Gish as Aunt Helen and Aunt Martha: Nothing else needs to be said. Jack Gilford and David Wayne just had to show up for any project to enhance the personality and the humor in the respective pieces. Even in the most serious and somber dramas, Jack and David could open their mouths and make you laugh.

I'm not saying you should forget that you know the Arsenic and Old Lace story before you watch this one. If you're not familiar with the play and/or film, you won't appreciate the beyond brilliant casting in this version. Just don't watch it side by side with Frank Capra's 1944 film and compare them. If you look at this TV interpretation as a separate entity, your only choice will be to love it.

Saw this version of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' primarily for the cast, having liked much of the work of Helen Hayes, David Wayne, Fred Gwynne and particularly Lillian Gish. Also like the source material very much and have always gotten much enjoyment out of the 1941 film. Haven't seen the Boris Karloff version for a long time, but also remember that being much better than this version. And of course it is always interesting seeing an old live performance of any play (same with ballet and opera).

1969's 'Arsenic and Old Lace' could and should have been a lot better considering the cast and source material. It fares poorly as an adaptation and in comparison to the film, and also fails on its own. All the cast deserved better, with the performances being a very mixed bag (and even the few that came off well have been better), and the truncations, changes and rewrites that the play undergoes here works against the production significantly. There have been old filmed productions that have held up well and don't feel stagy, but this 'Arsenic and Old Lace' is not one of those productions.

There are certainly good things, with most of the rating going to a few of the performances. Gwynne seems to be enjoying himself thoroughly, does ominous chillingly and seems to know what the production was going for and how to approach the material. Same goes for splendidly dotty Hayes, and Billy DeWolfe is also a lot of fun. The best performance though goes to an amusingly befuddled Bob Crane.

Did like the costumes, which were elegant and not too fussy. The ending is quite well done.

Not much else is though. Love Gish as an actress, but she proves here that she worked better in drama than comedy and didn't find her dotty or sinister enough. Would have liked more chemistry between her Hayes, which came over as static. Jack Gilford is too sympathetic as well as overplays and Wayne come over as far too hammy and manic, actually felt embarrassed for Wayne who makes a ridiculous role incredibly annoying. Sue Lyon is bland and has nothing to do. The whole cast chemistry is too static and doesn't connect really enough, which gives a bland feel throughout.

Other than the costumes, the production looks cheap. Especially the poorly lit and pointless exteriors, while the sets are pretty cardboard-like. The camera work lacks focus and is too restricted and while it was interesting to hear the audience reactions they actually distracted and killed the momentum. The staging never comes to life properly and lacks wit and charm, even any menace doesn't come out enough and it is because everything comes over as too hammy.

The dialogue doesn't work as well, with a very bland and stilted feel and the rewrites jar, with the repeated Jonas Salk introducing being very repetitive and most are anachronistic. There is a lack of wit and there is nothing really that is funny. Updating the setting was also a mistake, adds nothing and makes some of the material feel very outdated, the play's setting is actually specific and as a result the Roosevelt jokes make no sense. With it being so truncated and changed, coherence was sometimes an issue.

Concluding, a waste of potential. 4/10.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: this version of Arsenic and Old Lace is a live televised play with an audience who laughs, claps, and coughs. If you're not in the mood for that, stick to the original. This version is also kept in modern time, meaning 1969. The clothes and hairstyles, not to mention dancing, are groovy.

In this quirky comedy, a man visits his two elderly aunts to introduce his fiancé, but he's appalled to find they've murdered a man and hidden him in their window seat. It's very obviously based off a play, because most of the jokes are ones that would only go over well with a theatre audience. I didn't like the original, and I liked this version even less, because at least the original cut out some of the wordy passages. However, if you like Lilian Gish and Helen Hayes, and want to see them as the doddering old biddies, you can try it. Don't expect to make it all the way through, though.