Arsenic and Old Lace
Clip | 1m 58sVideo has Closed Captions
Baseball on Halloween? Host Ryan Tucker has more!
Did you know that Archie Leach is Cary Grant's birth name? Host Ryan Tucker deep dives into some fun trivia surrounding his name, and learn about a true event that this film was inspired by.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is a local public television program presented by KSPS PBS
Arsenic and Old Lace
Clip | 1m 58sVideo has Closed Captions
Did you know that Archie Leach is Cary Grant's birth name? Host Ryan Tucker deep dives into some fun trivia surrounding his name, and learn about a true event that this film was inspired by.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Where to Watch SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
Hi internet.
It's a hilarious horror movie this week on Saturday Night Cinema with Arsenic and Old Lace.
Right out of the gate you might notice that it opens with the Brooklyn Dodgers winning a game on Halloween, and you might go, “Wait, baseball has been over for weeks if it's Halloween.” Well, this was a joke to imply that the only time the Dodgers could win is in the off season.
Now, the LA Dodgers are doing just fine these days.
Another thing to watch for is that in the cemetery you see a tombstone with the name Archie Leach.
Archie Leach is Cary Grant's birth name.
And speaking of Archie Leach, Jean Adair, who plays Martha Brewster, had 20 years earlier nursed a very ill vaudevillian performer named Archie Leach back to health.
And both Grant and Adair were very excited to work together after all that time.
This film is based off the stage play Arsenic and Old Lace, and the playwright Joseph Kesselring may have been inspired by a true event.
In 1917, a woman named Amy Archer Gilligan ran a nursing home at that time, and a seemingly healthy resident of the home sent a letter to his brother saying that Amy was pressuring him for more money.
Then he suddenly died after refusing.
The brother was suspicious and apparently other families had the same scenario happen to them.
All of these families pressured the local police to investigate, and when they did, they found 66 residents, including two of Amy's husbands, had all been poisoned with arsenic or strychnine purchased by Amy.
She was arrested, convicted and sent to prison for life.
Lastly, the director Frank Capra, who had primarily directed more serious dramas, has noted that he had the most fun making Arsenic and Old Lace, and I think it really shows.
I hope you have as much fun as I did watching this film on Saturday Night Cinema.
Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 58s | Baseball on Halloween? Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 58s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 6s | Host Cecelia Sutton takes a look at what inspired this historical fiction thriller. (2m 6s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 26s | Host Mikayla Daniels give a bit of background on To Have and Have Not. (4m 26s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m | Who did the Coen brother's wait ten years for to do this movie? Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 59s | The title of our feature gets lost in translation. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (59s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 30s | Why does this film remind us of The Karate Kid? Host Cecelia Sutton has more. (3m 30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 47s | Host Cecelia Sutton dives into the Hays Code and it's impact on minority groups. (3m 47s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 10s | Teenage angst abound! Host Ryan Tucker has the nitty gritty. (1m 10s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 11s | What role did Michael Keaton turn down to do Mr. Mom? Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 11s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 18s | This film took years before it was finally produced. Host Mikayla Daniels has the details. (3m 18s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 56s | Sometimes Vincente Minnelli had to share directing duties. Mikayla Daniels has more. (3m 56s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 13s | Singin' In The Rain is known for it's incredible dance numbers. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 13s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 27s | Host Cecelia Sutton details the events that led up to the arrest of Nelson Mandela. (3m 27s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 12s | Host Cecelia Sutton reveals the origins of parody and some famous examples. (3m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | Host Ryan Tucker reveals some of the trivia behind the 1950's version of Father of the Bride. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 42s | What the heck is a rigger?! Host Mikayla Daniels has the details. (3m 42s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 1s | Host Ryan Tucker goes for the deep cut and reveals a bit of trivia about Mickey Mouse. (3m 1s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 19s | Host Cecelia Sutton shares how Elizabeth Taylor bonded with the horse who played The Pie. (3m 19s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 46s | Francis Ford Coppola rewrote the entire script for this film. Mikayla Daniels has the details. (3m 46s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 5s | Mikayla Daniels sums up the controversy surrounding Aaron Sorkin and the casting of this film. (4m 5s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 58s | Do you know how many Oscars Ben-Hur won? Host Ryan Tucker has the details! (58s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 39s | Who was Dian Fossey and what was her impact on wildlife conservation? Mikayla Daniels has more. (3m 39s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 29s | Host Cecelia Sutton has the 'why' behind the 'Black Sox Scandal'. (3m 29s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 49s | What was the hardest part about playing Jesus? Host Ryan Tucker has the details! (49s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 59s | Which actor was considered to play Michael Collins before Neeson? Host Mikayla Daniels has more. (1m 59s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 20s | The on screen chemistry of Eugene Levy and Cathrine O'Hara is one of the many charms of this film. (3m 20s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 28s | We'll recap some of the bizarre antics of Dennis Hopper with host Ryan Tucker. (1m 28s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | Much Ado was up against some steep Oscar competition in 1994, Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 36s | Host Mikayla Daniels details some of the creative production techniques employed by this film. (4m 36s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 59s | Host Cecelia Sutton takes a look at the filmography of director, Regina King. (3m 59s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 31s | Host Cecelia Sutton reveals the many films who pay homage to The Great Escape. (3m 31s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 7m 37s | Host Mikayla Daniels deep dives into the laws protecting child actors. (7m 37s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 47s | Learn about the background of the director, W.S. Van Dyke. Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 47s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 28s | Extra, extra, read all about it! Host Mikayla Daniels talks The Thin Man on this weeks web extra. (3m 28s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 57s | Get your move and your groove on with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! (1m 57s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 9s | The cold dilapidated interiors of Mansfield Park represent more than home in need of a remodel. (3m 9s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 33s | How did Bing Crosby and Ingrid Berman prank a priest? Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 33s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 12s | Costuming can often be overlooked when reviewing a film. Mikayla Daniels has the details. (4m 12s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 51s | Ryan Tucker discusses unique parallels between our feature film and the real life actress. (51s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 30s | Sit back and learn about a meta moment with Mikayla Daniels. (2m 30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 21s | The crew gets annoyed very easily! Host Ryan Tucker has the details. (1m 21s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 15s | Balancing historical truth with what works on screen is an art in itself. Mikayla Daniels has more. (2m 15s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 8s | Writer and actor, Steve Coogan, went the extra mile for this film. Host Ryan Tucker has more! (1m 8s)
Invasion of The Body Snatchers
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 13s | Host Mikayla Daniels talks about the details of creating the Pod People effect. (4m 13s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 10s | Who did Patrick Swayze insist on being in this film with him? Host Ryan Tucker has more. (2m 10s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 43s | This film honors it's source material and pays attention to the small details. (4m 43s)
Clip | 1m 18s | The Hunt For Red October was filled with incredible practical effects! Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 18s)
Clip | 2m 39s | Which island nation was this movie filmed in? Host Mikayla Daniels has the scoop! (2m 39s)
Clip | 1m 45s | Let's nerd out... on movie distribution companies! Host Ryan Tucker has more. (1m 45s)
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Clip | 2m 56s | While the title of this film sound like a James Bond film, it is not. Host Mikayla Daniels has more. (2m 56s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
New Episode
New Episode- News and Public Affairs
Top journalists deliver compelling original analysis of the hour's headlines.
New Episode
New Episode
New Episode
New Episode
New Episode
Support for PBS provided by:
SATURDAY NIGHT CINEMA is a local public television program presented by KSPS PBS