Though he was a widower with sons, his will left his entire estate to Amy. By the time her second husband died in February , people in town and boarders a the Archer Home had already began to notice that the death rate there was suspiciously high. That month, a year-old boarder named Franklin Andrews died. Reporters at the Courant began to investigate the Archer House deaths. Carlan Goslee, who wrote obituaries for residents of Windsor, had already noticed the frequent deaths at Archer House, and had previously discovered from a Windsor drug store that Amy had purchased arsenic multiple times, supposedly to kill rats and bedbugs.
They also compared the rates of death at the boarding house with those of other elder care homes, noting that the rate of death at the Archer House was much higher. In May , police arrested Amy Archer-Gilligan. Such a weird play!
Aug 23, plainzt rated it really liked it. One of the craziest and funniest plays I've ever read. Oct 29, Julie Stafford rated it it was amazing. If I ever get a chance to preform this play, I want to be Aunt Abby. Oct 24, Realini rated it really liked it. Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring A family of lunatics goes on a rampage killing 24 people between them.
And they call it a comedy. Actually, rated among the best ever… A horror comedy might be a way to describe this crime story with plenty of laughs. A family of lunatics goes on a rampage killing 24 people between them. How can you turn this into a comedy? I have known the movie and this morning I have heard the play that is based on. It seems a bit farfetched and it made me think of the absurd theater of Eugen Ionesco- we do not have rhinoceros roaming the streets, but there are a couple of old aunts that kill twelve men, a mental case that thinks he is president Teddy Roosevelt and another cuckoo who has killed a dozen people in his turn.
They meet lonely men and offer them an escape from this wretched life of solitude with…Arsenic. There is a romantic side to the comedy and Elaine Harper adds spice to the plot by stumbling upon Jonathan, the lunatic brother who comes home with another dead body to add to the twelve already lying around the house.
Mortimer is trying his best to protect Elaine from all the madness and killing that is going around, but he is only making things worse for their relationship by asking his loved one to leave the house. Is all right maybe once, but he has to send his would be wife packing a few times, as the crazies in his family are busy doing what they know best: mischief. Overwhelmed, Mortimer gives up on his marriage plans: - I have only crazy people in my family, we must not marry Or something along those lines.
The plot thickens when Jonathan shows up with doctor…Einstein. But no, this is one is different- he does not want to pass for the famous Albert.
However, crazy he is. He performs operations on Jonathan, who keeps changing appearance after each, or the most serious of his crimes. They even reach the funny? But the police come in, alas, only to add to the confusion and hilarity.
The local policeman is a…part time writer: - My job as a policeman is only temporary - Really? How long have you been doing it? But then the main intention is comedy, even if at times I wondered- should I laugh or be horrified. There are moments when I smiled no matter how morbid the talk was…like when the old ladies refused to have a dead stranger in with their own beloved twelve victims.
When the local head of the police finds out about the story of the dead people in the cellar, he dismisses it as another fable, cooked up by these people who claim they are presidents or the like. It is an entertaining read or audition. I heard it in the form of a play, for the BBC- I guess. Sep 27, Xmusicsnobx rated it liked it. A charming and tasteful little play. Unfortunately, the plot gets stretched out too thin. Not enough content to last as long as it does.
By the end, its lost a lot of its original gusto. But besides that, it's pretty entertaining and sometimes funny. Oct 13, Tortla rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: awesome people.
Shelves: classics , everybody-should-own , wishlist , giggles , plays-and-drama. This is a play. An awesome play. I have no idea when I read this, but I remember it's still good readin' even though it's supposed to be acted out.
I shan't destroy the awesome plot for you, but even if I did you'd still be able to experience the awesome. And I think I've seen parts of the movie I'm not sure though. Jun 26, Chrisanne rated it really liked it Shelves: humor. I read this because I heard that there were several humorous points that were left out of the filmed version. I really think that this play should be done more frequently. And a new filmed version would be quite welcome by myself, at least. Jul 09, Kaethe rated it it was amazing Shelves: format-script , humor.
Sometimes comedy is a mystery. If someone pitched you the idea of a couple of sweet little old ladies who are serial killers, and their brother who is psychotic in a mild way, you're not likely to go for it.
And yet the play works. I'm not sure it can ever fail. Go figure. Nov 10, Kelly rated it it was amazing Shelves: school-reads. The events in this play are hilarious and appalling at the same time. If you've never thought two old ladies were capable of murder, then apparently you've never experienced this play.
Kick back with a cup of coffee or tea, never the wine, and enjoy. Big fun. Feb 05, Catherine DiCristofaro rated it it was amazing Shelves: humor , mystery , One of my favorite plays of all time - funny, just a little creepy and still fun even many years after it was written.
She is hard at work on book 3 in the series. She is also the author of two non-fiction books. Her short stories appear in many horror and crime anthologies. Kristen is a former linguistics teacher. I did not know this. Puts a whole new view on the play. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Comments Andrez Bergen June 22, at pm. This is great — I had no idea! Kristen Howell June 23, at pm. Frank Capra. More like this.
Watch options. Storyline Edit. Mortimer Brewster is a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage. We watch him being married at city hall in the opening scene. Now all that is required is a quick trip home to tell Mortimer's two maiden aunts. While trying to break the news, he finds out his aunts' hobby; killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar.
It gets worse. She Passed Out On Cary! No Wonder. She's just discovered his favorite aunts have poisoned their 13th gentleman friend! Not Rated. Did you know Edit. Trivia Cary Grant : [name] Grant's birth name Archie Leach appears on a tombstone in the cemetery near the Brewster's house. In Grant's earlier picture His Girl Friday , his character Walter responded to a threat by saying "listen, the last man that said that to me was Archie Leach just a week before he cut his throat.
Leach was apparently interred in the Brooklyn cemetery by the Brewster's home. Goofs The movie opens with the Brooklyn Dodgers winning a baseball game on Halloween, weeks after the end of baseball season.
This is a gag to suggest that the only time the Brooklyn Dodgers could win is on Halloween, similar to saying when pigs fly. Quotes Mortimer Brewster : Look I probably should have told you this before but you see Crazy credits This is a Hallowe'en tale of Brooklyn, where anything can happen -- and it usually does. Alternate versions Also available in a computer colorized version.
Breedlove Arranged by Max Steiner [quoted in score].
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