1153 Arsenic and Old Lace

[FrauBlucher]

I've stated before that I find Arsenic and Old Lace so unfunny. The gags are childish. Even Cary Grant is a disappointment. What's interesting is Bob Hope was actually the first choice to play Mortimer. I find that that might somehow have worked better than Grants over the top performance. Bringing Up Baby is a little better but has its share of irritants. I do love the fast paced wittiness of His Girl Friday. The difference between Arsenic and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World for me is that IAMMMMW seemed be so intentionally preposterous. Like a lot of people getting together just to be madcap goofy but in the end still unfunny. Maybe Screwball comedies are not my thing

[hearthesilence]

I don't know if Hawks actually had this in mind, but I always though the comparisons that have been made between Bringing Up Baby and Shakespeare's great comedies have been pretty apt. It sounds corny to say it's "magically" constructed, but that's essentially the feeling I get from the story, and it's all the more effective for not being too obvious save for a few gleefully outrageous elements like the baby leopard. The way concurrently with nightfall the characters are drawn out of their comfort zones and upper crust surroundings until they're lost in the evening out in the woods is marvelous. And moments like Grant jumping up in the gown, forcing the camera to do the same, is absolutely wonderful. If it's not to one's taste, there's not much else to say, but there's absolutely no way I'd lump it in with Arsenic and Old Lace.