The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack

The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack

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The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
Arsenic and Old Lace: 80 Years On

Arsenic and Old Lace: 80 Years On

Celebrating Frank Capra's cosy screwball black comedy about serial killers, insanity, and murder

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Simon Dillon
Dec 24, 2024
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The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
The Dillon Empire: Simon Dillon on Substack
Arsenic and Old Lace: 80 Years On
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Credit: Warner Brothers

At this time of year, Frank Capra’s most famous film, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), is rightly celebrated. However, I have a tradition of viewing another of Capra’s masterpieces during the Christmas season: His darkly hilarious 1944 screwball comedy Arsenic and Old Lace, currently celebrating its 80th anniversary. Although this is set during Halloween, because I typically watch it around December, I never think of it as a Halloween film, despite the macabre subject matter.

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