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“Insanity runs in my family,” explains Cary Grant. “It practically gallops.” Grant stars in this madcap macabre comedy about two sweet old ladies who poison lonely old men with elderberry wine as an act of mercy. Grant is the confused nephew who has to juggle dead bodies, an uncle who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, a marriage announcement and visits from the police. Scene-stealing Peter Lorre stars as a plastic surgeon drafted to assist the old ladies’ equally murderous nephew. As a showcase for Grant’s elegant comedy, Arsenic adds up to lots of laughs and a bit of hokum. Shown in 35 mm.

(dir. F. Capra, 1944, USA, 118 mins., PG)

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