Claim: Arsenic and Old Lace took three years to make.

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 American dark comedy film directed by Frank Capra , starring Cary Grant , and based on Joseph Kesselring 's play Arsenic and Old Lace . The script adaptation was by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein . Capra actually filmed the movie in 1941 because of star Cary Grant 's availability , but it was not released until 1944 , after the original stage version had finished its run on Broadway . The lead role of Mortimer Brewster was originally intended for Bob Hope , but he could not be released from his contract with Paramount . Capra had also approached Jack Benny and Ronald Reagan before learning that Grant would accept the role . Boris Karloff played Jonathan Brewster , who `` looks like Karloff , '' on the Broadway stage , but he was unable to do the movie as well because he was still appearing in the play during filming , and Raymond Massey took his place . The film 's supporting cast also features Priscilla Lane , Jack Carson , Edward Everett Horton and Peter Lorre .   Josephine Hull and Jean Adair portray the Brewster sisters , Abby and Martha , respectively . Hull and Adair , as well as John Alexander -LRB- who played Teddy Brewster -RRB- , were reprising their roles from the 1941 stage production . Hull and Adair both received an eight-week leave of absence from the stage production that was still running , but Karloff did not as he was an investor in the stage production and its main draw . The entire film was shot within those eight weeks . The film cost just over $ 1.2 million of a $ 2 million budget to produce .