This was one of the oldest posters I had until I sold it last year: an original 1948 first release Belgian poster for Frank Capra’s classic black comedy Arsenic And Old Lace. 

This 1944 movie was based on a very successful Broadway play, and features everyone’s favourite leading man, the one and only Cary Grant. (In a part originally intended for Bob Hope). The plot shows that even the nicest people can have the darkest secrets, notably two elderly spinsters, who cheerfully admit to being serial poisoners of lonely old bachelors (hence the ‘arsenic’ of the title).

Grant was no stranger to slapstick at the time, having appeared in Bringing Up Baby amongst others. But he was apparently not at all happy at being asked to mug for the camera by director Capra. He subsequently considered Arsenic and his own performance in it to be the least favourite of his films.

The film nonetheless was a big success at the time and is often rated as one of the greatest screwball comedies of all time.