In which 1939 play, later a film, do two old ladies poison guests in their home and bury them in the cellar?
"Arsenic and Old Lace (play) Arsenic and Old Lace is a play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring, written in 1939. It has become best known through the subsequent film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed by Frank Capra. The play was directed by Bretaigne Windust, and opened on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre on January 10, 1941. On September 25, 1943, the play moved to the Hudson Theatre. It closed there on June 17, 1944, having played 1,444 performances. Of the twelve plays written by Kesselring, ""Arsenic and Old Lace"" was the most successful, and, according to the opening night"
"Poison Pen (film) Poison Pen is a 1939 film directed by Paul L. Stein, starring Flora Robson, Reginald Tate and Ann Todd. It was based on the 1937 play by Richard Llewellyn. Written shortly before his famous novels ""How Green Was My Valley"" and ""None But the Lonely Heart"", Llewellyn's play - concerning an outbreak of anonymous poison-pen letters that destabilise a small rural community - was first presented at Richmond, near London, on 9 August 1937. A West End production, using a revised text, opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 9 April 1938, moving to the Playhouse in July"
"Theatre (demolished in the late 1960s), including Arthur Miller's autobiographical play ""After the Fall"" (1964). On July 17, 1955, Jones invited friends over to a party. However, during the party she spilled red paint on the carpet, so her secretary later brought professional cleaners to deal with it. They used carbon tetrachloride, a strong solvent commonly used in dry-cleaning processes at the time. Jones, satisfied with the cleaning, fell asleep into the night. Unfortunately, some carbon tetrachloride had been absorbed into the carpet and later evaporated, filling her home with toxic fumes. So she woke up dizzy; it was later"
"The Old Maid (1939 film) The Old Maid is a 1939 American drama film directed by Edmund Goulding. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1935 Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Zoë Akins, which was adapted from the 1924 Edith Wharton novella ""The Old Maid: the Fifties"" (taken from the collection of novellas ""Old New York""). Set during the American Civil War, the story focuses on Charlotte Lovell and her cousin Delia, whose wedding day is disrupted when her former fiance Clem Spender returns following a two-year absence. Delia proceeds to marry Jim Ralston, and"
"Inquest (1939 film) Inquest is a 1939 British crime film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Elizabeth Allan, Herbert Lomas, Hay Petrie and Barbara Everest. In the film, a young widow is accused of murder, and enlists the support of a King's Counsel to help prove her innocence. It was based on a play by Michael Barringer which had previously been adapted as a film in 1931. The film was a quota quickie made at Highbury Studios to be used as a supporting feature. TV Guide concluded, ""not bad as courtroom dramas go. This was the first attempt by the"
"Boulting brothers to give higher production values to programmer filmmaking."" Inquest (1939 film) Inquest is a 1939 British crime film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Elizabeth Allan, Herbert Lomas, Hay Petrie and Barbara Everest. In the film, a young widow is accused of murder, and enlists the support of a King's Counsel to help prove her innocence. It was based on a play by Michael Barringer which had previously been adapted as a film in 1931. The film was a quota quickie made at Highbury Studios to be used as a supporting feature. TV Guide concluded, ""not bad as"
"No Room at the Inn No Room at the Inn is a 1945 play by Joan Temple that became a 1948 film directed by Daniel Birt. Both play and film are presented in flashback mode and share the same subject matter – cruelty, neglect and mental and physical abuse meted out to evacuee children during World War II. Temple's attack on those who turn a blind eye to child abuse, be they public officials or private individuals, was considered frank and uncompromising in its time. As part of the mass evacuation of children in the early months of World War"
"Play (play) Play is a one-act play by Samuel Beckett. It was written between 1962 and 1963 and first produced in German as Spiel on 14 June 1963 at the Ulmer Theatre in Ulm-Donau, Germany, directed by Deryk Mendel, with Nancy Illig (W1), Sigfrid Pfeiffer (W2) and Gerhard Winter (M). The first performance in English was on 7 April 1964 at the Old Vic in London. The curtain rises on three identical grey funeral “urns”, about three feet tall by preference, arranged in a row facing the audience. They contain three stock characters. In the middle urn is a man"
"Chamber Music (play) Chamber Music is a 1962 one-act play by absurdist playwright Arthur Kopit. The story is set in 1938 and concerns eight famous women from different historical periods who all are interned in the same insane asylum. The women are — or at least believe they are — author Gertrude Stein, martyr Joan of Arc, activist Susan B. Anthony, politician Queen Isabella I of Spain, Constanze Mozart (wife of the famed composer), pilot Amelia Earhart, silent-film actress Pearl White, and explorer Osa Johnson. They have come together to represent the women of the asylum in planning for an"
"various hotels before dying in 1936 of a cerebral hemorrhage in a hotel room in Paris. Her ashes were buried at the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris. Her first plays (""The Young Lady"", ""Man's Will"" in 1900 and ""Mothers"" in 1901 ) have been described as focussing on the oppression women suffer in marriage and she often explored themes of interpersonal relationships and the battle of the sexes. Deadly love and female masochist tendencies have also been mentioned by reviewers. One newspaper review of her play ""Tiger Cats"" noted the London audience ""...consisting mainly of middle-aged, unmarried women cheered wildly"
"The Beast in the Cellar The Beast in the Cellar is a 1970 British horror film written and directed by James Kelley. The film was produced by Leander Films and Tigon British Film Productions. Soldiers in a rural military base are being brutally murdered. They suspect a wild cat. Two local ladies, Joyce Balentine (Flora Robson) and Ellie (Beryl Reid), suspect it may be their brother, Steven (Dafydd Havard), who has been locked in a basement for thirty years. The film was released in Canada on DVD by Maple Pictures on December 6, 2005. It was later released in the"
"Death and the Maiden (play) Death and the Maiden is a 1990 play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman. The world premiere was staged at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 9 July 1991, directed by Lindsay Posner. It had one reading and one workshop production prior to its world premiere. The time is the present and the place, a country that is probably Chile but could be any country that has given itself a democratic government just after a long period of dictatorship. Paulina Salas is a former political prisoner in an unnamed Latin American country who had been"
"A Dead Secret A Dead Secret is a 1957 play by Rodney Ackland. It is a murder drama set in 1911 London and is based on the Seddon murder trial. Insurance agent Frederick Dyson owns a house in London with his wife. Among the lodgers is a misery elderly woman, Miss Lummus, who hoards her money in the house. When she is murdered, Dyson is charged with the crime. A version aired 3 March 1959 as part of British television series ""ITV Play of the Week"". The adaptation was by John McKeller. This version is believed to be lost. A"
"The Heavenly Play The Heavenly Play () is a 1942 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. The young peasants Mats and Marit are about to marry when a disease breaks out in their village. Marit gets accused of being a witch and sentenced to death. After she has been burnt alive Mats leaves the village and seeks a way to make God sending Marit back from heaven onto earth. He fails and loses his personal integrity. Marlit has to ask God to intervene before the devil can take Mats. God shows mercy by reuniting Mats and Marit in heaven."
"The Heavenly Play The Heavenly Play () is a 1942 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. The young peasants Mats and Marit are about to marry when a disease breaks out in their village. Marit gets accused of being a witch and sentenced to death. After she has been burnt alive Mats leaves the village and seeks a way to make God sending Marit back from heaven onto earth. He fails and loses his personal integrity. Marlit has to ask God to intervene before the devil can take Mats. God shows mercy by reuniting Mats and Marit in heaven."
"The Rogues' Tavern The Rogues' Tavern is a 1936 American murder mystery film directed by Robert F. Hill and starring Wallace Ford, Barbara Pepper, and Joan Woodbury. It is a bleak and windy night when Jimmy Kelly (Wallace Ford) and Marjorie Burns (Barbara Pepper) check into the Red Rock Tavern with plans to marry as soon as possible. Everyone in the tavern is shocked when a wild dog breaks in through an open window, attacks and kills two of the guests. When they discover that the dog is not the real killer all of the guests begin to panic and"
"of domestic entertainment. A radio version aired 15 December 1963 on Melbourne Australia radio station LO. An Australian television version aired 1963 on ABC. A Dead Secret A Dead Secret is a 1957 play by Rodney Ackland. It is a murder drama set in 1911 London and is based on the Seddon murder trial. Insurance agent Frederick Dyson owns a house in London with his wife. Among the lodgers is a misery elderly woman, Miss Lummus, who hoards her money in the house. When she is murdered, Dyson is charged with the crime. A version aired 3 March 1959 as"
"Purgatory (drama) Purgatory is a drama by the Irish writer William Butler Yeats. It was first presented in at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 19 August 1938, a few months before Yeats' death. It tells a family saga of decline and fall through its two remaining members: an Old Man (the father) and a Boy (his sixteen-year-old son). It is set outside the former family home, which the Old Man's father had drunkenly burned down, leading him to kill his father as the building perished. The Boy is skeptical about tales of his family's former grandeur, and is repelled by"
"Philadelphia. Chamber Music (play) Chamber Music is a 1962 one-act play by absurdist playwright Arthur Kopit. The story is set in 1938 and concerns eight famous women from different historical periods who all are interned in the same insane asylum. The women are — or at least believe they are — author Gertrude Stein, martyr Joan of Arc, activist Susan B. Anthony, politician Queen Isabella I of Spain, Constanze Mozart (wife of the famed composer), pilot Amelia Earhart, silent-film actress Pearl White, and explorer Osa Johnson. They have come together to represent the women of the asylum in planning for"
"The Lady Gambles The Lady Gambles is a 1949 American film noir drama directed by Michael Gordon starring Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Stephen McNally. When his estranged wife Joan is found badly beaten after using loaded dice in a back-alley game, David Boothe looks back on how she came to this sorry state. A reporter from Chicago, he is on an assignment at Hoover Dam, so he and his wife stay at a hotel in Las Vegas. There the casino's owner, Corrigan, introduces her to gambling with a few chips on the house. Joan eventually loses $600 of David's"
"The House by the Lake The House by the Lake is a 1956 British stage thriller in three acts, by Hugh Mills. The main characters are Maurice and Stella, a brother and sister who plot to murder their unlikeable brother, Colin. The other characters include Maurice's wife, Janet, Colin's long-suffering wife, Iris, and Colonel Forbes, a neighbour. It premiered in London's West End, where it ran for two years, starring Flora Robson and Andrew Cruickshank; and has since became a staple of amateur dramatics. The play, directed by John Fernald, opened at the Duke of York's Theatre on 9th May"
"Spring Cleaning Spring Cleaning is a 1925 comedy play by the British writer Frederick Lonsdale. A man becomes convinced his wife is about to have an affair, and in order to shock her he hires a prostitute to come and live in their house. It premiered at St Martin's Theatre in the West End on 19 January 1925. In 1932 the play was adapted into a British film ""Women Who Play"" directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Mary Newcomb, Benita Hume and George Barraud. The film generally followed the play with ceirtain changes, largely due to censorship issues such as"
"on a concert tour, and Romaine abandons Pierre for a romantic tryst. When Marcel returns, Romaine reconsiders the affair, and realizes that she loves both Pierre and Marcel. She decides that she does not want to hurt either her husband or her lover, and as no other solution seems possible, she commits suicide. Three years later, Pierre visits Marcel to seek the truth, and Marcel tells him that no illicit affair occurred, thereby honoring her memory. Mélo Mélo is a 1929 play by Henri Bernstein which premiered in the US in 1931 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It was first"
"Foy being disguised as a woman on the team. Foy first kills his partner, then, because she knows too much, murders player Sue Collins by poisoning the laces of her catcher's mitt. Ann ends up hiding in Foy's closet, in danger of her life, then used as a hostage before Jimmy arrives to save her, just in time. Girls Can Play Girls Can Play is a 1937 American drama film, directed by Lambert Hillyer. It stars Julie Bishop, Charles Quigley, and Rita Hayworth. Softball player Ann Casey is tired of wearing athletic clothing and seeking something more glamorous, so she"
"in the Brewster sisters' living room, where the action of the play is set. The Goerz House is now the home of the college president. Bethel College was a school of the pacifist Mennonite church. The play appeared at a time of strong isolationist sentiment regarding European affairs. The ""murderous old lady"" plot line may also have been inspired by actual events that occurred in a house on Prospect St in Windsor, Connecticut, where a woman, Amy Archer-Gilligan, took in boarders, promising ""lifetime care"", and poisoned them for their pensions. M. William Phelps book ""The Devil's Rooming House"" tells the"
"Death Game Death Game (also known as The Seducers) is a 1977 American horror-thriller film directed by Peter S. Traynor and written by Anthony Overman and Michael Ronald Ross. The film stars Sondra Locke, Colleen Camp, and Seymour Cassel. ""Death Game"" tells the story of George Manning, a well-to-do San Francisco businessman, husband, and father who invites a pair of rain-soaked young women into his house to wait out an evening thunderstorm. The two girls seduce Manning and ultimately kidnap and torture him in his own home. Traynor, a former California real-estate financier, entered a career in filmmaking as a"
"be directed by Farrow, called ""Final Exams"". (This sequel was announced as early as April. However, no film resulted. Sorority House (film) Sorority House is a 1939 American drama film starring Anne Shirley and James Ellison. The film was directed by John Farrow and based upon the Mary Coyle Chase play named ""Chi House"". Alice Fisher is the daughter of Lew Fisher, a grocery store owner. She is surprised when he reveals he has college money for her. Alice goes to a boarding house and becomes friends with room mates Dotty Spencer and Merle Scott. Dotty suggests Alice join a"
"The Vineyard (film) The Vineyard is a 1989 American horror film written by James Marlowe and Douglas Kondo and directed by James Hong and William ""Bill"" Rice. It stars James Hong, Michael Wong, Sherri Ball and ""Playboy"" Playmate Karen Witter. Winemaker Dr. Elson Po fears that he is getting too old, so he uses the blood of his prisoners to make his world-famous wine. Asking his god for eternal life, he drinks his wine and becomes young again. A group of young actors come to his mansion over one week to audition for his purported ""wine-making film"". The seven guests"
"the prostitute being replaced by an actress. Spring Cleaning Spring Cleaning is a 1925 comedy play by the British writer Frederick Lonsdale. A man becomes convinced his wife is about to have an affair, and in order to shock her he hires a prostitute to come and live in their house. It premiered at St Martin's Theatre in the West End on 19 January 1925. In 1932 the play was adapted into a British film ""Women Who Play"" directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Mary Newcomb, Benita Hume and George Barraud. The film generally followed the play with ceirtain changes,"
"retired stockbroker (Peter Cushing) and his friend (Joss Ackland) become fixated with a macabre waxwork museum that appears to contain a model of a lady they both knew. Sweets to the Sweet (""Weird Tales"" Vol. 39 #10, March 1947) A private teacher (Nyree Dawn Porter) is perturbed by the cold and severe way a widower (Christopher Lee) treats his young daughter (Chloe Franks), even forbidding her to have a doll. The teacher feels like a helpless bystander, but his daughter is not everything that she seems. The Cloak (""Unknown"" May 1939) Temperamental horror film actor Paul Henderson (Jon Pertwee) moves"
"and Bernard Hepton playing characters based on Edith Thompson, Bywaters and Percy Thompson respectively. Annis received a nomination for British Academy Television Award for Best Actress. A play written in the 1930s by Frank Vosper, ""People Like Us"", was originally banned by the Lord Chamberlain and remained unperformed until 1948 when it premiered at the Wyndhams Theatre, London, in the West End. There are a number of references to Edith Thompson in the Agatha Christie novel ""Crooked House"" (1949) and ""Mrs McGinty's Dead"" (1952). In the 1981 second season of the British television series ""Lady Killers"", an episode called ""The"
"old shipping trunk with them). The Unwelcome Guest The Unwelcome Guest is a 1913 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Just before she dies, an elderly married woman stashes the horde of money she's secretly accumulated beneath the false bottom of an old shipping trunk. After her death, her husband, believing himself penniless, has to leave their old home and move in with his son's family, where he's treated with no respect or consideration. Also on the scene is a newly hired kindly young housekeeper (Mary Pickford); she and the old gentleman become close friends and eventually"
"Dangerous Medicine Dangerous Medicine is a 1938 British crime film, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Elizabeth Allan and Cyril Ritchard. It is now classed as a lost film. Secretary Victoria Ainswell (Allan) marries her wealthy elderly boss. Soon after the wedding he dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances, and the autopsy reveals that the police have a murderer on their hands. Everything points to Victoria as the only person with means, opportunity and motive, and as she can provide no sensible explanation as to who else could have killed her husband, she is arrested and put on trial for"