On stage, Boris Karloff played the monstrous Jonathan Brewster in “Arsenic and Old Lace”, Raymond Massey’s film character, who, in eerie-looking screen makeup, resembled Karloff, which was a running gag throughout the picture.
Karloff eagerly wanted to do the 1944 film, but he was kept under contract by the Broadway play producers and was not allowed to do the picture, to his immense displeasure.
He did, however, graciously allow Warner Bros. to use his name and likeness, an issue that the studio had considered a potentially-devastating legal obstacle had he not done so.
Massey’s makeup, which was the subject of much debate during the production, required two hours to apply and two hours to remove.
Director Frank Capra pushed his actors in the film to the broadest comedy takes, a fact that did not sit well with Cary Grant. As a result, his (and Jack Carson’s) performances were singled out by reviewers for going dangerously over the top, while Massey and the stage performers managed to look rather restrained by comparison.
Grant hated working this way, although in his more generous moments he credited Capra with helping him to get the comic effect he was unable to do on his own (it may have been his subtle way of blaming the director). (IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Raymond Massey!