Arsenic and Old Lace (film) that the deep theme of the play and film is the conflict in American history between the liberty to do anything (which the Brewsters demand), and America's bloody hidden past. The contemporary critical reviews were uniformly positive. "The New York Times" critic summed up the majority view, "As a whole, "Arsenic and Old Lace", the Warner picture which came to the Strand yesterday, is good macabre fun." "Variety" declared, "Capra's production, not elaborate, captures the color and spirit of the play, while the able writing team of Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein has turned in a very workable, tightly-compressed
Old Lace (comics) bee stings and posits that even one sting on her could end the both of them. At the moment of Gertrude's death, she transfers her psychic link with Old Lace to her boyfriend Chase. From this moment, Old Lace becomes loyal to Chase. Chase uses Old Lace much more aggressively then Gertrude did, ordering her to rip an enemy's throat out. However, Old Lace does not follow Chase's order quite as well as she followed those of Gert. Old Lace sometimes protests and Chase has to remind her that he is in charge of her now. Just as with Gertrude,