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Why was the release of Frank Capra’s Arsenic and Old Lace delayed until 1944?
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Frank Capra
(From left) Unidentified, Gary Cooper, and Frank Capra on the set of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.
The release of Frank Capra’s film adaptation of Arsenic and Old Lace was delayed until 1944 due to a contractual stipulation. Although Capra completed filming in December 1941, the creators of the original Broadway stage hit had sold the film rights on the condition that the movie version could not be released until the Broadway production had finished its run.1