You Can't take it with you (released in 1938) - starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore and directed by Frank Capra

This movie was directed by Frank Capra who adapted it from the Pulitzer prize winning Broadway show by Kaufman and Hart. It stars the legendary James Stewart and Jean Arthur in the title roles. It also starred Lionel Barrymore, Edward Arnold and Spring Byington. Lionel Barrymore was suffering from arthritis and acts in crutches for the entire movie.
Tony Kirby is the heir of a vast business empire whose father Arnold.P.Kirby is a arms dealer and a real estate magnet. Kirby Sr has one ambition, which is build a big ammunition plant and is busy buying vast tracts of land to seal the deal. But one thorn in the flesh is Martin Vanderhoff who refuses to sell him homestead because it is filled with memories. Kirby offers him four times the money but Vanderhoff says no as family and memories are more important than money even during the great depression.
The Vanderhoff's are the most eccentric, screwball family with a devil may care attitude. They never care for money, success or have any ambition. Grandpa's daughter Penny aims to be a writer with little talent and has a small kitten as a paperweight.



Granddaughter Essie has fantasies of becoming a ballerina even as her, Russian teacher exclaims, 'She stinks!' -- and Essie's oafish husband Ed (Dub Taylor) plays the xylophone while wearing his old football jersey. There are other bohemian characters roaming around the house making up explosions along with a mad butler and a maid. To cap it up is Grandpa Vanderhoff who slides down the banisters and ends up breaking leg. Well that is to prove that he is a fun guy who values family fun. The one sweet normal girl is Alice Sycamore who works as a secretary in Tony Kirby's office.
Alice and Tony predictably fall for each other and plan to get hitched. But the perennial hitch of family sanction comes in the way. Anthony Kirby and his snobbish wife are alarmed at Tony's choice but try to humor him by agreeing to meet the girls family. Alice plans a grand dinner and her family agrees to behave. But a wrong date and the wrong meeting makes the introduction explosive as the blue blooded Kirby's are exposed to the bohemian chic of the Vanderhoff's'. Then all goes downhill and the engagement goes in flames.
But love does triumph in the movies changing the life of the Kirby's forever. Kirby's learn to have fun and Vanderhoff triumph as a paragon of virtue. The whole cliché ending of “money can never buy love” happens and everybody lives happily ever after by being poor. This movie had seven academy award nomination wining two -the best picture and the best director trophy. This was the second Oscar for Frank Capra in five years. The box office success was also phenomenal and is treated as one of the nicest romantic comedies. Well if you like romance and enjoy poor vs rich dramas, this one is for you.

The Last Horizon (released in 1937) - starring Ronald Colman and Jane Wyatt, and directed by Frank Capra

This 1937 movie directed by Frank Capra is adapted from the novel of the same name by James Hilton. This fantasy movie starred Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt.
Richard Conway is a man of many talents and is the new British Foreign Secretary. He is a famous Writer, Soldier and highly sought after diplomat. As an armed revolution threatens China he rescues the stranded foreigners in Baskul and escapes with the last of the evacuees. But unknown to him their plane is hijacked and crashes in a remote Himalayan kingdom killing their abductor. They are rescued and taken to Shangri-La, an idyllic valley sheltered from the bitter cold which is headed by a mysterious head Lama.
Here the passengers find their idyllic life very much to their liking. Most of the newcomers grow to love Shangri-La, including paleontologist Alexander Lovett, swindler Henry Barnard, and bitter, terminally ill Gloria Stone, who miraculously seems to be recovering. Richard finds the lovely Sondra whose allure and beauty mesmerizes him. But his younger brother George and another young woman Maria from Shangri-La are bent upon leaving the place. They constantly try to persuade Richard to leave the place.



Richard gets an audience with the Lama, who tells him that his presence in Shangri-La is no accident. His talent and wisdom had impressed them to choose him to be the leader of Shangri-La. The Lama informs him that Shangri-La is a mystical place where people do not age, fall sick or wither with age. He designates Richard as his heir and passes away.
George, depicts the story as mere fantasy and persuades Richard to leave the place. They move on with Maria who upon leaving Shangri-La reaches her real age and dies. George looses his sanity and commits suicide. Richard continues his journey and slowly looses his memory. But on the voyage back to England he remembers all and jumps from the ship rendering him untraceable. He anyway gives an account of his adventures to others traveling with him. Then he makes him way to Shangri-La to continue his task entrusted to him by the Lama.
The movie has major deviations from the book and this has been a sore point with the audience who wanted a faithful adaptation. This movie was one of the expensive movies made in the 30's which drove a rift between the studio and the director. It was not received well and never recovered its money for a long time, meeting costs after 5 years. After it was re-shot and edited it was released to garner some box office success. The critical reception was a mixed one with some critics praising it and others rubbishing the work. It was nominated for 7 academy awards wining the award for Best Art Direction, and Best Film Editing. It lost the award for the best Picture narrowly to the ultimate winner “The life of Emile Zola”. But the movie pioneered high technological advances which were used to film the Himalayan Scenes. A watchable movie if you are interested in the sci-fi Genre.

Arsenic and Old Lace (Released in 1944) - Starring Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, and Raymond Massey

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 film directed by Frank Capra based on Joseph Kesselring's play of the same name. It stars Cary Grant along with Josephine Hull, Jean Adir, Raymond Massey and John Alexander.
Cary Grant is Mortimer Brewster who does not believe in love stories and the institution of marriage and has written several books against it. But his views are put to the test when he falls head over heels for his childhood friend Elaine Harper and they get married on Halloween day. So Mortimer and his new bride go visiting relations after their wedding. Mortimer's bizarre relatives live in their family house and consist of his aunts, Ada and Martha and his brother Teddy. Well one hitch is that both Ada and Martha are very eccentric with Teddy crowning the madness streak. Teddy believes himselves to be Teddy Roosevelt and charges at all occasions over the banisters, imitating Roosevelt's famous charge up San Juan Hill.
Sinister and devilish plots and corpses tumble out of his Aunts closets. Both Ada and Martha inform him about their charity of bumping off invalid old members to end their presumed suffering by giving them elderberry wine spiked with arsenic. These corpses are unwittingly buried by Teddy who believes that he is digging locks for the Panama Canal and burying yellow fever victims.



To complicate matters further, Mortimer's more sinister brother Jonathan arrives along with his plastic surgeon friend Dr. Herman Einstein. Jonathan is a psychotic murderer who has his face altered by Dr. Einstein to look like Boris Karloff in his makeup as Frankenstein's monster. Jonathan finds about his aunts secrets and try to bury his latest victim Mr. Spenalzo in the basement. This is vehemently opposed by his aunts who think their victims prestige will be lowered being buried with a lowly Spenalzo. Soon all the crazed deranged relatives turn their attention to Mortimer.
A mortally afraid and mortified Mortimer tries to keep one step ahead of them. He tries to protect Elaine and makes various bumbling attempts to alert the cops and get his aunts and Teddy to an asylum. He is also scared of going insane as his relatives as insanity is galloping through the Brewster's from the days of their arrival aboard the Mayflower.
In the end, he manages to get his relatives booked and locked up. The ultimate redemption comes when he is informed by Ada, that he is not a Brewster, but the son of a chef aboard the ship. A relieved Mortimer walks in to the sunset with Elaine, happy to be a sea cooks son.
This movie is a spoof of the Black widow murders and was well received at the box office. This movie was also the critics favorite and is treated as one of the great 100 laugh riots by the American Film Institute. This macabre movie is a great fun to watch and I would recommend it highly for anybody. Just keep it away from children below eight.