FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
tbarrd
To be best appreciated this enjoyable movie needs to be considered in view of the times in which it was made. In early 1944 the US was 2+ years into WWII with families torn apart and rationing everywhere making daily life everything from inconvenient to quite difficult. Movies made during this time have a certain recognizable tone to them --- the public wanted to escape from the world, as they wanted to do a decade earlier that resulted in so many of the box office successes of the depression-era movies, but now with the added patriotism and "we will win" message of the dramas. So here comes this goofy story from Columbia Pictures, made in early 1944 and released just a few days after D-Day 6/6, about a dancing caterpillar named Curly, whom, in a clever touch, the audience never sees. Cary Grant, then a major star, plays the part with real enthusiasm that almost always is believable. A good supporting cast, including the very underrated James Gleason, and the always adorable Janet Blair. Notable is Gabriel Heater's brief appearance. Heater was the Walter Cronkite of the day, a respected media voice famous for his "There's Good News Tonight" radio lead in. If Heater said it, then you could believe it. In the movie Heater is shown in one of his broadcasts assuring us that Curly is real, folks! Note how well he gives his performance --- like an experienced actor delivering his lines, not as a celebrity woodenly read lines off of cue cards. However, the scenes where world renown scientists 'test' Curly do not work. They're like something from a Three Stooges short. Maybe that was the point. Makes you wonder if it is just a coincidence that the 'worm' is named Curly. All in all, an enjoyable hour and a half with the expected happy ending.
grizzledgeezer
Would anyone object if I gave this stray puppy a few additional kicks?Norman Corwin was a celebrated radio playwright whose work leaned to extremes -- stories about social/political issues, and fantasy/science-fiction. "My Client Curly" (on which this film is based) obviously falls into the second group, and was co-written with Lucille Fletcher (Bernard Herrmann's wife at the time).I don't know what the radio play was like, but the movie adaptation likely crushed whatever wit or originality there was in Corwn's work. Virtually every plot turn is telegraphically predictable, and the sappy/saccharine ending leaves you wishing Cary Grant had crushed the caterpillar with his shoe -- after having set it on fire with lighter fluid -- as it was dancing. "Help me... Help me!"The one honest moment occurs when Grant slaps the boy when trying to seize the shoebox with the caterpillar. Grant's anger -- and following guilt -- are nicely underplayed.The script is shallow and tedious (the writers don't seem to have much of an idea about the /point/ of the story), as is the direction. "Once Upon a Time" is one of the longest and most-irritating 90-minute films I've ever seen.Woof-woof.
vincentlynch-moonoi
It's all very subjective, of course, when one tries to decide who is the "best American actor" (historically). But for me, it's always been a toss up between Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant, with the edge going to Cary Grant because he was equally comfortable with comedy and drama. But watching film, I've firmly decided that (at least for me) Cary Grant is the greatest American actor (historically).No, it's not because this is a great film. It isn't. It's mildly entertaining.But as I sat watching this film, all I could think was that there probably wasn't another actor who could play the main character and not turn the film into a farce.Think of it. A fantasy about a dancing caterpillar who eventually turns into a butterfly, after bringing a sense of loyalty to a little boy and a sense of hope to a jaded Broadway producer. A dancing caterpillar! And yet, Cary Grant pulled it off with panache! There a list of character actors here whom you'll recognize, including William Demarest. But here the prize goes to James Gleason. Janet Blair is the romantic lead...sort of. But the co-star is really Ted Donaldson -- the little boy.A gem of a film, very offbeat, heartwarming, and handled well so that it didn't become farce.
Nick Zegarac (movieman-200)
Cary Grant had the uncanny knack for making even the most hollow tripe seem like cinematic high art. Consider the irrefutably light-hearted "Once Upon A Time" in which Grant is Jerry Flynn - a has-been Broadway producer who discovers an orphan with a dancing caterpillar. Flynn's savvy for creating a media event, turns the caterpillar into an off Broadway sensation. But when Jerry decides to sell his investment to the highest bidder, he must choose between fame and fortune and the respect and genuine love that the orphan has developed for him. The genuine surprise in this film is not how irrepressibly charming Grant is, but how willingly he steps into the unbecoming role of the villain who eventually chooses goodness over celebrity – a subtle bit of advice that most stars of today would do well to heed. "Once Upon A Time" is not high art, but it remains an enjoyable movie hemmed in by a finely wrought performance.THE TRANSFER: Relatively clean for Columbia Tri-Star. The gray scale has been nicely balanced with solid blacks and nicely rendered contrast levels. There's a lot of age related artifacts for a picture that is inconsistent and not very smooth. However, once you've accepted these shortcomings, the film becomes reasonably enjoyable to view. Fine details are nicely rendered. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very well represented.EXTRAS: Nothing of merit.BOTTOM LINE: "Once Upon A Time" offers the chance to appreciate Cary Grant at his most subtly challenging and engagingly.
