Once Upon a Time

Cary Grant got to extend his range in Once Upon A Time and at the same time make a family film that was guaranteed box office. Not a bad win-win situation for him.

The extension was having Grant play a not very nice show business producer who is now on his uppers. The theater he built in flush times is now threatened with foreclosure. But the answer just might be in the form of a young kid played by Ted Donaldson with a caterpillar which he keeps in a shoebox who actually gets up dances to the tune of Yes Sir That's My Baby.

This rhythmically endowed caterpillar is for real all right, if only Grant can get the marketing rights to him and make the public believe. After some tries that ended in flops he gets Art Baker who played real life radio news broadcaster Gabriel Heatter to see the caterpillar named Curly and give it the kind of radio plug the New York Sun gave to an editorial answer to Virginia's letter about Santa Claus.

But an offer from Walt Disney to add Curly to his Magic Kingdom now in formation is too good to pass up. But that would involve breaking young Donaldson's heart and also Grant would be running afoul of the young lad's sister, Janet Blair. Can Cary Grant be that big a heel?

Once Upon A Time is a charming fantasy that I'm surprised no one has thought of remaking except the Japanese who did a short subject animated version of this story in the Sixties. I can certainly Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes doing a version of this story, maybe having Justin Bieber play the kid. Instead of Walt Disney they could sell him to Steven Spielberg and a known internet blogger could break the story.

I want some screen credit if someone reads this review and sells the idea to Tom Cruise. Until then this is still a fine family film that holds up well even if people today have no idea who Gabriel Heatter was.

I caught this wonderful little film toady on TCM. Well, it does star Cary Grant with support from two of Hollywood's great character actor's William Demarest and James Gleason so it's not too little. Anyway, the whole plot revolves around a child who discovers a caterpillar that dances every time he plays "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" on his harmonica. The thing is that he keeps the 'pillar in a shoebox, and anytime anyone wants to see "Curly" the caterpillar dance, they have to hold the box up to an eye and peer in. And what they see is nothing short of amazing. A true life fairy tale. The viewer, however, NEVER sees Curly dance. No doubt this was due to the lack of "appropriate" special FX of the time, but I think it works so much better. Your imagination takes over and you can't help but see Curley dance! At least I could clearly "see" it. If it were remade today, they'd HAVE TO show you Curly dancing and probably speaking as well. Kids today would feel cheated and walk out of the theater in droves. And in today's world, there'd marketing of a cute character and millions of $$$ at stake. At least I THINK he was cute because that's what I saw in my imagination. The movie is even ahead of its time in respect to marketing because Walt Disney himself greedily pursues purchasing Curley to build a live action/animated feature around. Some things will never change. You'll love the obvious, but surprise ending. Yes, that's a contradiction, but just watch it for yourself. Great fantasy film and the kind they can't make anymore, because if they did, you'd probably be disappointed because Curly just wouldn't live up to your imagination.

This movie is a perfect example of the innocence of children and the rude awakening to reality we all experience. Rather fanciful plot is a wonderful metaphor for life and love. Very heartwarming with a brilliant ending.

A truly happy film produced in the middle of World War Two. The fantasy of the caterpillar which turns into a butterfly is well-worn, yet always popular. To a large degree, the war is ignored, yet due to the pervasive nature of long-term world conflict, some allusions to the conflict are noted. Especially pointed is the crew of the B-17 bomber who name their plane "Curly" after the caterpillar. They highlight the event with: "I've been in London, Chun King, and Malta and saw kids dodge bombs to try to save some mangey dog." Why not save a dancing caterpillar? The remarkable thing about this film is how many times one sees the caterpillar. Curly the caterpillar is a welcomed respite from the drudgery of prolonged war. Even with one hundred and fifteen credited actors, in this movie fantasy is the real star.

This was a wonderful radio play Norman Corwin wrote for CBS Radio in the 1940s. It starred Fred Allen, and because it was during the infamous Petrillo Musician's Union Strike, the background music was vocalized by a chorus. I was charmed by it then, but felt then (and now) that the imaginative quality of the radio play would be diminished in a film. I also felt Allen would be far better than Cary Grant in the lead role. But Allen would have sold far fewer tickets.