Once Upon a Time (1944)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Alexander Hall

Writers:

Norman Corwin (story)
Irving Fineman (adaptation)

Release Date:

29 June 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

Smalltime crookster and showman Jerry Flynn is desperately searching for a new act to promote in order to save him from ruin...

Plot Keywords:

Caterpillar | Dancing Caterpillar | Beautiful Woman | Con Trick | Once Upon A Time In The Title

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Jerry Flynn
Janet Blair	...	Jeannie Thompson
James Gleason	...	McGillicuddy aka The Moke
Ted Donaldson	...	Arthur 'Pinky' Thompson
William Demarest	...	Brandt
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Shipyard worker (scenes deleted)
Kirk Alyn	...	Attendant (scenes deleted)
Lionel Braham	...	Weightlifter (scenes deleted)
George Bruggeman	...	Trapeze artist (scenes deleted)
Leonard Carey	...	English bobby (scenes deleted)
Lane Chandler	...	Doorman (scenes deleted)
Bill Chaney	...	Call boy (scenes deleted)
Charles Coleman	...	English bobby (scenes deleted)
Jeff Donnell	...	Girl from Brooklyn (scenes deleted)
George Eldredge	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Clyde Fillmore	...	FBI agent (scenes deleted)
Dick Gordon	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Harrison Greene	...	Businessman (scenes deleted)
Frank Hagney	...	Assistant cyclist (scenes deleted)
Eddie Hall	...	Bike rider (scenes deleted)
Esther Howard	...	Clerk (scenes deleted)
John Kelly	...	Truckman (scenes deleted)
Phyllis Kennedy	...	Telephone operator (scenes deleted)
Tom Kennedy	...	Truckman (scenes deleted)
Lawrence Lathrop	...	Call boy (scenes deleted)
Jing Lin	...	Chinese man (scenes deleted)
Norval Mitchell	...	Masseur (scenes deleted)
Walter Pietila	...	Trapeze artist (scenes deleted)
Cyril Ring	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Gaucho (scenes deleted)
Ray Teal	...	Shipyard worker (scenes deleted)
George Tyne	...	Jitterbug dancer (scenes deleted)
Charles Waldron	...	Preacher (scenes deleted)
Ruth Warren	...	Mother of Fatso (scenes deleted)
Robert Williams	...	Stage manager (scenes deleted)
Isabel Withers	...	Woman (scenes deleted)
William Yip	...	Chinese man (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

My Client Curly (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Movie Connections:

Version of Sametka (1967)

Soundtrack:

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

A dancing Caterpillar? --- Yeah, Right!

First, let me tell you that I haven't seen this movie for over 30 years (but remember it well). I checked the TV listings (and online services) for years waiting for it. It must not be shown often in my area. I had described the movie to friends trying to confirm the story, the title, or at the very least someone else who remembered it. No luck...

Cary Grant, as a promoter(?), who partners with a kid who owns a caterpillar that dances, but dances only to the tune of 'Yes sir, that's my baby', and charms the country. Sounds pretty incredible, doesn't it? Most people would nod at me and back away slowly, so as not to excite me, mutter-ing something about LSD trip's of the 60's and flashbacks. Seems no one heard on anything remotely like what I was describing.

But, luckily, being resourceful and having access to the IMDb, I was able to find the title and plot summary. I also was able to procure a copy of my own from a Cary Grant fan I met online. My daughter and I watched it repeatedly. It's a wonderful story for grown-ups, and a fairy tale for kids. My daughter found more laughs than I did ( I think I grew up in the meantime), but I was charmed and amused too. It was BETTER than I remembered. The redemption of Jerry Flynn (Grant) is a joy to watch.

If ever a movie was "ripe" for a re-make, this is it! My daughter's only complaint was not getting to actually see "Curly" dance. With today's state of the art effects, a believable dancing caterpillar should be child's play (and a marketing boon). A re-make would surely make "Curly" the most famous caterpillar in all of Hollywood......

PS-- I forgive Walt Disney (a brief appearance) for his complicity in the "Curly" incident......