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     Once Upon a Time

1944  NR  COMEDY  1h 29min

CAST— Cary Grant, Janet Blair, James Gleeson, Ted Donaldson, Art Baker

MUSIC— Frederick Hollander  DIRECTOR— Alexander Hall

     Odd little dramady, morality-in-the-mix fable involving amoral businessmen and (of all things) a dancing caterpillar. Sounds kinda intriguing, right? Let’s just see if you can sit through it first. Cary Grant plays a theater owner on the verge of going under. On his way home he meets two young waifs who, in effect, say “you gotta see this!”. They shove a shoe box in his face and to his utter delight he sees a dancing caterpillar. The wheels begin to turn within the confines of his mind which leads to dollar signs in the eyes. He and the bug’s owner strike up a partnership of sorts; but Grant plays his side a bit shady, using the worm to reel in investors who may or may not be hooked on the idea of putting on a show centering on a wiggling bug. Eventually, tension mounts between Grant and the bug boy, and Grant has a change of heart… but for how long? Lacking any real comedy but full of sentiment and sap, making this less than memorable Cary Grant material.

OUR RATING— * ½