Once Upon a Time (1944)

Review by All Movie Guide
It's fairly clear what Columbia Pictures and director Alexander Hall had in mind when they made Once Upon a Time -- Hall, who had previously given us Here Comes Mr. Jordan, was hoping for lightning to strike twice with this whimsical tale, inthe hope of reaching audiences looking for 90 minutes' escape from the third full year of war. Luckily, he and Cary Grant were on the same page. During the 1940's, Grant had decided it was time to prove himself as more than a popular screen personality -- he wanted to show off his acting ability and chose a series difficult roles, in movies such as None But the Lonely Heart, Penny Serenade, and Once Upon a Time. The latter was, in its time, perhaps his most challenging role, as he had to walk a fine line, portraying a man torn by his conflicting practical and whimsical sides, his opposed larcenous and his well-meaning natures, and his cynical and idealistic sides -- all while convincing audiences that there was, indeed, a dancing catterpillar in the box, and that he could actually cheat the little boy to whom it belonged, and still turn out to be a good man at the end. Hall and the writers, who included Lucille Fletcher (of Sorry, Wrong Number and Hitchhiker fame), managed to touch some important bases along the way -- perhaps the best scene in the movie, and the one that plays the truest today, is the montage depicting the public debate over whether Grant's Broadway producer or the scientific community should possess the catterpillar -- Once Upon a Time may have offered escapism, but the scene in which the pilots (one played by a young Lloyd Bridges) tell of kids dodging bombs in Chunking was a reminder of when and where this movie was made. Janet Blair is a bit too much of a scold to take seriously for most of the movie, but then, it's difficult to tell just how seriously -- beyond those scenes mentioned, and the rather mawkish ending -- the movie was meant to be taken. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide