Once In A Lifetime

This satire of Hollywood during the early talkie days concerns three New York vaudevillians who travel west with the get-rich-quick scheme of opening a school of elocution. One of the group, Oakie, almost immediately insults a big shot producer, Ratoff, and because of this is considered to be some sort of genius and given a job as a movie supervisor. He then goes on to make a masterpiece out of a script that had been tossed away. Picture suffers from an overexaggeration of characters and comic details, resulting in some unsuitable slapstick. But Oakie has the energy to carry off his role well, with some topnotch back-up performances. Look for a bit part by Alan Lad...