Curley the Caterpillar

Grover Whalen wanted Curley to do an English country dance on the Magna Charta at the New York World's Fair. Lepidopterists marveled at Curley's maxillae. People began selling Curley balloons, spaghetti, dolls, toys, picture books. The D. A. R. and the American Legion sent Curley a silver-plated twig and a miniature American flag. When a cinema short on Curley was released, during a time of blizzards and rainstorms, Variety headlined: BLIZ AND DRIZ FAIL TO FIZZLE BIZ AS BUG WOWS B. 0. [box office] FROM N. Y. TO L. A. Walt Disney gave $100,000 for Curley. For Curley was a caterpillar, discovered by a boy named Stinky, which danced whenever it heard Yes, Sir, That's My Baby.

Listeners to CBS's Columbia Workshop program heard all this about Curley last month in a bit of fast-moving whimsey, full of good sound effects, called My Client Curley. Variety actually headlined: 'CURLEY THE CATERPILLAR' CLICKO. Norman Corwin, crack Workshop author-director, had adapted the play from a short story by a onetime CBS publicity writer, Lucille Fletcher, 28, Vassar graduate, Phi Beta Kappa and Daisy Chain girl. So pronounced was audience reaction that Curley was put on the air again last week. Cinema studios and children's book publishers are now angling for Curley. As a radio character, unfortunately, Curley is washed up. Denouement of the play, done with a full catch-in-the-throat, is the metamorphosis of the caterpillar into a butterfly.

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