by Stone(1956/MGM) VHS
Rave Reviews
“From the opening strains of its Oscar-nominated title tune to the finale … Julie hits and sustains a pitch of all-out nuttiness.”
—Edward Margulies and Stephen Rebello, Bad Movies We Love
“It’s seven parts melodrama and three parts Perils of Pauline… colorful, lurid, and overwrought.” —Motion Picture Herald
“The melodramatics are absurd, none more so than the final sequence in which Doris flies a pilotless airliner to a safe landing… with her eyes shut!” —Jesse Zunser, Cue magazine
Plot, What Plot? Cross-eyed Karen Black in Airport 1975 wasn’t the first movie stewardess to land a jumbo jet via headphones—that distinction belongs to Doris Day in one of the most purply titles in the pretty-girl-in-peril genre, Julie. Inexplicably Oscar-nominated as Best “Original” Screenplay for Andrew L. Stone’s shrill, tone-deaf, and utterly unoriginal work, Julie is the story of a woman terrorized by a seventy-two-inch “pianist.” Louis Jourdan, dark-eyed and demi-unintelligible as Day’s pathologically jealous soon-to-be-ex-husband, relentlessly stalks Miss Happy-Go-Sunshine throughout the film, at one point terrifying her by playing an audiotape of one of his piano concerts—enough to frighten any fan out of their wits!
Unaware that loony Louis murdered her first husband, Doris begins to suspect something must be amiss when Jourdan slams her foot down on the gas pedal of their convertible and very nearly forces them to reenact Princess Grace’s final moments. But it’s not until he flat out tells her, “You can’t get away from me—you’re going to die, Julie,” that Day realizes she’s made a poor choice of spouse. And an even worse choice in footwear: When she decides to flee their cliffside home in Carmel, Doris does so in high heels, lugging a suitcase full of designer gowns.
Even more incoherently hysterical than she was in Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, Doris seeks solace from friendly cop Frank Lovejoy, who basically tells her that until Jourdan actually strikes, there’s little the police can do. Trying to get her mind off her personal problems, Day naturally goes back to work as a stewardess … only to discover that one of the passengers on her flight is Mr. Piano Man himself. Gunplay ensues, the entire crew except Our Plucky Star is killed or wounded … and it’s up to Calamity Jane to land the plane, as instructed via headset by the San Francisco control tower. To help keep this perky but inexperienced pilot from panicking, the control tower offers her helpful hints like, “Don’t let that meter get under 120—you’ll crash if you do!” Tears streaming down her face, and with both eyes shut (!), Doris manages the incredible feat of bringing in what’s left of the passengers and crew safely. Which just goes to show you: If you’re going to pick on someone, for goodness sakes, don’t pick on the Girl Next Door!
Dippy Dialogue
Julie’s roommate (Aline Towne): “Let’s face it, honey, you’ve been jittery as all get-out ever since we landed … What gives?!?!”
Fun Footnote
Among film flub aficionados, Julie is notorious for how many times the boom mike, or its shadow, appears in frame. See how many times you can spot them.