Julie (1956)

Julie (1956) starring Doris Day, Louis Jordan, Barry Sullivan, Frank Lovejoy

Synopsis of Julie

In Julie, a disturbed and possessive husband confesses to his wife about a murder.  The murder of her first husband.  And he’ll stop at nothing, including murdering her, to keep her from leaving him.

Review of Julie

I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by Julie.  It’s a very riveting movie, with excellent performances by the entire cast.  Doris Day, who I tend to associates with musicals and comedy, does a wonderful performance.  As does Louis Jordan as the obsessive husband. He’s very creepy, very dangerous, and a very believable performance.

The only negative is the conclusion.  What’s become a cliche is the pilot being incapacitated and someone unqualified having to land the plane.  I don’t know if this is the first occurrence of this trope, but it might well be.  And, it has to be said that it’s well done.  Something also well-done is the doctor, doing what he can to keep the injured pilot conscious.  It looks and feels like a real doctor, and it’s very well-done.  Kudos as well to the pilot, trying to stay awake and help her land the plane.  Another good, believable, realistic performance.

Editorial review of Julie

Has beautiful Julie Benton married a murderer, an insanely jealous man who killed her first husband in hopes of marrying her? When Julie learns the answer is yes, she escapes him in a desperate attempt to forge a new life, taking a job as a stewardess. But her husband has no intention of letting Julie go…ever. Doris Day and Louis Jourdan star as pursued and pursuer in this non-stop, double-Oscar(r)-nominated thriller built around the kind of woman-in-peril plot that always jangles audiences’ nerves and is a specialty of writer/director Andrew L. Stone (Cry Terror!, The Last Voyage). As if a mad stalker isn’t enough, Julie tosses in a great Hollywood ending: our heroine piloting a jetliner to a San Francisco landing, the fate of passengers and crew in her hands.