Julie ** (1956, Doris Day, Louis Jourdan, Barry Sullivan, Frank Lovejoy) – Classic Movie Review 10,161

The 1956 film noir crime drama Julie stars Doris Day, Louis Jourdan and Barry Sullivan. It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Screenplay and Best Song.

Writer-director Andrew L Stone’s 1956 black and white film noir crime drama Julie stars Doris Day, Louis Jourdan and Barry Sullivan. It was nominated for two Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song ‘Julie’ by Leith Stevens (music) and Tom Adair (lyrics).

Smooth but nuttily jealous pianist Lyle Benton (Jourdan) wants to kill his new sweet wife Julie (Day) – after he murdered her first husband – in this over-the-top suspense thriller. There are a few good jolts, and there is some suspense, but it is all very silly, artificial and ridiculous, largely wasting the likeable, feisty Day, who proved she could be so good in thrillers with Hitchcock’s 1956 The Man Who Knew Too Much and the 1960 Midnight Lace.

Surprisingly, Stone’s unconvincing original screenplay picked up an Oscar nomination to go with the one for the unmemorable Stevens-Adair title song, which Day sings over the main titles.

Frank Lovejoy, John Gallaudet, Jack Kruschen and Harlan Warde are entertaining as the detectives. Also in the cast are Mae Marsh, Jack Kelly, Ann Robinson, Hank Patterson, Aline Towne, Ed Hinton, Barney Phillips, Carleton Young, Eddie Marr, Pamela Duncan, Joel Marston, Edward Marsh and Frank Marlowe.

Mysteriously, the film is listed among The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made in THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE MOVIE GUIDE. Stone, on the other hand, only Oscar nominated once for Best Screenplay, was proud of the film and regarded it as a piece of his finest work.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,161

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