Julia Misbehaves | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jack Conway |
Screenplay by | |
Adaptation by | |
Based on | The Nutmeg Tree by Margery Sharp |
Produced by | Everett Riskin |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
Edited by | John D. Dunning |
Music by | Adolph Deutsch |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,706,000 [1] |
Box office | $4,497,000 [1] |
Julia Misbehaves is a 1948 American romantic comedy film [2] [3] starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon as a married couple who are separated by the man's snobbish family. They meet again many years later, when the daughter whom the man has raised, played by Elizabeth Taylor, invites her mother to her wedding. The film also features Peter Lawford and Cesar Romero.
This adaptation of Margery Sharp's 1937 novel The Nutmeg Tree , which was also the basis of the 1940 Broadway play Lady in Waiting, [4] was director Jack Conway's final film.
In 1936 London, mature showgirl Julia Packett leads a precarious life. She pretends to be contemplating suicide in order to finagle some money out of a male friend in order to pay her bills. Then she receives a wedding invitation from her daughter Susan. As a young woman, Julia had married wealthy William Packett. However, after 14 months of marriage, his disapproving mother broke them up. Julia returned to show business but left her infant daughter with William so that the child could be raised in a safe environment.
On the boat trip to France, Julia meets and falls for muscular acrobat Fred Ghenoccio, and when in Paris, she performs with his troupe with great success. Later, Fred proposes to her as her train pulls away from the station.
Julia reaches her destination penniless, so following her usual methods, she convinces a stranger, Colonel Willowbrook, to give her money, supposedly for an evening gown and other clothing. However, she sneaks away before Willowbrook tries to become better acquainted with her.
Her mother-in-law is less than pleased to see her, but Julia manages to see Susan, who insists that Julia stay. As time goes by, William's love for Julia resurfaces. Julia observes that Susan has strong feelings for lovestruck painter Ritchie Lorgan, though he is not her fiancé. Though Susan claims to be merely annoyed, Julia sees that Susan loves Ritchie and successfully brings the two together.
Julia remains skeptical of William's newfound love, unable to forget the past. Complications arise when Fred shows up to claim her. However, when William encounters his old friend Colonel Willowbrook, he learns of Julia's affair with Fred. William persuades Willowbrook to pretend to not know him and to interrupt their breakfast. The revelation of Julia's questionable method of raising funds sends Fred packing.
Eventually, Susan takes Julia's suggestion and elopes with Ritchie. When William chases after them, followed by Julia, they discover that they have been tricked into going to the wrong place. Following Susan's instructions, servants drive away their cars, leaving them stranded for 48 hours in their isolated honeymoon cabin. Julia tries to walk away in a rainstorm, but ends up in the mud. When William comes to her rescue, he ends up sprawled in the muck as well, leaving them both laughing at their predicament.
Cast notes
the other films in which they co-starred were:
Julia Misbehaves began with the working titles The Nutmeg Tree (the title of the 1937 novel by Margery Sharp upon which the film was based) and Speak to Me of Love. The screenplay was originally to have been written by James Hilton and would have starred Gracie Fields. Announced in April 1941, it was postponed later in the year because Fields was unavailable. [4]
In 1946, the project was revived, with Greer Garson in the lead role and with Everett Riskin as the producer, replacing Dore Schary, who had replaced Sidney Franklin. [4]
The film earned $2,948,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,549,000 in other markets, resulting in a profit of $298,000. [1] [7]
A New York Times review wrote that Garson was "out of her element" in the film,but a Variety reviewer said that she ".acquits herself like a lady out to prove she can be hoydenish when necessary. She proves it and audiences will like the new Garson." [4]
Mrs. Miniver is a fictional character created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns for The Times, later adapted into a film of the same name.
William Wyler was a German-born American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959), all of which also won for Best Picture. In total, he holds a record twelve nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director.
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson was a British-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the homefront; listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top-10 box office draws from 1942 to 1946.
Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American biographical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt, Fay Holden and Samuel S. Hinds. It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who helped orphaned children find homes and began a campaign to remove the word "illegitimate" from Texas birth certificates, despite the opposition of "good" citizens. The screenplay was by Anita Loos, with a story by Ralph Wheelwright. Some of the important aspects of her life fictionalized in the film are the fact that it was Edna herself who was born out of wedlock; she and Sam eloped on the eve of her marriage to someone else, and they had much more time together before his death than given them in the film.
Random Harvest is a 1942 American romantic drama film based on the 1941 James Hilton novel of the same title, directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Claudine West, George Froeschel, and Arthur Wimperis adapted the novel for the screen, and received an Academy Award nomination. The novel keeps the true identity of Paula/Margaret a secret until the very end, something that would have been impossible in a film, where characters’ faces must be seen. This meant that the movie had to take a very different approach to the story. The film stars Ronald Colman as a shellshocked, amnesiac World War I veteran, and Greer Garson as his love interest.
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian-American actor. He earned two Academy Award for Best Actor nominations for his roles in Mrs. Miniver (1942) and Madame Curie (1943). Pidgeon also starred in many films such as How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Forbidden Planet (1956), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), Advise & Consent (1962), Funny Girl (1968), and Harry in Your Pocket (1973).
Mrs. Parkington is a 1944 drama film. It tells the story of a woman's life, told via flashbacks, from boarding house maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield. It was directed by Tay Garnett and starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon appearing together as husband and wife for the fourth time.
Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford was an English-American actor.
Clara Margery Melita Sharp was an English writer of 25 novels for adults, 14 children's novels, four plays, two mysteries, and numerous short stories. Her best-known work is The Rescuers series about a heroic mouse named Miss Bianca and her partner Bernard, which was later adapted into the animated feature film The Rescuers (1977) – and a sequel, The Rescuers Down Under (1990) – by Walt Disney Productions.
Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming British housewife in rural England is affected by World War II. Produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, its supporting cast includes Teresa Wright, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Henry Travers, Richard Ney and Henry Wilcoxon.
The 15th Academy Awards was held in the Cocoanut Grove at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on March 4, 1943, honoring the films of 1942. The ceremony is most famous for the speech by Greer Garson; accepting the award for Best Actress, Garson spoke for nearly six minutes, considered to be the longest Oscars acceptance speech. A portion of the ceremony was broadcast by CBS Radio.
The Miniver Story is a 1950 American drama film that is the sequel to the 1942 film Mrs. Miniver. Like its predecessor, the picture, made by MGM, stars Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, but it was filmed on-location in England. The film was directed by H.C. Potter and produced by Sidney Franklin, from a screenplay by George Froeschel and Ronald Millar based on characters created by Jan Struther. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and Herbert Stothart, with additional uncredited music by Daniele Amfitheatrof, and the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg.
That Forsyte Woman is a 1949 American romantic drama film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Greer Garson, Errol Flynn, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young and Janet Leigh. It is an adaptation of the 1906 novel The Man of Property, the first book in The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.
The Youngest Profession is a 1943 film directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Virginia Weidler, Edward Arnold, John Carroll, Scotty Beckett, and Agnes Moorehead. Based on a short story series and book written by Lillian Day, it contains cameos by Greer Garson, Lana Turner, William Powell, Walter Pidgeon, and Robert Taylor.
Scandal at Scourie is a 1953 American drama Technicolor film directed by Jean Negulesco, starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon "above the title", and co-starring Donna Corcoran. Garson and Pidgeon were together for the 8th and last time in this movie, which was filmed on location in Canada.
Margaret "Talli" Tallichet was an American actress and longtime wife of movie director William Wyler. Her best-known leading role was with Peter Lorre in the film noir Stranger on the Third Floor (1940).
Desire Me is a 1947 American drama film starring Robert Mitchum and Greer Garson. It had a troubled production that included numerous directors and rewrites, and was ultimately released without a credited director.
Harry Allen was an Australian-born American character actor of the silent and sound film eras. He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Allen's World War One registration card gives his date of birth as 10 July, 1876 and confirms his place of birth as Melbourne, although at least one obituary gives the later birth year of 1883.
Florence Wix was an English-born American character actress who worked from the 1920s in silent films through sound films of the 1950s.
The Nutmeg Tree is a 1937 [comedy novel by the British writer Margery Sharp, which was adapted as a play and a film. Julia an actress and showgirl is down on her luck in London when she receives an unexpected invitation to France. Many years before she had a daughter, but her father was killed in the First World War and the girl went to live with his wealthy relations. Now Julia is invited by her daughter to run her eye over a prospective fiancee. After meeting him, Julia becomes convinced he is utterly unsuitable for her daughter, as he has a wild, reckless personality much closer to her own.
Notes