My Name Is Julia Ross

Last updated
My Name Is Julia Ross
My Name Is Julia Ross poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Screenplay by Muriel Roy Bolton
Based on The Woman in Red
1941 novel
by Anthony Gilbert
Produced by Wallace MacDonald
Starring Nina Foch
Dame May Whitty
George Macready
Roland Varno
Cinematography Burnett Guffey
Edited by Henry Batista
Music by Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • November 9, 1945 (1945-11-09)
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

My Name Is Julia Ross is a 1945 American gothic film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and starring Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, and George Macready. Its plot follows a young woman in England who is hired as a live-in secretary for an ailing widow, where she awakens one day and is gaslit by those around her, claiming she is someone else. The screenplay is based on the 1941 novel The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert. The film received a loose remake called Dead of Winter (1987), starring Mary Steenburgen.

Contents

Plot

In London, Julia Ross goes to a new employment agency, desperate for work. When Mrs. Sparkes learns that she has no near relations, she recommends Julia for a job as a live-in personal secretary to a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes. Mrs. Hughes approves and insists that she move that very night into her house. Two days later, Julia awakes as a prisoner at an isolated seaside estate in Cornwall.

All her possessions have disappeared and the young woman is told she is really Marion, the wife of Ralph Hughes, Mrs. Hughes's son. The staff have been told that she has suffered a nervous breakdown; as a result, they ignore her seemingly wild claims, and her attempts to escape are all foiled.

Julia writes a letter to Dennis Bruce, her only close friend and admirer, and cleverly leaves it where it can be found. The Hugheses substitute a blank sheet of paper and allow her to post it, unaware that Julia has anticipated them and written a second letter. That night, Julia discovers a secret passage to her room and overhears Ralph admit to his mother that he murdered his wife in a fit of rage and disposed of her body in the sea. Even so, when a "doctor" comes in response to a fake poisoning attempt, she blurts out her plan to him, only to discover that he (along with Mrs. Sparkes) is in on the scheme. He is dispatched to London to intercept the letter. When the real doctor shows up, Julia thinks he's also a fake and refuses to see him. The doctor recommends she be taken to a hospital immediately, but Mrs. Hughes persuades him to come back in the morning.

Julia's captors have to make it appear that she has committed suicide before the doctor can take her away.

Julia throws her gown out the window, making it look like she threw herself to her death, then hides in the secret passage. When the doctor drives up, Mrs. Hughes delays him so that her son can get to the body first. Ralph picks up a rock to ensure that Julia is really dead, but is stopped by Dennis and a policeman, who had been alerted by the letter. (The fake doctor had been apprehended in London when he tried to intercept the letter.) When Ralph tries to flee, he is shot down. Later, Julia and Dennis drive away and talk about getting married.

Cast

Release

My Name Is Julia Ross premiered in New York City on November 9, 1945. [1] Its released expanded in the United States on November 27, 1945. [1]

Critical response

Film critic Bosley Crowther wrote a mixed review: "The director and scenarist of the Ambassador's new mystery, My Name Is Julia Ross, deserve a B-plus for effort at least. It is quite evident that they strived earnestly to whip up excitement and suspense, but somehow that electrifying quality which distinguishes good melodrama is lacking in this transcription of the Anthony Gilbert novel, The Woman in Red ... While Joseph Lewis, the director, succeeds in creating an effectively ominous atmosphere, he has not been as adept in handling the players, and that, we suspect, is why My Name Is Julia Ross misses the mark. [2]

The staff at Variety magazine praised the production, writing "Mystery melodrama with a psychological twist runs only 64 minutes but it's fast and packed with tense action throughout. Acting and production (though apparently modestly budgeted) are excellent." [3]

Home media

Turner Classic Movies released My Name Is Julia Ross on DVD in conjunction with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and The Film Foundation as part of the five-film set, "Columbia Film Noir Classics III", alongside the films The Mob , Drive a Crooked Road , Tight Spot , and The Burglar . [4]

On February 19, 2019, Arrow Films issued the film on Blu-ray in both region A and B editions as part of their Arrow Academy series. [5]

Adaptation

The film was loosely remade as Dead of Winter (1987), directed by Arthur Penn. [6] This film was remade in 1964 by Egyptian actress Fatin Hamama as The Last Night .[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>Scarlet Street</i> 1945 film by Fritz Lang

Scarlet Street is a 1945 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The screenplay concerns two criminals who take advantage of a middle-aged painter in order to steal his artwork. The film is based on the French novel La Chienne by Georges de La Fouchardière, which had been previously dramatized on stage by André Mouëzy-Éon, and cinematically as La Chienne (1931) by director Jean Renoir.

<i>The Three Faces of Eve</i> 1957 film by Nunnally Johnson

The Three Faces of Eve is a 1957 American film noir mystery drama film presented in CinemaScope, based on the book of the same name about the life of Chris Costner Sizemore, which was written by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. Cleckley, who also helped write the screenplay. Sizemore, also known as Eve White, was a woman they suggested might have dissociative identity disorder. Sizemore's identity was concealed in interviews about this film and was not revealed to the public until 1977. The film was directed by Nunnally Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Whitty</span> English actress (1865–1948)

Dame Mary Louise Webster,, known professionally as May Whitty and later, for her charity work, Dame May Whitty, was an English stage and film actress. She was one of the first two women entertainers to become a Dame. The British actors' union Equity was established in her home in 1930.

A boyfriend is a man who is a friend or acquaintance to the speaker, often specifying a regular male companion with whom a person is platonically, romantically or sexually involved.

<i>Shock</i> (1946 film) 1946 film by Alfred L. Werker

Shock is a 1946 American film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and starring Vincent Price, Lynn Bari and Frank Latimore.

<i>The Narrow Margin</i> 1952 film by Richard Fleischer

The Narrow Margin is a 1952 American film noir starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor. Directed by Richard Fleischer, the RKO picture was written by Earl Felton, based on an unpublished story written by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard. The screenplay by Earl Felton was nominated for an Academy Award.

<i>Phantom Lady</i> (film) 1944 film by Robert Siodmak

Phantom Lady is a 1944 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Franchot Tone, Ella Raines, and Alan Curtis. Based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich, it follows a young Manhattan secretary and her endeavors to prove that her boss did not murder his wife.

<i>Gaslight</i> (1944 film) Film by George Cukor

Gaslight is a 1944 American psychological thriller film directed by George Cukor, and starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten and Angela Lansbury in her film debut. Adapted by John Van Druten, Walter Reisch, and John L. Balderston from Patrick Hamilton's play Gas Light (1938), it follows a young woman whose husband slowly manipulates her into believing that she is descending into insanity.

<i>So Dark the Night</i> 1946 film by Joseph H. Lewis

So Dark the Night is a 1946 American crime film with film noir influences, featuring Steven Geray, Micheline Cheirel, and Eugene Borden. Based on a story written by Aubrey Wisberg, the screenplay was written by Dwight V. Babcock and Martin Berkeley, and directed by Joseph H. Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Beth Hughes</span> American actress

Mary Elizabeth Hughes was an American film, television, and stage actress best known for her roles in B movies.

<i>The Damned Dont Cry</i> 1950 film by Vincent Sherman

The Damned Don't Cry is a 1950 American film noir crime-drama directed by Vincent Sherman and featuring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Steve Cochran. It tells of a woman's involvement with an organized crime boss and his subordinates. The screenplay by Harold Medford and Jerome Weidman was based on the story "Case History" by Gertrude Walker. The plot is loosely based on the relationship of Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Jerry Wald. The Damned Don't Cry is the first of three cinematic collaborations between Sherman and Crawford, the others being Harriet Craig (1950) and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Foch</span> American actress (1924–2008)

Nina Foch was an American actress who later became an instructor. Her career spanned six decades, consisting of over 50 feature films and over 100 television appearances. She was the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and a National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress. Foch established herself as a dramatic actress in the late 1940s, often playing cool, aloof sophisticates.

<i>Woman on the Run</i> 1950 film by Norman Foster

Woman on the Run is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Norman Foster and starring Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe. The film was based on the April 1948 short story "Man on the Run" by Sylvia Tate and filmed on location in San Francisco.

The Elephant Man is a play by Bernard Pomerance. It premiered at the Hampstead Theatre in London on 7 November 1977. It later played in repertory at the National Theatre in London. It ran Off-Broadway from 14 January to 18 March 1979, at The Theatre at St. Peter's. The production's Broadway debut in 1979 at the Booth Theatre was produced by Richmond Crinkley and Nelle Nugent, and directed by Jack Hofsiss. The play closed in 1981 after eight previews and 916 regular performances, with revivals in 2002 and 2014.

Danger Signal is a 1945 film noir starring Faye Emerson and Zachary Scott. The screenplay was adapted from the 1939 novel of the same name by Phyllis Bottome.

<i>The Sign of the Ram</i> 1948 film by John Sturges

The Sign of the Ram is a 1948 American film noir directed by John Sturges and screenplay by Charles Bennett, based on a novel written by Margaret Ferguson. The drama features Susan Peters, Alexander Knox and Phyllis Thaxter. It also featured Ron Randell. The film's title alludes to people born under the astrological sign Aries, who are supposedly strong-willed and desire to be admired, as explained in the dialogue.

<i>I Love a Mystery</i> (film) 1945 film by Henry Levin

I Love a Mystery is a 1945 American mystery film directed by Henry Levin and starring Jim Bannon, Nina Foch, George Macready, and Barton Yarborough. Based on Carlton E. Morse's popular radio serial of the same name, I Love a Mystery was the first of three Columbia "B" pictures inspired by the radio series and the only one actually based on a script written by Morse for the radio series. The Devil's Mask and The Unknown followed in 1946.

<i>Johnny Allegro</i> 1949 film by Ted Tetzlaff

Johnny Allegro is a 1949 American film noir directed by Ted Tetzlaff and starring George Raft. An ex-gangster (Raft), temporarily working as a federal agent, runs afoul of a counterfeiting crime lord (Macready) who enjoys hunting. It was one of several thrillers Raft made in the late 1940s.

<i>Strangers in the Night</i> (film) 1944 film by Anthony Mann

Strangers in the Night is a 1944 American film noir mystery film directed by Anthony Mann and starring William Terry, Virginia Grey and Helene Thimig.

<i>The Woman in Red</i> (novel) 1941 novel

The Woman in Red is a 1941 mystery thriller novel by Anthony Gilbert, the pen name of British writer Lucy Beatrice Malleson. It is the ninth in her series featuring the London solicitor Arthur Crook, one of the more unscrupulous characters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It was first published by the Collins Crime Club.

References

  1. 1 2 "My Name Is Julia Ross". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. Crowther, Bosly. The New York Times , film review, November 9, 1945. Accessed: July 25, 2013.
  3. Variety. Staff film review, 1945. Accessed: July 25, 2013.
  4. "Columbia Pictures Film Noir III". Turner Classic Movies Shop . Archived from the original on January 11, 2021.
  5. "My Name Is Julia Ross Blu-ray". Arrow Films . Archived from the original on January 11, 2021.
  6. Dead of Winter at IMDb .

Further reading