MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) TCM Oct 23rd

[Dewey1960]

Thursday, October 23 marks the TCM arrival of MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS, the notorious 1945 B thriller from Joseph H. Lewis, arguably one of the very finest directors of Hollywood noir films. This 65 minute gothic oddity from Columbia came after a lengthy string of poverty row westerns, East Side Kids comedies, horror melodramas (including the incredibly bizarre Bela Lugosi shocker from Monogram THE INVISIBLE GHOST) and standard studio B product (SECRETS OF A CO-ED, BOMBS OVER BURMA, THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO), all of which set the stage rather nicely for what was to come for the enormously talented and inventive Mr. Lewis. MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (as well as SO DARK THE NIGHT from the following year) introduced a director who had mastered the rare and delicate art of telling a dark and probing tale swiftly and efficiently on the most modest of budgets. Later Lewis productions like GUN CRAZY (1949) and THE BIG COMBO (1955), despite the expanded scope of their narrative structure, continued to rely upon deft, lucid camera work and effective low-key lighting. And very modest resources.

MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS probably owes more to the tradition of British mysteries (it's set in a studio-bound England) than it does to conventional film noir attitudes and trappings. A young woman (Nina Foch) agrees to take a position in the home of an elderly woman (Dame Mae Whitty). Two days after her arrival she awakens from a deep sleep in a completely strange house and, mysteriously enough, with a brand new identity---that of the old woman's daughter-in-law. Told that she's been the victim of a nervous breakdown, she struggles to grasp the utter and seemingly hopeless nature of her predicament. But before long she begins to piece together the strange and troubling truth behind this dark mystery, that her "husband" (the always menacing George Macready) most probably murdered his real wife and that she's been duped into participating in a harrowing and sinister scheme. Much of what distinguishes this otherwise modest tale are the indelible touches that Lewis brings to the production, marking it as the first of his truly serious endeavors as a film director. Not to be missed under any circumstances!

Like so many other fine Columbia noir films from the 1940s and 50s, MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS has never been available in the home video (DVD) market. Those in the know will be warming up their recorders now.

[moira finnie]

Thanks for the heads up about My Name Is Julia Ross, Dewey. Now that the devil's own snare, aka the dvr, has entered my life, I shall set it to record this movie, (just so I don't have to call in sick to work that day to stay home to see this one).

I like just about anything with Nina Foch in it and it may be fun to see how many identifiable visual "Lewis-isms" pop up in this film. Hmmm, how can a story set in a manor house in England have a shot framed through a wagon wheel?...

[Dewey1960]

Moira - Despite the conspicuous absence of Lewis' trademark "wagon wheel" shots, I'm fairly certain you'll enjoy JULIA ROSS. Columbia (SONY) could certainly stand to put together a fascinating box set collection of the many wonderful (and relatively obscure) B noirs that languish in their vaults. And this one would be near the top of the list!
And congrats on your new DVR machine!

[Alan K.]

Columbia is coming out with a film noir set under the auspices of the Film Foundation sometime in 2009. Julia Ross is a neat little film. It was recently screened at UCLA as part of a tribute to the Columbia femme fatales, "Tall Drinks of Water" was the title of the program. Miss Foch, a formidable talent-who was formidably appealing as well- was headlined in a double bill of My Name is Julia Ross and The Dark Past. Great fun!

Joe Lewis made his reputation with this film. He had twelve days to shoot it and faced down the bosses after being called on the carpet for being 3 and a half days behind schedule. He finished the picture in 18 days and ended up getting a bonus and a new contrac. According to Lewis in a 1975 interview with Robert Porfirio, the studio executives, "..who didn't even say good morning to me on the day before it was sneak-previewed, were inviting me to their homes for dinner the following day."

[ChiO]

According to Lewis in a 1975 interview with Robert Porfirio, the studio executives, "..who didn't even say good morning to me on the day before it was sneak-previewed, were inviting me to their homes for dinner the following day."

Lewis told Peter Bogdanovich (Who The Devil Made It) that it was released as a second feature, but the New York critics raved so much that it became the first feature and that the Screen Directors Guild asked if he'd accept an award for the director showing the most promise. MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS was his 23rd feature film.

SPOILER ALERT: My recollection is that there is a signature wheel shot, albeit not through a wagon wheel. After all, where there's a wheel, there's a way.

This and THE WORLD'S GREATEST SINNER in the same week. The TCM Gods are good.

"God" Hilliard in '08 and beyond!

[Mr. Arkadin]

Another bump for JR. Really looking forward to this tomorrow!

[ChiO]

My recollection is that there is a signature wheel shot, albeit not through a wagon wheel. After all, where there's a wheel, there's a way.

At approx. 40 minutes, and a kinda-like-the-signature-shot-but-without-a-wheel at approx. 60 minutes.

What a wonderful movie. Burnett Guffey is one of my favorite cinematographers (did he do a Nick Ray movie with Bogie & Grahame?). And, oh, how I loathe George Macready; if he and Dan Duryea were in a movie together, I don't know what I'd do.

[Dewey1960]

ChiO sez: Burnett Guffey is one of my favorite cinematographers (did he do a Nick Ray movie with Bogie & Grahame?).

Mine, too! All through the 40s and 50s he seemed to be Columbia's "go to guy" whenever the recipe called for brilliant, high-contrast noir cinematography. Among the outright gems on his resume: MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS, SO DARK THE NIGHT (both Joseph L. Lewis), NIGHT EDITOR (phenomenal B noir), JOHNNY O'CLOCK, ALL THE KING'S MEN (he won an Oscar) KNOCK ON ANY DOOR and IN A LONELY PLACE (both Nick Ray), THE RECKLESS MOMENT (Ophuls), SCANDAL SHEET, THE SNIPER, HUMAN DESIRE (Fritz Lang), PRIVATE HELL 36 (Don Siegel), NIGHTFALL (Tourneur), THE STRANGE ONE, SCREAMING MIMI, KID GALAHAD (Elvis!), KING RAT and BONNIE AND CLYDE (his 2nd Oscar)!