Julia Misbehaves (1948)

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Margery Sharp (novel) and
Monckton Hoffe (adaptation)

Release Date:

8 August 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

English dancehall actress Julia Packett hasn't seen her daughter since Susan was a few months old, having...

Plot Keywords:

Mother In Law | Wedding | Mother Daughter Relationship | France | Class Differences

Cast

Greer Garson	...	Julia Packett
Walter Pidgeon	...	William Sylvester Packett
Peter Lawford	...	Ritchie Lorgan
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Susan Packett
Cesar Romero	...	Fred Ghenoccio
Lucile Watson	...	Mrs. Packett
Nigel Bruce	...	Col. Bruce 'Bunny' Willowbrook
Mary Boland	...	Mrs. Gheneccio
Reginald Owen	...	Benny Hawkins
Henry Stephenson	...	Lord Pennystone
Aubrey Mather	...	The Vicar
Ian Wolfe	...	Hobson, the Butler
Fritz Feld	...	Pepito
Phyllis Morris	...	Daisy
Veda Ann Borg	...	Louise

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Peter Lawford gave Elizabeth Taylor her first on-screen kiss in this movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: After exiting the right hand drive phaeton/touring car at the honeymoon cabin, the two couples congregate at the right drivers side; the car is facing screen right. The next scene has the caretaker approaching from the right and the two couples are now standing in the exact same positions but on the left passenger side of the car; the car is now facing screen left.

Quotes:

Col. Bruce 'Bunny' Willowbrook: There are only two kinds of men: those who admit they like women, and liars.

Soundtrack:

Instrumental for Guitar

Greer lets her hair down

Greer Garson is again teamed up with Walter Pidgeon in the delightful comedy, "Julia Misbehaves," which also stars 16-year-old Elizabeth Taylor and a very adorable Peter Lawford. Taylor and Lawford are a subplot in this film, which mainly concerns Garson as Julia, an entertainer, showing up to attend the wedding of the daughter she hasn't seen since infancy. Because of the breakup of her marriage and her transient lifestyle, she left the child with her husband's family.

This is a fun movie with some great scenes, the best of which is an acrobatic act featuring Julia. It is hilarious. Cesar Romero makes a game attempt at a Cockney accent, and is very good as Nicky, the head of the act who is interested in marrying Julia. Nigel Bruce is a man conned out of 6950 francs by Julia, and Lucile Watson is Julia's disapproving mother-in-law. Pidgeon plays Julia's husband, who hasn't seen her in years, but on encountering her again, realizes what he's been missing.

Wedding plans don't go as expected once Julia is in the house. A very pretty Elizabeth Taylor gets her first screen kiss from Lawford, and they make a charming couple. But this isn't their film, it's Garson's, in a different type of role for her. She is up to the task. Over the years, perhaps due to some of the sentimental movies she made and being raked over the coals by Pauline Kael, Garson's reputation has suffered. However, she is terrific in "Julia Misbehaves," and this entertaining film is well worth seeing.