My Name Is Julia Ross (1945)

Julia Ross secures employment, through a rather nosy employment agency, with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and goes to live at her house. 2 days later, she awakens - in a different house, ... See full summary »

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writers:

Muriel Roy Bolton (screenplay), Anthony Gilbert (novel)

Stars:

Nina Foch, May Whitty, George Macready

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nina Foch	...	Julia Ross
May Whitty	...	Mrs. Hughes (as Dame May Whitty)
George Macready	...	Ralph Hughes
Roland Varno	...	Dennis Bruce
Anita Sharp-Bolster	...	Sparkes (as Anita Bolster)
Doris Lloyd	...	Mrs. Mackie

Storyline

Julia Ross secures employment, through a rather nosy employment agency, with a wealthy widow, Mrs. Hughes, and goes to live at her house. 2 days later, she awakens - in a different house, in different clothes, and with a new identity. She's told she is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Hughes, and has suffered a nervous breakdown. Is Julia really 'Julia', or, is it true that she's lost all memory of who she is?

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Plot Keywords:

employment | psychopath | nervous breakdown | cornwall | secretary | 

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Taglines:

Based on the Best Seller "The Woman in Red" by Anthony Gilbert

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 November 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Woman in Red

Box Office

Budget:

$175,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was remade in 1987, as "Dead of Winter" staring Mary Steenbergen and Roddy Mcdowell.

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Goofs

When Sparkes calls Mrs. Hughes from the employment agency, she begins dialing the phone with the writing end of her pencil. In the next shot she's dialing with the eraser end.

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Quotes

Ralph Hughes: Well, she saved us a lot of trouble.
Mrs. Hughes: Now that it's happened, I'm frightened.
Ralph Hughes: We haven't a thing to fear. We'll be telling the truth when we say it's suicide.
Mrs. Hughes: Yes.
Ralph Hughes: Who's the weak one now?

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Connections

Featured in Identity Crisis: Joseph H. Lewis at Columbia (2019)

User Reviews

Unexpected pleasure

Having watched this film strictly on the strength of reviewers' ratings I was most pleasantly surprised. Although clearly low-budget, it bears the signs of clever ingenuity. For example, when Julia wakes in the strange house and looks out the window I found myself thinking that her sense of isolation would be enhanced with an exterior shot focused on her face and then moving backwards to include the house and its isolated location. And lo and behold! the next scene was exactly that last shot of the house standing lonely on the cliff at the water's edge. There are other examples of how a clever director can elevate his film to the level of a very enjoyable thriller. Savvy viewers will surely spot them but should rest assured they will not be disappointed.

As to the performances, George Macready is his usual creepy self, barely maintaining his composure while suggesting a capacity for unadulterated violence. Nina Foch was surprisingly good as the no-nonsense working girl who's not about to submit without a fight. But Dame May Witty, oh boy, she even had me doubting my own eyes and believing she could get away with her evil schemes.

This a real diamond in the rough and not to be missed.