Product Details

• Actors: Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Cesar Romero
• Directors: Jack Conway
• Writers: Arthur Wimperis, Gina Kaus, Harry Ruskin, Margery Sharp, Monckton Hoffe
• Producers: Everett Riskin
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302747309
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,238 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Julia" and Greer are charming!, January 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Julia Misbehaves [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Julia Misbehaves" is sweet little comedy that also features some romance and touching moments. Greer Garson is charming as Julia, a penniless showgirl who has been invited to attend the very formal, upper class wedding of her daughter, Elizabeth Taylor, whom she hasn't seen since she was a baby. Along the way, she encounters acrobat Cesar Romero and his wacky family, rich aristocrat Nigel Bruce with an eye for pretty girls, and estranged husband Walter Pidgeon who begins to wonder how he ever let her go in the first place. All of the interactions lead into one humorous complication after another and show off Ms. Garson's comedic timing that was rarely seen in her usual dramatic roles.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Marital Comedy With Legends Garson and Pidgeon, November 24, 2004

By 

Simon Davis (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Julia Misbehaves [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I always thought that "Julia Misbehaves", featuring a definite change in the usual winning formula employed in all the Greer Garson/Walter Pidgeon teamings might not possibly work. However my first recent screening of this 1948 MGM effort found me pleasantly surprised at how well for the most part Greer Garson, renowned for expertly playing stoic refined ladies on screen handled this light comedy role. In this at times wacky comedy setting the legendary Garson /Pidgeon screen magic still worked just as well to create fine entertainment. Long tired of playing admirable heroines in wartime classics Greer Garson had continually plagued studio head Louis B. Mayer for a chance to attempt a comedy role. With her Box Office standing slipping after 1945 MGM perhaps felt it was time for a change and gave Garson the role of cash strapped dancehall performer Julia Packett who decides to attend the wedding of her daughter Susan (Elizabeth Taylor), who she is seeing for the first time since giving her up as a baby to her astranged Husband William(Walter Pidgeon), and his socially prominent family. The reunion with William's family creates some very amusing situations that Greer Garson handles with surprising comic ease. Once you get past possibly expecting a "Mrs. Miniver", clone as I did you can enjoy a polished marital comedy that shows the Garson/Pidgeon combination in a refreshing new light.

Based on the 1937 novel "The Nutmeg Tree", by Margery Sharp, this story had already enjoyed success on Broadway with Gladys Cooper and opens with dirt poor showgirl Julia (Garson) casually enjoying a relaxing bath as frantic creditors are banging on her door for payment of overdue bills. When an invitation to her daughter's wedding arrives out of the blue Julia decides to go to it even though she has not seen her since she was a baby when she seperated from husband William(Walter Pidgeon). Julia misses meeting William who travels to Paris to tell her not to attend by the orders of family matriach Mrs Packett (Lucile Watson),and finds herself back at her former home and seeing her daughter who is now 18 and getting ready for her wedding. It turns out Susan had sent the invitation to her and very quickly Julia and Susan form a close bond. Julia discovers that Susan doesn't love the man she is about to marry and instead is attracted to a young artist working at the mansion Ritchie Lorgan (Peter Lawford). Julia begins to plan to bring the two young people together but after many comic mishaps including the unexpected arrival of flamboyant suitor Fred Ghenoccio (Cesar Romero), Julia finds cupid's arrow also aimed at her as the old attraction between herself and William beings to glow again. A trip to a cabin up in the mountains finds love blossoming under often unlikely circumstances between Julia and William when after Susan and Ritchie finally elope the pair trying to relive their old romance, share the same boat they used on their honeymoon only to find it is now leaky and promptly sinks. When Julia decides to leave she ends up falling in a mud heap in the pouring rain where William soon joins her and in this unromantic setting true love finally wins out between the pair.

"Julia Misbehaves", despite its success at the Box Office in 1948 would never be a film that would have won top acting awards but it does make an interesting variation on the usual Greer Garson/Walter Pidgeon screen teamings that we have grown used to. After efforts such as "Blossoms in the Dust", "Mrs. Miniver", and "Madame Curie", the role of Julia was a great departure for Greer Garson and despite some shaky moments in the beginning where she doesn't quite convince that she is this bohemian character, and appears just a bit too refined and ladylike for the character she is described as, once she reaches the Packett mansion things decidely pick up. Here teaming with regular costar Walter Pidgeon again their fantastic screen chemistry comes alive and the two work beautifully together as always. Their unusual cat and mouse game of pretending not to love each other but finding it hard to hide their mutual attraction is very well done and the comedy element which this team was not renowned for comes over as very fesh and sparkling. "Julia Misbehaves", is blessed with one of those superb supporting casts that only MGM was capable of mustering together at this time. Starting with the teenaged Elizabeth Taylor as daughter Susan, no better choice could of been made for the role of the love struck young rich girl who discovers her mother for the first time in her life and sets out to reunite her parents despite their different "stations", in life. Elizabeth was at the height of her teenage beauty here just before she moved into adult roles and her charming screen persona is already evident even in this smaller role. She combines especially well with Greer Garson and they succeed in making a very effective mother/daughter combination on screen. One of my favourite character actresses Lucile Watson, who in her Hollywood career seemed to play just about every major stars mother at one time here delivers the goods in a terrific performance as Mrs Packett the grandmother who has all her carefully laid plans for her granddaughter Susan's society wedding turned upside down by the arrival of her long forgotten "unsuitable", daughter in law. Cesar Romero playing a cockney acrobat who becomes Julia's unwelcome suitor and veteran Nigel Bruce as the rich skirt chasing friend of William's who unknowingly gets tangled up in Julia's scheme also deliver enjoyable performances which increase the zany quality of the story. After Greer Garson's recent failure with the ill fated "Desire Me", MGM, no longer so sure about the worth of their former first lady cut back the budget on this effort and filmed it in black and white but all the standard MGM lavishness is still evident from first class sets by Cedric Gibbons, to lavish women's outfits by designer Irene. With three lead performers none of whom were renowned for their comedy playing veteran director Jack Conway who made some memorable romantic comedies with William Powell and Myrna Loy made a good stab at keeping the highly unlikely proceedings bubbling along at a fast pace.

Personally being a big fan of Greer Garson, before seeing "Julia Misbehaves", I was still unsure of her ability to play a crazy type of comic character so used was I to her more famous dramatic roles. I was more than pleased to see that she was capable of pulling off such a performance in a film that while no great classic was still enjoyable . "Julia Misbehaves", is essential viewing for all fans like myself of the Garson/Pidgeon teaming and was really their last great success together before MGM's decline that saw many of their long term contract players being released from their contracts. For a last slice of Hollywood romantic comedy before the realism of the 1950's took over try and check out screen legends Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon in their comic outing "Julia Misbehaves", soon.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best time of your life!, November 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Julia Misbehaves [VHS] (VHS Tape)

this is one of my all time favorite screwball comedies.this is i believe the only screwball walter pidgeon and greer garson ever did.well,also look for a very young liz taylor in this movie playing their daughter who is to be married.the film begins with a penniless showgirl named Julia Packett(Greer Garson)who has heard her daughter Susan Packett(Elizabeth Taylor)Is To Be Married And Has Sent For Her.She Also Sees Her Ex-Spouse William Packett(Walter Pidgeon)Again(They Divorced When Susan Was Just A Baby).She Also Learns That Susan Doesn't Love Her Fiance,But Rather A Young Free-Spirited Artist Named Ritchie Lorgan(Peter Lawford).While Julia Attempts To Get These Two Lovebirds Together,She Finds That William Is Falling In Love With Her All Over Again,Even Though She's Engaged To An Acrobat Named Fred Ghenoccio(Cesar Romero).Things Get Even More Complicated When Julia Encourages Susan To elope,And she Does!But Gradually,Julia And Her Ex-Husband Get Closer And Closer By the minute!Liz Taylor Recieves Her Second Screen Kiss In This Movie.The First One Was In Cynthia,But That Was Only a kiss on the cheek.this movie provides her With her first kiss on the lips.very sweet,romantic, and FUNNY screwball comedy.Have Fun Watching!!!!!