The story begins abruptly where we find widow Julie Benton (Doris Day), already remarried to rising young pianist Lyle Benton (Jourdan). The opening sequence fills us in on the state of the marriage as we see Julie fleeing a gathering in Carmel pursued by Lyle who proceeds to terrorize her in the car by jamming his foot down on the acclerator as Julie drives around all the bends in the coastal road. The reason for this is that he is an insanely jealous man who gets furious if any man so much as pays Julie the slightest attention. Julie begins to question Lyle's jealous fits and the reasons why he married her and together with family friend Cliff Henderson begins to fear for her life in her present situation. By accident Julie learns that Lyle was responsible for her first husband's death which previously had been believed to have been by suicide. This terrifying piece of information sets off Julie's plan to somehow get away from her unstable husband who is willing to commit murder to get what he wants. However this is difficult to achieve as Lyle seems to be able to undermine any plan that Julie has for escape. She manages finally to get to San Francisco and hidden away in a shared apartment she resumes her earlier work as an airline stewardess. At each turn however she is pursued by her increasingly disturbed husband who when intercepted by Cliff at an old farmhouse seriously wounds him and then sets out after Julie with a clear murderous intent. Julie meanwhile has been booked on a flight that same evening unaware that ever resouceful Lyle has managed to get on the plane before takeoff armed with a gun. The nail biting climax sees a shootout occur with Julie left alone having to land the airplane via instructions from personnel at the landing field.

Melodramatic? Perhaps, but "Julie", is performed with a great deal of conviction that enables the viewer to look beyond the stories obvious flaws. The much maligned final scene of Julie landing the plane really is the stuff of camp legend nowadays however I feel the scene is done in an earnest and riverting manner which made this viewer hold his breath literally till the plane safely landed on the tarmac. Doris Day is excellent in the role of the terrified Julie and her on screen chemistry with Louis Jourdan is what makes this film so entertaining. Jourdan's suave and boyish goodlooks are perfect for the role of the insanely jealous husband who will willingly stoop to murder to achieve his ends. The tension between the two manifests itself in an almost "cat and mouse", interaction with Julie trying to stay one step ahead of her husband in her attempts to get away. The story is full of exciting moments such as Julie's attempt's to escape their house in Carmel while sending Lyle on an errand and especially in the climax where she has to pretend to not notice Lyle as a passenger on the plane while alerting authorities of his whereabouts. Lyle's ability to seemingly pop up when least expected is a familiar thriller ploy however here it works most effectively to heighten the sense of danger everywhere. Nominated for two Academy Awards in 1956 for Best Song and Screenplay the film strangley seems to be forgotten today and is certainly not a film that is ever heavily featured in any discussion of Doris Day's body of film work.

While not the best film that Doris Day ever made it is still a worthy addition to your thriller movie collection. If like me you enjoy actresses working in roles not normally associated with their screen "image", then "Julie", is well worth seeing. I especially enjoy the once off teaming of Doris and Louis Jourdan and it certainly opened up people's ideas of what Doris Day was capable of doing in the dramatic field. "Julie", was significant in revealing a Doris Day light years away from her fondly remembered roles in such films as "Pillow Talk". If you enjoy thrillers that dont let up on the tension for a second then treat yourself to a viewing of this nifty little thriller "Julie", soon. It is guaranteed to keep your interest even after you probably can guess the inevitable outcome earlier on. Enjoy!