Julie Harris Movies
A renowned theater actress, Julie Harris also augmented her reputation with strong performances in a number of film and TV roles, despite her aversion to the Hollywood "glamour star" trip. Born to a well-to-do Grosse Pointe, Michigan, family, Harris opted to pursue acting at Yale Drama School rather than make her society debut at age 19. She landed her first Broadway part one year later. Harris' career was truly launched at age 25, however, by her star-making performance as troubled pre-teen tomboy Frankie in Carson McCullers' play The Member of the Wedding in 1950. Reprising her role in the film adaptation of The Member of the Wedding (1952), Harris scored an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in her first major film appearance. Though she did not win, she did win the first of five Tony Awards in 1952 for her Broadway turn as Berlin cabaret singer Sally Bowles in I Am a Camera. Along with the well-received film version of I Am a Camera in 1955, Harris starred in perhaps her best-known film that same year: Elia Kazan's East of Eden. As initially-coquettish Abra, Harris became a sensitive yet sensible romantic lead opposite an anguished James Dean in his legendary debut. With this trio of films, Harris became part of the 1950s cinematic turn toward performative "realism" exemplified by Method actor icons Dean and Marlon Brando (despite her own impatience with the Method after an Actors Studio stint).Harris continued to avoid typecasting by playing a number of different roles in TV, theater, and movie productions throughout the subsequent decades. On film, Harris showed her considerable range as a kindly social worker in the film version of Rod Serling's teleplay Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), one of the highly disturbed human guinea pigs in the original (and far superior) version of The Haunting (1963), a frustrated nightclub chanteuse in the Paul Newman p.i. vehicle Harper (1966), and a troubled wife in Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967). On stage, Harris' specialty became playing famous women throughout history, including Tony-award winning performances as Joan of Ark in The Lark (1956), Mary Todd Lincoln in The Last of Mrs. Lincoln (1973) (adapted for TV in 1976), and Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst (1977).
After surviving a bout with cancer in 1981, Harris achieved considerable fame with a new audience by playing Lilimae Clements on the TV nighttime serial Knot's Landing from 1981 to 1988. After she left the show, Harris returned to films, after nearly a decade, as Sigourney Weaver's friend in Gorillas in the Mist (1988). Harris kept busy throughout the 1990s with supporting roles in several films, including Housesitter (1992) and the George A. Romero/Stephen King chiller The Dark Half (1993), as well as starring roles onstage and in TV films, including Ellen Foster (1997). Awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 1994 to go with her Tonys and Emmys, Harris noted in 1990s interviews that her passion for her craft had not always meshed with her personal life. Harris has been married three times and has one son. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on the famous play by Henrik Ibsen, this 1989 adaptation is one of several filmed versions of the classic tale. Claire Bloom stars as Nora Helmer, a housewife who long-ago saved the life of her ailing husband Torvald (Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins) by forging her father's signature on a loan. She has spent her life in fear that the crime would be exposed. When the truth finally does come out, Nora learns more than she expected to about her controlling husband and her own inner strength. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1959
A Doll's House is a 90-minute TV adaptation of the 1879 play by Henrik Ibsen. Julie Harris stars as Nora Helmer, the dutiful wife of Torvald Helmer (Christopher Plummer). Though Torvald loves his wife, he considers her a child and a possession. What he doesn't know is that, years earlier, Nora saved his life by borrowing money when he was seriously ill. Now Nils Krogstad (Hume Cronyn) the man who lent Nora the necessary funds, has returned, expecting a special sort of restitution. Torvald's reaction to the crisis transforms Nora from a "doll-wife" into an emancipated woman no longer dependent upon the largess of the men in her life. Richard Thomas, future star of The Waltons, is cast herein as Ivor, the Helmers' young son. Adapted for television by James Costigan, A Doll's House was originally telecast November 15, 1959, on NBC's Hallmark Hall of Fame; the program was originally shown in color, though existing kinescopes are in black-and-white. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
This documentary, narrated by Julie Harris, surveys the many roles of women in American culture. From the home place to the work place, women have left their distinctive collective touch. The program uses archival film footage and photographs to capture women at work in the film industry, factories during the war years, in the arts and sciences, business, the professions, and athletics. Personal recollections and interviews with scholars round out this tribute to a woman's place in America. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1976
The American Film Institute put together this movie of film clips from all eras of American filmmaking as a Bicentennial tribute to the country. Narrated by Charleton Heston, the 83 film clips included all relate to American history, or reflect on the character of Americans. The clips are grouped into five categories: The Land, The Cities, The Families, The Wars and The Spirit. As much a tribute to American filmmaking as it is a tribute to the country, in this compilation, scenes are shown from such diverse films as Birth of A Nation and 2001. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
- 1997
- R
Two couples share an evening of bad karma in this domestic drama. Matt (Saul Rubinek) is a musicologist who has devised a computer program that can spontaneously compose music; however, one of the first pieces it comes up with features a prominent quote from "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." His girlfriend Kim (Caroleen Feeney) is a computer expert with a nasty sense of humor; Matt thinks she may have fudged his program just to make him look silly. Nancy (Bonnie Bedelia) is a distinguished college professor who has been granted tenure at Harvard. Her husband Wes (David Strathairn) has a fragile ego, and it hasn't been soothed by his recent denial of tenure at the less prestigious institution where he teaches. Nancy and Wes have invited Matt and Kim over for dinner; Nancy and Matt were once lovers, which puts Wes on edge at the outset, and Kim seems to find him an amusing target for her sarcastic sense of humor. Wes finally begins to lose his grip when he discovers that a $50 bill is missing and is convinced that Kim has pocketed it. Kim denies it, but even after the bill turns up, Wes is convinced that she -- or someone -- has it in for him. Bad Manners screenwriter David Gilman adapted this material from his play Ghost in the Machine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Strathairn, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
- 1968
Feeling responsible for the death of his oldest son, Josh Carter (Steve Ihnat) has become an abusive alcoholic. As a result, he has alienated himself from his wife, Sarah (Julie Harris), and surviving children Timmy (Johnnie Whitaker) and Sally (Michele Tobin). When Hoss Cartwright tries to help the Carter family, Sarah falls in love with him. First broadcast on April 14, 1968, "A Dream to Dream" was written by Bonanza star Michael Landon, who later reworked his script as "Someone Please Love Me," a 1979 episode of his own series Little House on the Prairie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
Directed by Rick McKay, who traveled across five continents during the documentary's production, Broadway: The Golden Age is both a celebration of current Broadway stars and a tribute to Broadway legends past. Through a plethora of interviews and vast amounts of archival footage, McKay presents a variety of factoids, anecdotes, and memories from over 100 Broadway actors, writers, and directors. The careers of Laurette Taylor, Kim Hunter, Jessica Tandy, and Marlon Brando are all animatedly retold, as is some of the Broadway "lore of olde," such as Angela Lansbury's struggle to land a role in Mame and the shocked reaction to West Side Story on its opening night. In addition to footage and discussion regarding highly successful Broadway stars, a variety of actors recount their experiences and struggles in finding even a small amount of critical recognition. The cast includes Shirley MacLaine, Bea Arthur, Edie Adams, Alec Baldwin, and Kaye Ballard, and many others. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Adams, Bea Arthur, (more)
- 1983
- R
Julie Harris portrays the poignant short life of the great English writer Charlotte Brontë in this filmed version of Harris's tour-de-force, one-woman act. Filmed on location in Ireland (substituting for Brontë's Yorkshire home), the landscape brings forth the author's stunning natural environment, and the house and its furnishings evoke a 19th -century setting. The drama begins in 1849 when Charlotte comes back home to her minister father after attending the funeral of her sister Anne, dead at age 29. Younger sister Emily died the year before, her brother Bronwell before that, her colorful Aunt Branny and many others have also died. Jane Eyre has just been published two years earlier -- Charlotte's triumph flung in the face of so many tragedies. As she walks around her home, she recalls people and times gone by, a love that never came to realization, the dissolute life of her brother, and her father's insistence that she never marry -- memories are nostalgic, caustic, humorous, and always captivating. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris
Based on the novel Farmer by Jim Harrison, this drama concerns Joseph Svenden (Dennis Hopper), a one-time farmer in his late forties who took up teaching when he permanently injured his leg in an accident. Joseph's life is orderly, precise, and rather dull. He teaches with as much enthusiasm as he can muster, lives in the farmhouse where he grew up, and has been engaged for the last six years to Rosealee Henson (Amy Irving). Rosealee is the widow of his best friend, and, for a variety of reasons, both she and Joseph are reluctant to set a date (she devotes much of her time to caring for her ailing mother). One day Joseph is met in his barn by Catherine Wheeler (Amy Locane), a new student in his senior class. Catherine attempts to seduce Joseph, who dutifully refuses, only to request a second chance a few moments later, which Catherine eagerly grants him. This unexpected event brings out a newly adventurous side in Joseph, though he suddenly has a new set of complications to go along with it; he discovers that his school is closing, and Catherine's parents are predictably angry when they find out about their daughter's liaison. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Amy Irving, (more)
- 1973
Any Old Port in a Storm is another two-hour TV cat and mouse session with Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk). Donald Pleasance portrays a winemaker whose covetous brother plans to sell the family vineyard. Pleasance puts the kibosh on this transaction by killing his sibling. He tries to make it look like an accident, but Columbo endeavors to prove otherwise--all the while exhibiting a hitherto unrevealed expertise in the field of fine wines. Julie Harris costars in this 1973 episode of the Columbo TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Die, Darling, Die stars Jimmy Stewart as countrified lawyer/sleuth Hawkins. Julie Harris costars as a recent widow, the heir to a $2 million estate. Not surprisingly, Ms. Harris is suspected of facilitating her husband's death--especially since she was seen throwing away his medication. It's Hawkin's job to find out if she really "done it". Die, Darling, Die premiered as the October 23, 1973 episode of the TV series Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
This introduction to the theater features a collection of fourteen dramas all combined in four modules. ~ All Movie Guide
This truncated screen version of John Steinbeck's best-seller was the first starring vehicle for explosive 1950s screen personality James Dean, who plays Cal Trask, the "bad" son of taciturn Salinas valley lettuce farmer Adam Trask (Raymond Massey). Although he means well, Cal can't stay out of trouble, nor is he able to match the esteem in which his father holds his "good" brother Aron (Richard Davalos). Only Aron's girlfriend Abra (Julie Harris) and kindly old sheriff Sam Burl Ives) can see the essential goodness in the troublesome Cal.
When Adam invests in a chancy and wholly unsuccessful method of shipping his crops east, his wealth plummets. In an effort to save the business, Cal obtains money from his estranged mother (the proprietor of a whorehouse) and invests it in a risky new bean crop. The gamble pays off (thanks in no small part to the war), but Adam refuses to take the money from Cal, and the resultant quarrel causes Adam to have a stroke. Released the same year as Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden provided Dean with his first Oscar nomination, for Best Actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When Adam invests in a chancy and wholly unsuccessful method of shipping his crops east, his wealth plummets. In an effort to save the business, Cal obtains money from his estranged mother (the proprietor of a whorehouse) and invests it in a risky new bean crop. The gamble pays off (thanks in no small part to the war), but Adam refuses to take the money from Cal, and the resultant quarrel causes Adam to have a stroke. Released the same year as Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden provided Dean with his first Oscar nomination, for Best Actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, James Dean, (more)
- 1997
Filmed in Vancouver, this Hallmark Hall of Fame takes place during the '70s in the U.S. After the death of her mother, Charlotte (Glynis O'Connor), 10-year-old Ellen Foster (Jena Malone, who narrates) suffers abuse from her alcoholic father (Ted Levine) and is ill-treated by her maternal aunts Nadine (Debra Monk) and Betsy (Barbara Garrick) and also by Nadine's mean daughter Dora (Kimberly Brown). Ellen is sent to live with her grief-stricken grandmother Leonora (Julie Harris), but her problems continue since the mean-spirited Leonora blames Ellen for Charlotte's death. Harry Nilsson's song, "Remember Christmas," is featured. This TV movie premiered December 14, 1997 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Harris, Jena Malone, (more)
- 1978
- Add Emily Dickinson: A Certain Slant of Light to QueueAdd Emily Dickinson: A Certain Slant of Light to top of Queue
"There's a certain slant of light/ winter afternoons/ That oppresses/ like the heft of cathedral tunes." Emily Dickinson's heavy lines create the mood for the Monterey Video release, Emily Dickinson: A Certain Slant of Light. Hosted by classical actress Julie Harris, the video explores the life of the tragic poet. It runs a mere 29 minutes and features the real-life surroundings of the "Belle of Amherst." ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1988
In the 1988 documentary Forever James Dean, we see Dean in his first appearance on film, in a Pepsi Cola commercial. We see a color vignette from the 1951 religious TV special Hill Number One, with Dean as a Biblical apostle describing the Resurrection. We watch Dean honing his craft in clips from such network TV dramas as "I'm a Fool" and "The Unlighted Road". We are treated to choice selections from his trio of starring films: East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. And we are invited to cringe at Dean's ominous "Drive carefully" warning during a staged interview with Gig Young. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Edward Herrmann narrates this portrait of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as directed by renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (Lewis & Clark.) The film is an assemblage of photos, film clips, TV appearances (including a 1957 The Mike Wallace Interview), home movies, and more recent footage. Interviews include Wright biographer Brendan Gill. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Bosco, Julie Harris, (more)
- 1950
The first volume of this series features "Marty" and "A Wind from the South," two live television dramas from the 1950s. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Gorillas in the Mist is based on the autobiographical 1983 book by naturalist Dian Fossey. Before the book could be brought before the cameras, Fossey had been mysteriously killed; her death provides a logical, if somewhat ghoulish climax to the film. A Kentucky girl, Fossey (Sigourney Weaver) is inspired by famed anthropologist Louis Leakey (Ian Cuthbertson) to devote her life to the study of primates. Travelling into deepest Africa, Fossey becomes fascinated with the lives and habits of the rare mountain gorillas of the Ugandan wilderness. Studying them at close quarters, Fossey develops a means of communicating with the gorillas, and in so doing becomes obsessed with the beasts' well-being. She is so devoted to "her" mountain that she loses the opportunity for a romance with a National Geographic photographer (Bryan Brown). Appalled by the poaching of the gorillas for their skins, Fossey complains to the Ugandan government, which dismisses her by explaining that poaching is the only means by which some of the Ugandan natives can themselves survive. She refuses to accept this, and becomes a militant animal-rights activist, burning down the poachers' villages and even staging a mock execution of one of the offenders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigourney Weaver, Bryan Brown, (more)
- 1988
Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre profiles the career of celebrated director/producer Harold Clurman. A man known for his passionate commitment to working with actors, Clurman devoted his life to the theatrical arts, serving not only as a director and producer, but as a respected critic as well. The program features footage of Clurman on the job delivering thought-provoking lectures and helping actors construct roles. Meryl Streep narrates. Stella Adler, Karl Malden, and Julie Harris are interviewed. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
Screenwriter William Goldman has claimed that Paul Newman agreed to do Harper, the film that established the grateful writer's career, only because he was working unhappily on Lady L. (1965) in Europe, and was looking for something as unlike that film as possible. He stars as Lew Harper, a hip L.A. private dick whose business has gotten so bad that he's re-using his coffee grounds. At the suggestion of his friend, attorney Albert Graves (Arthur Hill), the detective takes on the investigation of the disappearance of the wealthy husband of waspish cripple Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall). After finding a photograph of former actress Fay Estabrook (Shelley Winters), Harper locates the alcoholic actress in a bar, plies her with booze, and takes her home to search her apartment while she's unconscious. There he takes a call which leads him to another bar to meet Betty Fraley (Julie Harris), a singer with a heroin problem. To curtail his inquisitive behavior, some large and unpleasant gentleman beat him up outside the saloon. Hoping for sympathy from his soon to be ex-wife (Janet Leigh), who has just filed divorce papers, the weary detective is much more successful than he has any right to expect. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, (more)
