In THE LUCKY SOUTHERN STAR, iconic starlet Julie Adams gets a chance to tell the tale of her long and impressive film, TV, and stage career. Julie Adams is known for the white bathing suit and attitude she brought to Kay Lawrence in Universal’s CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, a favorite for Monster Kids everywhere, but THE LUCKY SOUTHERN STAR is an opportunity to learn more about her experiences with Jack Arnold, the Gill-Man, and company. The book also shines a light on her jam-packed and under-appreciated acting career outside of CREATURE.
In the 220+ pages, Julie covers almost every role she took on, a humongous undertaking that spans her journey from Betty to Julia to the stage name that stuck: Julie Adams. She has a simple, matter of fact style of prose, as this book acts as an animated companion through Julie Adams’ shockingly full IMDB page. Fans will also delight in the wealth of glossy photos to be found in the book, as almost every page has stills or publicity shots from the various films and TV shows, or candid photos from her childhood and family life. There’s even a gallery chapter toward the end of the memoir.
Her tale begins in Arkansas, but truly lifts off when she had an epiphany in third grade in which she realized she wanted to be an actor. That kind of clarity I’m still searching for, and one that I think we all can be a little jealous of. Her infancy wasn’t so certain, as her exact day of birth was fudged for years by her parents, because she was conceived out of wedlock. Her upbringing is one of the most interesting parts of the book, even if she’s just scratching the surface on the emotions and troubles during that time. She grew up during the Depression and the resulting fallout, and her parents were alcoholics trapped in a loveless marriage as they moved from town to town, her Dad looking for work at local textile factories.
After high school and junior college, she was set to join a summer stock theater in Connecticut, and when she heard it was full, instead of biding her time… she packed her bags and went on her own to Hollywood, where she stayed with Ruth Small, a family friend. Ruth owned a bathing suit shop… which is ironic foreshadowing for what would undoubtedly be the most iconic image and outfit of Julie Adams’ film career.
With just school play experience, a course in “expression lessons”, and a class in shorthand and typing, Julie still managed to work her way up in Hollywood. She had to ditch her Southern accent, got a bump on her nose removed (an intriguing fact that is more or less brushed aside), and soon she was playing “the girl” in six different Westerns at once, all on the same set at the same time, a sitcom-ready image.
From there, she was contracted to Universal’s stable of talent, joining the Studio System during its waning years. The system has been met with controversy, criticism, and adoration, depending on whom you talk to. Adams, interestingly enough, is grateful for the studio system, likening it to having a “home,” something that she’d likely been searching for since her disparate youth. Furthermore, Julie attributes the contacts and friends she made in those days to helping her carve out such a long and successful career.
As her son mentions in the epilogue, Julie’s role as Kay in CREATURE has served to overshadow her entire filmography, and this shouldn’t be the case. She’s a self-made woman who made it in Hollywood on the power of hard work and by being one of the nicest women in show business. Her acting career has spanned eight (!) decades, from 1949-2011, and she’s still running the convention circuit to this day with class and levity. I had the pleasure to meet her at this year’s 3-D Film Expo in Hollywood, and she’s one of those gracious people that reaffirms that good things do indeed happen to good people.
Let’s talk a bit about that career, shall we? She’s worked with Raymond Burr on PERRY MASON and IRONSIDE. She’s played an on-camera love interest with Jimmy Stewart, William Shatner (GO ASK ALICE), and Dennis Hopper (THE LAST MOVIE), and has acted alongside John Wayne (MCQ), Andy Griffith (on his show), Bruce Dern (CSI: NY), Barbara Stanwyck (THE BIG VALLEY), and Joseph Cotten (ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS). Her stories about traveling to Korea with Raymond Burr pre-MASON and others on a USO Trip are fascinating, and it’s awesome to learn about her enduring friendship with Rock Hudson and Piper Laurie. You can’t help but wonder if Julie had any insight on Rock Hudson’s tumultuous personal life, but don’t read this expecting any dirt on her infamous costars. That’s just not her style. I can only imagine how many inside Hollywood stories that Julie has amassed over the years working with such film stars. That almost makes you kind of wish she was the type of person to reveal all. Were Julie, Rock, Piper, and other young Hollywood stars really just playing cards while snowed in at a lodge in Mt. Hood? We’ll never know.
She devotes an entire chapter to kissing Elvis, as probably everyone would (Julie referring to her character as a Cougar going after her prey/Elvis, is hilarious). But Elvis is just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s a smattering of some of her best known guest spots, recurring roles and starring turns on television: ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, BONANZA, GENERAL HOSPITAL, MAVERICK, THE RIFLEMAN, CHECKMATE, 77 SUNSET STRIP, KRAFT SUSPENSE THEATRE, THE BIG VALLEY, ROD SERLING’S NIGHT GALLERY, THE JIMMY STEWART SHOW, THE DORIS DAY SHOW, MOD SQUAD, MANNIX, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, CAGNEY & LACY, QUINCY M.E., MURDER, SHE WROTE, BEVERLY HILLS 90210, MELROSE PLACE, CSI: NY, even THE INCREDIBLE HULK and an episode of LOST. Whew. That doesn’t even include her many Western roles that kicked off her career, including WINGS OF THE HAWK. Each and every one of the shows I just mentioned all get coverage, long and short, in THE LUCKY SOUTHERN STAR. While the depth of her analysis sometimes leaves you wanting more, the sheer scope of this book is not to be dismissed. I haven’t even mentioned her career in plays and live theatre, a whole other facet to her talent.
More on LOST, because that’s my jam: her small role in “A Tale of Two Cities,” the season 3 premiere of LOST that introduced us to Juliet and the rest of the “Others,” is fascinating. A lot of it was cut but found its way onto the special edition of the Season 4 DVD set. Her character name Amelia led many to believe that she was playing the long lost Amelia Earhart, a tantalizing possibility Adams addresses in the book.
I ear-marked the book several times for episodes, shows, or movies that I needed to check out, something inescapable when sifting through her myriad screen roles. The most notable omission in my watch history may have been THE UNDERWATER CITY (1962), a sci-fi movie in which Julie Adams and several others experiment whether or not they can live underwater. Clearly, Julie and water go well together, and she had a lot to say about the Frank McDonald picture in the book.
Many FM fans will snap up the book for the CREATURE stories, of which there are plenty to be found in the CREATURE chapter and peppered throughout the book. There’s the specter of freezing water in the water tanks, tales of her injury and mishap on the set, and her awe at seeing the water ballet being filmed. She also had no shortage of praise for director Jack Arnold. She rightfully asserts that none of the film’s success would’ve been possible without him, with his ingenious way of framing shots and how he made everything look so good, for so cheap. Also: she has no idea where the white bathing suit is nowadays.
The most captivating part, for me, comes when she discusses the original suit, a more Eel-like one, in which we see some shots of. In a word: Ew. There’s no question that nobody would be talking about the film today if somebody at the studio hadn’t demanded a different suit. Sometimes, studio interference is a good thing people. On the other hand…
…Die-hards will be disappointed by Adams’ assertion that Bud Westmore was the chief architect and designer of the Gill-Man suit, merely discussing Millicent Patrick in passing. She’s in a photo “consulting” on a design, that we all know now was her own. I don’t think Adams is aware of the controversy over the suit, and I do not believe she is making a commentary on the situation.
CREATURE has been as indelible to us as it has been to Julie, though she only discovered the enduring love and passion of CREATURE fans first hand in 2002, when she finally took up an offer from Ben Chapman to go to the Chiller convention. She was struck right away by the enthusiastic response that her 1954 film was still receiving 50 years later. Pretty good for a movie to which she approached with this aw-shucks statement that captures Adams’ adventurous spirit: “What the hey, it might be fun.”
Her body of work and story is an inspiration in itself, but I wouldn’t look here for passages to change your life. In her final chapter, she talks about how lucky she’s been and offers the following to those hoping or wishing they could follow her footsteps: follow your dreams. There are also some very interesting insights to be found, like her opinion on the possibility of a CREATURE remake. At the time of the book’s publishing, HUNGER GAMES and PLEASANTVILLE auteur Gary Ross was looking into it. Because he’s the son of the original writer, and she’s friends with Mr. Ross, she found the idea wonderful.
It’s impossible not to mourn the missed opportunities in the narrative. Julie worked through the Golden Age of Hollywood, toward the end of the Studio System with Universal, and wrestled with being an aging woman and working mother in Hollywood. Perhaps she didn’t face any problems, which seems possible as it certainly doesn’t look like she was ever starving for work, given her 146 credits, but more likely, we’re given just a surface understanding of her life and career. To wit: she only devoted a couple perfunctory sentences relating to the end of her marriage with actor-director Ray Danton, only giving us the facts of her life, rather than the emotions behind it.
The book comes to an end in 2011, in Burbank with Monsterpalooza. But her story doesn’t end there. She’s still working the convention circuit, still overjoyed to talk with fans and to introduce the Gill-Man to new generations, carrying the Creature mantle that Ben Chapman championed until his death. Julie Adams is a treasure, and this book is like uncovering a little piece of it. Come for the CREATURE chapter, and stay to follow the diverse and interesting trajectory of her illustrious career!