Plot
In 1936 London, mature showgirl Julia Packett (Greer Garson) leads a precarious life. She pretends to be contemplating suicide in order to finagle some money out of a male friend in order to pay her bills. Then, she receives a wedding invitation from her daughter Susan (Elizabeth Taylor). As a young woman, Julia had married wealthy William Packett (Walter Pidgeon). However, after fourteen months of marriage, his disapproving mother (Lucile Watson) had managed to break them up. Julia returned to show business, but left her infant daughter with her husband, so that the child could be raised in more secure circumstances.
On the boat trip to France, she meets and becomes attracted to Fred Ghenoccio (Cesar Romero), a muscular acrobat. Later, Fred proposes to her as her train pulls away from the station.
When Julia reaches her destination, she is penniless, so following her usual methods, she gets a stranger, Colonel Willowbrook (Nigel Bruce), to give her money, supposedly for a negligee and other clothing. However, she sneaks away before Willowbrook tries to become better acquainted with her.
Her mother-in-law is less than pleased to see her, but Julia manages to see Susan, who insists she stay. As time goes by, William's love for Julia revives. Meanwhile, Julia observes that Susan has strong feelings about lovestruck painter Ritchie Lorgan (Peter Lawford), though he is not her fiancé. Though Susan claims to be merely annoyed, Julia sees that Susan loves the young man and does her best to bring the two together. It works.
Meanwhile, Julia remains skeptical of William's restored love, unable to forget the past. Complications arise when Fred shows up to claim his "fiancée". However, when William encounters his old friend, Colonel Willowbrook, he learns of Julia's misdeed. William persuades his friend to pretend to not know him and interrupt their breakfast. The revelation of Julia's questionable method of raising funds sends Fred packing.
Eventually, Susan takes Julia's suggestion and elopes with Ritchie. When William chases after them, followed by Julia, they discover they have been tricked into going to the wrong place. Following Susan's instructions, servants drive away their cars, leaving them stranded for 48 hours in their isolated honeymoon cabin. Julia tries to walk away in a rainstorm, but ends up in the mud. When William comes to her rescue, he ends up sprawled in the muck as well, leaving them both laughing at their predicament.
Read more about this topic: Julia Misbehaves
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