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Shirley and me

My name is Julia, but my friends at Reel Jewels call me Julie. I used to hate it when people called me that, but I like it now. I saw Carousel and the heroine, Julie Jordan, was just like me. I guess it’s a lucky coincidence because although my mother loves Carousel, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t thinking of Julie Jordan when she named me Julia.

I first became a Shirley fan about a year and a half ago when I saw Carousel. I feel as if I’ve been a fan much longer. Even though I adore Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, I could never really relate to them in the same way I can with Shirley. Like me, she’s a good girl with an inner rebel. You have to be bit of a rebel if you’re 15 years old and not be afraid to admit that you’d rather listen to Shirley Jones than Britney Spears. She is the star of my all- time favorite film, Carousel and my second, Oklahoma!. I vaguely remember seeing a bit of Carousel on TV when I was very little and somehow, the image of the beautiful girl on the carousel stayed with me. I never saw anyone quite like her again. I remember asking my mum who she was and her telling me, ‘That’s Shirley Jones. She has a very beautiful voice.’ Shirley Jones. I had a feeling then that that name would become important to me. What I didn’t know was how important.

I saw Carousel again when I was 13 years old and I was doing a project on musicals for school. I can’t explain it, but I liked Shirley the second I saw her. The thing that struck me was how beautiful and talented Shirley was and yet so genuine. I felt that I could see her as a real person and not just a glamorous movie star. I could also really relate to her characters, especially Julie and I wanted to be Laurey in Oklahoma!. You can look at someone like Grace Kelly and think ‘I could never be like her.’ With Shirley you can think ‘I can aspire to be like her.’ It isn’t just her physical appearance that makes her beautiful, it’s everything about her. She possesses a special kind of warmth and inner beauty that I don’t think any other woman has. The funny thing is that normally I’d be a little jealous of someone as pretty and talented and basically just as perfect as her. She also gets to kiss Gordon MacRae in two films, which could be enough to make me hate her. Not Shirley. She completely deserves everything.

Shirley is the most amazing woman. She can do everything from serious drama to comedy as well as having the most beautiful, crystal- clear singing voice. I would die to be able to sing like her. It’s so strong, but pretty at the same time. My favorite song is If I Loved You from Carousel and it’s also Shirley’s. For a long time, I could only think of her as Julie. I love having the same name as my favorite character. The first time I saw a picture of her in Elmer Gantry I was thinking ‘Is that Julie?!’ I was so used to thinking of her in sweet, virginal roles to imagine her doing anything like that, but after I saw it I realized what a brilliant actress she is, not being typecast as Miss Innocence. In Elmer Gantry she was a prostitute, in The Music Man she was a librarian. It just proves what a versatile actress she is.

Even though my friends don’t know who she is, Shirley is never going to be forgotten. To a whole generation she was the ideal mother on The Partridge Family and I often find myself wishing that she’s my grandma. In 50 years time, people will still be listening to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. She has the thing everyone wants- immortality. Most of all, she’s an incredible role model. She’s been through so much and still manages to be so gracious towards her fans. As her stepson, David Cassidy, said, ‘She never once in her life thought of herself as a movie star.’ In my entire life, no other woman has inspired me as much as she has. If I ever have a daughter, I’m going to call her Louise Mae. Louise after the daughter in Carousel (especially if I marry a Billy!) and Mae after Shirley Mae Jones. She’s my heroine and I admire her beyond words. There’s something wonderful about watching Oklahoma! for the millionth time and thinking, ‘I’m on the same planet as her. Maybe one day I’ll meet her.’ If I ever did meet her, all the intelligent questions I have for her would probably fly right out of my head. I’d probably burst into tears. Thank you Shirley, for everything you have added to my life.

By Julie