Film
After moving to Hollywood, Adams worked as a part-time secretary and spent time taking speech lessons to lose her accent. Working under her real name, Betty Adams, she landed a role in Red, Hot and Blue (1949). Then, she landed a leading role in the Lippert Western The Dalton Gang (1949). B-movie stardom followed quickly when the producers of The Dalton Gang asked if she would star in their next six Westerns.
Adams's breakout role as a third-billed part in Universal Pictures' Bright Victory (1951), the audience response was enough that Universal put Adams under contract. Universal didn't like the name "Betty", so they changed her name to "Julia". She eventually changed it herself to "Julie". "The studio picked Julia, but I never have felt comfortable with it. I just like the name Julie better, and the studio has given me permission to make the change."
While under contract with Universal, she co-starred in films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading men, including with James Stewart in Bend of the River (1952), with Rock Hudson in The Lawless Breed (1953) and One Desire (1955), with Tyrone Power in The Mississippi Gambler (1953), with Glenn Ford in The Man from the Alamo (1953).
She was featured as the beautiful ichthyologist Kay Lawrence in the horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). The white one-piece swimsuit worn by Adams in the film was made exclusively for her. The studio, for publicity purposes, had Adams's legs insured by Lloyd's of London for $125,000. Although two sequels to Creature were made, Adams did not want to appear in them. Ultimately, Adams is best remembered for her role in Creature.
Adams with Rory Calhoun in the film The Looters (1955), the story of a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. Part of the picture was filmed about Tarryall Creek at what is now Eleven Mile State Park in Park County in central Colorado. The advertising poster reads: "Five desperate men ... and a girl who didn't care ... trapped on a mountain of gale-lashed rock!"
Adams starred with Charlton Heston in The Private War of Major Benson (1955) and with Dan Duryea in Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (1957). She also starred in 1957's Four Girls in Town, a romantic comedy about four young women competing for the leading role in a new movie, featuring an international cast. In 1957, Adams's run at Universal came to an end with Slim Carter. After that, she did have a few more film appearances, but most of her work would be in television.
Adams's post-Universal films included The Gunfight at Dodge City (1959) with Joel McCrea. She appeared with Elvis Presley in the musical-comedy Tickle Me (1965). Adams thought highly of her co-star, noting: "He was such a gentleman, and surprisingly shy... I was quite in awe of him because he would do a musical number in one take, and that was wonderful".
