James Dean
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Dean got his first acting job in a Pepsi Cola television commercial.([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfikxbS4zE Youtube: 1950 Pepsi commercial]) He quit college to act full time and was cast as John the Beloved Disciple in "Hill Number One", an Easter television special, and three walk-on roles in movies, ''Fixed Bayonets'', ''Sailor Beware'', and ''Has Anybody Seen My Gal''. His only speaking part was in ''Sailor Beware'', a Paramount Pictures comedy starring [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]]; Dean played a boxing trainer. While struggling to get jobs in Hollywood, Dean also worked as a parking lot attendant at CBS Studios, during which time he met Rogers Brackett, a radio director for an advertising agency, who offered Dean professional help and guidance in his chosen career, as well as a place to stay.(Bast, W., ''Surviving James Dean'', New Jersey: Barricade Books, 2006, On Dean's relationship with Brackett, see also Hyams, ''James Dean: Little Boy Lost'', p.79.) | Dean got his first acting job in a Pepsi Cola television commercial.([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfikxbS4zE Youtube: 1950 Pepsi commercial]) He quit college to act full time and was cast as John the Beloved Disciple in "Hill Number One", an Easter television special, and three walk-on roles in movies, ''Fixed Bayonets'', ''Sailor Beware'', and ''Has Anybody Seen My Gal''. His only speaking part was in ''Sailor Beware'', a Paramount Pictures comedy starring [[Dean Martin]] and [[Jerry Lewis]]; Dean played a boxing trainer. While struggling to get jobs in Hollywood, Dean also worked as a parking lot attendant at CBS Studios, during which time he met Rogers Brackett, a radio director for an advertising agency, who offered Dean professional help and guidance in his chosen career, as well as a place to stay.(Bast, W., ''Surviving James Dean'', New Jersey: Barricade Books, 2006, On Dean's relationship with Brackett, see also Hyams, ''James Dean: Little Boy Lost'', p.79.) | ||
| − | In October 1951, following actor James Whitmore's and his mentor Rogers Brackett's advice, Dean moved to New York City. In New York he worked as a stunt tester for the ''Beat the Clock'' game show. He also appeared in episodes of several CBS television series, ''The Web'', ''Studio One'', and ''Lux Video Theater'', before gaining admission to the legendary Actor's Studio to study "Method acting" under Lee Strasberg. Proud of this accomplishment, Dean referred to the Studio in a 1952 letter to his family as "The greatest school of the theater. It houses great people like Marlon Brando, Julie Harris, Arthur Kennedy, Mildred Dunnock.... Very few get into it... It is the best thing that can happen to an actor. I am one of the youngest to belong."(''Surviving James Dean''). His career picked up and he performed in further episodes of such early 1950s television shows as ''Kraft Television Theater'', ''Robert Montgomery Presents'', ''Danger'' and ''General Electric Theater''. One early role, for the CBS series, ''Omnibus'', (''Glory in the Flower'') saw Dean portraying the same type of disaffected youth he would later immortalize in ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' (this summer, 1953 program was also notable for featuring the song "Crazy Man, Crazy", one of the first dramatic TV programs to feature rock and roll music). Positive reviews for his 1954 theatrical role as "Bachir", a pandering North African houseboy, in an adaptation of André Gide's book ''The Immoralist'', led to calls from Hollywood.(Reise, R. ''The Unabridged James Dean'', 1991) | + | In October 1951, following actor James Whitmore's and his mentor Rogers Brackett's advice, Dean moved to New York City. In New York he worked as a stunt tester for the ''Beat the Clock'' game show. He also appeared in episodes of several CBS television series, ''The Web'', ''Studio One'', and ''Lux Video Theater'', before gaining admission to the legendary Actor's Studio to study "Method acting" under Lee Strasberg. Proud of this accomplishment, Dean referred to the Studio in a 1952 letter to his family as "The greatest school of the theater. It houses great people like [[Marlon Brando]], Julie Harris, Arthur Kennedy, Mildred Dunnock.... Very few get into it... It is the best thing that can happen to an actor. I am one of the youngest to belong."(''Surviving James Dean''). His career picked up and he performed in further episodes of such early 1950s television shows as ''Kraft Television Theater'', ''Robert Montgomery Presents'', ''Danger'' and ''General Electric Theater''. One early role, for the CBS series, ''Omnibus'', (''Glory in the Flower'') saw Dean portraying the same type of disaffected youth he would later immortalize in ''[[Rebel Without a Cause]]'' (this summer, 1953 program was also notable for featuring the song "Crazy Man, Crazy", one of the first dramatic TV programs to feature rock and roll music). Positive reviews for his 1954 theatrical role as "Bachir", a pandering North African houseboy, in an adaptation of André Gide's book ''The Immoralist'', led to calls from Hollywood.(Reise, R. ''The Unabridged James Dean'', 1991) |
=== ''East of Eden'' === | === ''East of Eden'' === | ||
In 1953, director Elia Kazan was looking for an actor to play the role of "Cal Trask" in screenwriter Paul Osborn's adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel ''[[East of Eden]]''. The book dealt with the story of the Trask and Hamilton families over the course of three generations, focusing especially on the lives of the latter two generations in Salinas Valley, California in the mid-1800s through the 1910s. However, the film chose to deal predominantly with the character of Cal Trask, who is essentially the rebel son of a pious and constantly disapproving father (played by Raymond Massey), and estranged mother, whom Cal discovers is a brothel-keeping madam (Jo Van Fleet). | In 1953, director Elia Kazan was looking for an actor to play the role of "Cal Trask" in screenwriter Paul Osborn's adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel ''[[East of Eden]]''. The book dealt with the story of the Trask and Hamilton families over the course of three generations, focusing especially on the lives of the latter two generations in Salinas Valley, California in the mid-1800s through the 1910s. However, the film chose to deal predominantly with the character of Cal Trask, who is essentially the rebel son of a pious and constantly disapproving father (played by Raymond Massey), and estranged mother, whom Cal discovers is a brothel-keeping madam (Jo Van Fleet). | ||
| − | <table><tr><td>Elia Kazan said of Cal before casting, "I wanted a Brando for the role." Osborn suggested to Kazan that he consider Dean for the part. After introducing Dean to Steinbeck, and gaining his enthusiastic approval, Kazan set about putting the wheels in motion to cast the relatively unknown young actor in the role. On 8 Mar 1954, Dean left New York City and headed for Los Angeles to begin shooting. Dean's performance in the film foreshadowed his role as Jim Stark in ''[[Rebel Without A Cause]]''. Both characters are rebel loners and misunderstood outcasts, desperately craving parental guidance from a father figure.</td><td>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/James_Dean_in_East_of_Eden_trailer_2.jpg<br>Dean as Cal Trask in ''East of Eden''.</td></tr></table> | + | <table><tr><td>Elia Kazan said of Cal before casting, "I wanted a [[Marlon Brando|Brando]] for the role." Osborn suggested to Kazan that he consider Dean for the part. After introducing Dean to Steinbeck, and gaining his enthusiastic approval, Kazan set about putting the wheels in motion to cast the relatively unknown young actor in the role. On 8 Mar 1954, Dean left New York City and headed for Los Angeles to begin shooting. Dean's performance in the film foreshadowed his role as Jim Stark in ''[[Rebel Without A Cause]]''. Both characters are rebel loners and misunderstood outcasts, desperately craving parental guidance from a father figure.</td><td>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/James_Dean_in_East_of_Eden_trailer_2.jpg<br>Dean as Cal Trask in ''East of Eden''.</td></tr></table> |
Much of Dean's performance in the film is completely unscripted, such as his dance in the bean field and his curling up and pulling his arms inside of his shirt on top of the train during his ride home from meeting his mother. The most famous improvisation during the film was when Cal's father rejects his gift of $5,000 (which was in reparation for his father's business loss). Instead of running away from his father as the script called for, Dean instinctively turned to Massey and, crying, embraced him. This cut and Massey's shocked reaction were kept in the film by Kazan. | Much of Dean's performance in the film is completely unscripted, such as his dance in the bean field and his curling up and pulling his arms inside of his shirt on top of the train during his ride home from meeting his mother. The most famous improvisation during the film was when Cal's father rejects his gift of $5,000 (which was in reparation for his father's business loss). Instead of running away from his father as the script called for, Dean instinctively turned to Massey and, crying, embraced him. This cut and Massey's shocked reaction were kept in the film by Kazan. | ||
