THEATRE HISTORY

The Life of James Dean

James Dean, strange you know the name before the man, indeed many film buffs I know never even seen the movies he made and many are startled on discovering that he only starred in three movies. Yet, everyone knows James Dean, his ubiquitous image charms us from all kinds of angles, you would have to live on the moon to not recognise his face, and indeed it appears that to know him is to be seduced by him. The enigma that he is though is still somewhat of a riddle, how can one man, no matter how attractive he is and no matter how impressive his duds, how can he capture the imagination of people born decades after his death who have never seen any of his movies?

The 1950s in America were an era of unprecedented growth, people were beginning to have extra cash to spend on luxuries, people were beginning to realise that they could enjoy life, it was the beginning of a lifestyle that would make America the envy of the world. This was a golden era for a America that was reeling from the deprivations of the 1930s and the horrors of the 1940s. The children of the fifties were a blessed bunch or at least they were supposed to be, that was what was preached to them. They had everything that their parents had not, times were good, children could stay in school, unbelievably some could even drive there, they had countless options, college was on the horizon and everyone was beaming. Except perhaps their parents and well, also their children, so in fact does that mean that nobody was beaming at all? Why not? Life is not that simple, the consciousness of the country would not allow everybody to move on, there existed a shared memory of the brutality and inhumanity of the Second World War and the humiliation and constant yearning of the decade before that. Those who had lived through it were not going to be overjoyed that their children had the keys of the kingdom in their back pocket. Of course there was envy involved but more importantly there was an overriding fear that addled their minds. It had been drilled into their heads that life was not supposed to be easy and so they maintained a heavy feeling of dread, drifting around like harbingers of doom. Obviously, to their children’s bright eyes and light hearts their parents were gloom merchants who refused to enjoy in the frivolity that was life, there was going to be friction, there was going to be a lot of friction. The older generations knew the dangers of the world and therefore did their utmost to maintain the most moderate course possible, anything extreme was stamped out immediately. There were still lingering dangers in the world like the Korean War, Castro’s Cuba and the Suez Crisis to ensure that they remained vigilant. Cinema was to mirror this mass paranoia, this mass holding back; the ravages of the past had taken hold, the country was scarred. Bette Davis starred as an ageing Broadway star in Joseph Mankiewicz’s All About Eve (1950), Gloria Swanson was a troubling symbol of living in a faded past in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard (1950) and  old Bogie never looked so wracked in John Huston’s The African Queen (1951). The great stars were aging, and Hollywood was up to other tricks – scaremongering the already suspicious populace with the brazenly analogous The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) or the desperate escapism that Gene Kelly was peddling in Singin’ in the Rain (1952). James Dean grew up in the midst of this overbearing conservatism, or rather existed through it as he put it, on his uncle’s farm in Fairmount, Indiana. He landed in the eye of the storm, California in 1949, studying drama in UCLA and it appeared to all intensive purposes grasping for the American Dream. And it seemed like he would gain it as he starred in a Pepsi-Cola television commercial, landed a few walk on parts in movies and got to say a few lines in Sailor Beware (1952) starring Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. On moving to New York he gained admission to America’s most prestigious acting school, the Actors Studio to study Method Acting under the legendary Lee Strasberg. The world was opening up for the young Dean, he caught the eye of Elia Kazan who wished to cast him in his adaptation of Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Kazan sent Dean to see Steinbeck, the novelist viewed him as something of an upstart, he and Kazan were sold, Dean would be perfect for the main role of Cal Trask. Indeed, the character was pure Dean – disaffected Cal railing against the stuffy conventions that attempt to bind him, exposing the unholy truths that lie beneath the charade of modern living and of course looking mighty fine and attracting all the girls. And it ain’t all straight forward, it’s muddy and confused, hard to tell exactly whether Cal is good or bad, Dean had arrived, he keeps us guessing to this day. It got him the Oscar but tragically he wouldn’t be around to receive it. The guessing game would become all the more compelling in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he played THE rebellious teenager Jim Stark. In retrospect it’s a strange portrayal, Dean like an overgrown teenager, a little man in the Edwardian style of the word. Impossible to understand just like adolescence. Shot in little over a month, the movie would change everything at the time, Dean was a megastar, no doubt. Giant (1956) was tragically to be Dean’s final movie, it’s so alluring, unnervingly offering us glimpses of an aged Dean – a washed up drunkard with busted ego, lonely and wretched. Dean was dead before the film was edited, pointedly he would not live to even see himself old on screen. The ultimate young rebel would remain forever young, and the hordes lapped it up, raising him to messianic proportions. Each year that passes, Dean becomes younger than us, trapped in teen angst forever, unattainable forever.

About the Author

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source Russell Shortt, http://www.exploringireland.net/escorted-tours-page.html http://www.visitscotlandtours.com/tours/escorted-tours.html

Tony Awards: As if We Never Said Goodbye

SUNSET BOULEVARD BROADWAY CAST SIGNED SOUVENIR PROGRAM $65.00

Sunset Boulevard [Original London Cast] by Original Cast (CD, Nov-1993, 2 DISC ) $2.99

SUNSET BOULEVARD Playbill GLENN CLOSE / GEORGE HARN + CAST Autographed NYC 1994 $30.00

1993 London Cast – Sunset Boulevard (2x CD 1993) $15.79

Sunset Boulevard [Original Los Angeles Cast] [Highlights] by Original Cast (C… $9.99

Sunset Boulevard [Original London Cast] by Original Cast (CD, Nov-1993, 2 … $32.84

Sunset Boulevard (1993 Original London Cast) $6.36

Webber Sunset Boulevard Original LA Cast OST 2 x CD Set Music Album Brand New $24.28

Sunset Boulevard [Original London Cast] by Original Cast (CD, Nov-1993, 2 … $0.99

CD: Sunset Boulevard/DIahann Carroll ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER Canadian Cast] $30.99

Sunset Boulevard Premiere Cast Recording 2-CD (1993) Patti LuPone/Kevin Anderson $14.61

SUNSET BOULEVARD (1994) Glenn Close ORIGINAL CAST SOUNDTRACK 2-Cassettes ~XLNT $9.75

Sunset Boulevard-1993-Glenn Close-Amerian Cast-2 CD $39.41

Sunset Boulevard Original London Cast 2 CD FatBox $23.99

Sunset Boulevard [Original London Cast] (CD) $7.99

ORIGINAL LONDON CAST – SUNSET BOULEVARD [ORIGINAL LONDON CAST] – NEW CD BOXSET $27.60

Sunset Boulevard – 1993 Glenn Close – Original Cast 2CD $39.41

Sunset Boulevard / London Cast CD $24.12

SUNSET BOULEVARD, Original L. A. Cast, Glenn Close, NEW $9.90

Sunset Boulevard [Original Los Angeles Cast] by CD $4.00

Sunset Boulevard – 1993 London Cast – 2 Disc’s – Fatbox – Fast Postage – Rare $12.63

Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical SUNSET BOULEVARD Original London Cast 1993 Oop 2 CD $22.32

Sunset Boulevard 1993 London Cast 2CDs Patti LuPone Andrew Lloyd Webber $7.99

Original Cast Recording : Sunset Boulevard – American H $6.29

Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast), Andrew Lloyd $8.99

ORIGINAL LONDON CAST – SUNSET BOULEVARD [ORIGINAL LONDON CAST] – NEW CD BOXSET $24.60

Cassette – Cast Album – Sunset Boulevard $6.00

1993 London Cast – Sunset Boulevard (CD 1993) 24HR POST $11.05

Sunset Boulevard-1993-Highlights-Glenn Close-Cast -CD $19.68

Original London Cast – Sunset Boulevard UK CD Set NEW $14.65

Original London Cast Sunset Boulevard (O 2 CD NEW (UK Import) $14.75

SUNSET BOULEVARD – Original London Cast Recording CD (Andrew Lloyd Webber) $4.99

SUNSET BOULEVARD – ORIGINAL LONDON CAST [CD NEW] $17.56

SUNSET BOULEVARD WILLIAM HOLDEN CAST 36X24 POSTER PRINT $24.99

Sunset Boulevard [Original London Cast] FREE 1ST CLASS POST! $11.05

Sunset Boulevard 1993 American Premiere Highlights Cast CD Glen Close Judy Kuhn $6.99

Sunset Boulevard 1994 LA Cast Dbl CD 42 Songs Glenn Close Judy Kuhn George Hearn $8.99

Andrew Lloyd Webber – The Royal Albert Hall Celebration $12.43 The Royal Albert Hall in London comes alive to the passionate melodies and songs from the shows of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Enjoy the magic of this night of a thousand stars. Directed by: David Mallet…

Sunset Boulevard (1993 Original London Cast) $18.42 Certain moments in Sunset Boulevard may convince you that it’s Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most satisfying score. The dark opening theme recalls Franz Waxman, while throughout the lush strings perfectly evoke old Hollywood, occasionally broken by wonderfully jazzy interludes. The melodies of the two big songs, “With One Look” and “As if We Never Said Goodbye,” wind their way into your brain in the best …

Sunset Boulevard (1994 Los Angeles Cast) $24.45 All the benefits of the London version of Sunset Boulevard are as enjoyable in the U.S. premiere version–the luscious melodies, the wonderful atmosphere, the compelling story line (adapted from the 1950 Billy Wilder film), the spectacular staircase. OK, you don’t get the staircase on this CD, but you do get the later, more polished show that debuted in Los Angeles in 1994. And despite the oft-rep…

Sunset Boulevard: Starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Cast …

Sunset Boulevard $18.99 Women’s 1.0 oz EDT Spray. Sunset Boulevard is the ultimate street of dreams. From the glitz and glamour of its Hollywood origins to the cool elegance of Bel Air. The fresh yet sensual scent of Sunset Boulevard is fragrance of sophistication. Launched by the design house of Gale Hayman in 1998 Sunset Boulevard is classified as a sharp oriental floral fragrance. This feminine scent possesses a blend of the delicious aroma of orange and white florals with a hint of honey. It is recommended for daytime wear.

Faces of Sunset Boulevard By Ecclesine, Patrick $41.04 Presents a collection of photographs of people, from the famous to the unknown, who live and work in Los Angeles. Author: Ecclesine, Patrick Subtitle: A Portrait of Los Angeles Publication Date: 2008/12/01 Number of Pages: 208 Binding Type: Hardcover Language: English Depth: 1.00 Width: 9.25 Height: 12.25

Gale Hayman Sunset Boulevard Shower Gel 200ml/6.8oz $23 A luxurious refreshing body cleanser Cleans impurities without drying out your skin Instantly helps pamper the body mild & spirit Leaves skin glowing refreshed & velvety smooth Suitable for all skin types Delicately scented

Angels on Sunset Boulevard By De la Cruz, Melissa $13.39 When the people closest to them start to disappear, Taj and Nick hit the streets of Los Angeles looking for a way to reach the lost souls of their friends that have been tapped by The Angels Practice, a World Wide Webbased movement that connects young people and makes them feel good with no apparent consequences. Author: De la Cruz, Melissa Publication Date: 2008/10/07 Number of Pages: 232 Binding Type: Paperback Grade Level: 1012 Language: English Depth: 0.75 Width: 5.50 Height: 8.25

Gale Hayman Gel de banho Sunset Boulevard 200ml/6.8oz $58.5 Um luxuoso refrescando sabonete liquido Limpa impurezas sem ressecar a pele Instantaneamente ajuda a mimar o corpo e elevar o espirito Deixa a pele brilhante fresca e aveludada Apropriado para todos os tipos de pele Delicadamente perfumado