| Runway 4/22 is clear for Dean Fest FAA approves Marion airport's partial closure BY KRISTIN HARTY James Dean Fest organizers can set up vendors along the longest of two runways at Marion Municipal Airport next weekend, now that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved a partial closure. Barely a week before the event, set for June 3 through 5, the FAA approved a request to close the 6,002-foot runway. In a three-page letter sent to airport officials Thursday, the FAA outlines specific conditions, including keeping open the airport's shorter runway for regular traffic. "We could have five planes, we could have 50," said Andy Darlington, airport manager, who plans to provide extra staff during Dean Fest to handle air traffic - and ground traffic. He plans to shut down the longer runway, called the 4/22 runway, at about 9 a.m. Wednesday, setting out huge, lighted 'X' marks at both ends. "Any time you close a runway, you have to make it so if somebody is coming in on a plane they can see it's marked off," said Darlington, who is borrowing the lighted 'X's from Muncie Municipal Airport. "In a normal situation we have orange fabric and make Xs. But we wanted something more noticeable for this." Festival organizers initially wanted to close the airport completely for the three-day event in honor of Dean, who was born in Marion and grew up in Fairmount. But the FAA denied that request. Festival organizers indicated the show would be a go whether the airport was partially closed or entirely open. As part of the agreement to close runway 4/22, the FAA requires event promoters to pay the Marion Municipal Airport $20,000. Airport staff already are working overtime to prepare the grounds for the festival, Darlington said. "We're keeping logs of everything we're doing," he said, adding that employees are mowing and patching holes in the ground to accommodate the crowds. "We're doing what we have to do, regardless of whether we get any money out of it. I hope this is a huge success for the city." |
| MICHAEL DERMEN headed for the bright lights of Hollywood a year ago after graduating from McKendree College in Lebanon. On Wednesday, he arrived back at the small-town school in style. Or at least close to style. Michael Dermen was driving the Best Buy support van for the Porsche 550 Spyder Tour. The tour features an exact replica of the famous car in which actor James Dean died. The car started at the James Dean star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is headed to Marion, Ind., for the James Dean Fest commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dean's death. Dermen is the project manager for the tour. He has scheduled everything and kept the tour moving through 10 days and more than 2,000 miles on the road. The 550 Spyder is a silver, low-slung sports car with Dean's competition number, 130, on it and "Little Bastard" painted on the back, a nickname he picked up from some veteran actors for his irritating acting style. The car made a stop at the Fairview Heights Best Buy and then came to Lebanon, where Dermen met several school friends. Dermen, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, came to the United States for an international exchange program and received a soccer scholarship to McKendree. He said he has been working in film production since he went to Los Angeles and also spent some time with the television show The Bachelor. "I'm a production assistant," he said. "They needed a project manager. The worst part was I had only 11 days to make it happen." Dean, a popular actor whose young rebel persona captivated America, was 24 when he was killed in September 1955 while driving his beloved Porsche 550 Spyder. Car collector Robb Greenberg is the owner of the replica. He said the car has generated a lot of interest wherever it has gone.Greenberg is scheduled to drive a few laps around the track at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway and then head back to Chicago before going to Marion for the festival. It will promote the festival and the James Dean DVD box set of the actor's movies due for release Tuesday. Photographer Andrew Garver also is along for the trip and said the tour is being filmed for a documentary. . |
| Dean home to be sold on eBay Online sale will coincide with auction at Fest BY SEAN F. DRISCOLL May 17th 2005 FAIRMOUNT - For collectors of James Dean memorabilia, next month's James Dean Fest offers a chance to pick up a unique piece of his history - one of the homes he grew up in as a child. During the three-day event, the home at 322 E. Washington St. will be one of about 50 items up for sale at an auction to be conducted at the Marion Municipal Airport, the site of the Dean Fest. Dean's father, Winton, bought the home in 1933 for $600, and sold it two years later for $750, according to the property's abstract. Dean was born in Marion in 1931, then moved with his parents to California in 1935. Current residents Paula and Mark Johnson say they were clueless about their home's connection to Dean until after they'd moved in nearly a decade ago. "We had no idea," Paula Johnson said. "After we bought the house, I was sitting on the side porch with my uncle, and some woman walked up and said 'You know, James Dean used to live here.'" Specialty Auction Services is coordinating the auction at the Dean Fest. Jimmy Wainscott, a partner in the Indianapolis-based firm, said the home will be the premier item for sale at the auction, now tentatively scheduled for June 4. "I think this is a wonderful undiscovered treasure for Grant County," he said of the home. "This would make a great bed and breakfast or a private getaway for people to come out to Fairmount." The final auction list isn't finalized, but Wainscott said some items expected to become available are a yearbook owned by Dean's drama teacher, Adeline Nall, vintage movie posters and drawings done of Dean. Although the auction will be held at the Dean Fest, Wainscott said a walk-through likely will be scheduled for the home prior to the auction. Photographs of the home also will be available at the auction at online auction site eBay (www. ebay.com), where Internet participants also can bid on any of the items up for sale, including the house. "This is going to have a worldwide audience," Wainscott said. The Johnsons had considered selling the house in an auction themselves at September's Museum Days festivities in Fairmount, but eventually got connected with Warner Bros. through Jennifer Seybold, coordinator of the local Dean Fest office and wife of Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold. Paula Johnson said she wasn't eager to move at first, but said she was willing to take the chance to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of Dean's death. "It's not that I wanted to move. But timing is everything," she said. |  |
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In 1956, on the first anniversary of James Dean's death, a then-17-year-old Michael Sheridan hitchhiked from his hometown in Pennsylvania to Dean's turf of Fairmount, Ind., hoping to attend a memorial service for the actor. Attend he did, meeting many of Dean's relatives and forming bonds in the process. It also started Sheridan on a mission that has been a primary goal of his ever since: finding out everything he could about Dean and tracking down the nearly 40 television shows Dean did pre-"East of Eden." Fast-forward to this week at the Cannes Film Festival: A feature-length documentary on Dean titled "James Dean: Forever Young" will have its world premiere Wednesday, carrying the credit "a Michael J. Sheridan film." Indeed it is -- Sheridan wrote, produced, directed and edited the film with, he is quick to point out, the encouragement and muscle of Warner Home Video's Jim Cardwell, who, Sheridan says, "shared the vision and realized the value and potential of such a project. Without Jim, this never would have happened." Happily, it did. It is by far the best Dean documentary to date, not only because of Sheridan's own prowess as an editor (his credits include collaborating on the editing of the first two "That's Entertainment!" films; co-writing, co-producing, co-directing and co-editing "That's Entertainment! III"; and editing numerous TV shows and features, including two for Franco Zeffirelli and two for Terence Young) but also because the rare Dean-in-action clips he found and includes in this documentary (and he's uncovered a mountain of them) indicates that the actor had much more of a range than you'd ever suspect from the three famous features in which he starred. "Forever Young" also will unspool May 24 at London's National Film Theatre and should be a huge seller on home video. It'll be a pleasurable eye-opener, even for the most ardent Dean enthusiasts. |
| The documentary opens with a shot of an empty stretch of road. Then a gas station, the last place the driver stopped before being killed in a car crash. It's about as lonely a spot as you can imagine -- a perfect metaphor for James Dean. Dean died at 24, but he left an indelible imprint on both film and culture as an icon of rebellion. American Masters' hourlong ''James Dean: Sense Memories," which airs tonight at 9 on WGBH (Channel 2), focuses on the last year of his life, between the beginning of the filming of ''East of Eden" and the end of the production of ''Giant," a time when the brooding Actors Studio-trained actor shot to stardom. In interviews with friends, fellow actors, directors, photographers, and writers, a portrait emerges of a young actor able to tap into his vast reservoir of anguish and need and use it to create vivid portraits of outsiders.''He understood pain," actor Martin Landau says. ''Young people usually don't have that kind of pain, or don't wear it as externally." Jimmy had ''insufficient hopefulness," says Lois Smith, his ''East of Eden" costar. After Dean lost his mother to cancer at age 9, his father left him with an aunt and uncle on a farm in Indiana. Dean didn't see his father again until he was 18. He hungered for parents and created them out of those he met in the film world. He was unreliable, taut, and guarded, as well as sensitive and generous. The documentary shows how each of Dean's film characters, Cal in ''East of Eden," Jim Stark in ''Rebel Without a Cause," and Jett Rink in ''Giant," made use of those traits. The directors Dean worked with -- Elia Kazan, Nicholas Ray, and George Stevens -- also used his traits to ramp up the emotion in their films. During the shooting of ''East of Eden," Dean got on the nerves of the more traditionally trained Raymond Massey, who played his father. Kazan told Massey he'd talk to Dean about it, then privately told Dean to keep it up. The real-life tension fueled that between the onscreen father and son. By the time Dean did ''Giant," he was a major star and took advantage of his power. Stevens had to shoot endless retakes because Dean hadn 't done his homework. But Dean's acting gifts are made clear in one three-minute, 40-second shot. He's sitting in an office surrounded by men who tell him he's getting a piece of land and will be wealthy. Dean is silent and impassive and just twirls a piece of rope -- and completely steals the scene. ''Sense Memories" also places Dean in the wider context of post-World War II America. He wasn't part of the button-down world of veterans in crew cuts raising kids, but the more unruly one of beatniks and jazz. Photographer Dennis Stock, who also took the now-famous shot of Dean in Times Square, said the actor was an insomniac who ''looked like hell most of the time. He couldn't have been shabbier." Dean died 50 years ago, and many look back on their time with him with great fondness. Eartha Kitt recalls how they sat on park benches in Hollywood, working on their characters by watching people. Writer William Bast, who was Dean's roommate and confidant, says ''You can't replace, you can't forget anyone as dynamic and as interesting as Dean." The Dean film kicks off the latest round of the American Masters biography series. Coming up are ''Ray Charles: The Genius of Soul" (May 18) and ''Cary Grant: A Class Apart," (May 25). Later on are Bob Dylan (directed by Martin Scorsese), Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Lucille Ball. This article was written by Catherine Foster, Globe Staff on May 11th. |  |
| James Dean Fan Weekend hosted by the James Dean Gallery will be held June 23-26th 2005. As more information becomes available I will post it. Check back often. Also upcoming is Marfa, Texas GIANT celebration weekend. Which will take place July 1-3rd 2005. The Marfa Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Marfa GIANT Celebration on July 1-3. 50th anniversary screening of Giant in its original 35mm format on July 2nd at 8:00 pm benefiting the Marfa Library. Event will take place in downtown Marfa, in front of the Hotel Paisano. It is $50 per person, all proceeds are benefiting the Marfa Public Library. There will be a screening Giant in the middle of their main street, Highland Avenue, in front of the historic Hotel Paisano. A cocktail reception before the screening, with some of the stars and crew of Giant, and a cash bar. All ticket holders will receive a custom-made lawn chair that you will use for seating. The chair will be your ticket, as it admits you to the roped off area in the street in front of the screen. Only people with the official chair will be allowed to sit there. It will be emblazoned with the Giant 50th logo and our sponsors, Warner Bros. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and the Hotel Paisano. For more info on the event go to the site at: GIANT celebration |  |
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From the Marion Chronicle Tribune April 8th 2005. Among the complicated logistics of staging the three-day James Dean Fest at the Marion Municipal Airport is coordinating traffic from thousands going in and out of the venue from June 3 to 5. "We're having this big open space that needs to be safe for everybody," John Goldstone, executive producer and CEO of the event, said. In addition to screenings of the Marion-born and Fairmount actor's three movies and a new documentary, the James Dean Fest will also include car shows and art exhibits. Main Street Marion is putting on a three-day event downtown, the Community School of the Arts is staging an original show honoring Dean and Gas City is holding a carnival during the same weekend. There will be a circular tour during the three days that will take visitors to all the James Dean sites in Marion and Fairmount, Goldstone said. A shuttle bus will also run between the airport and downtown events. A team from the Marion Police Department is working with festival organizers, the Grant County Emergency Management Agency and the sheriff's office to plan for the event, Deputy Chief Dan Day said. They also will soon be contacting law enforcement from other county agencies for help. "We're going to be doing traffic control and security," Day said. "They will have event security there, which is a private company, to take care of some of the lesser issues, including parking and ticketing and that kind of thing. We will be more for upper level type of security." Police will patrol the airport on foot, golf carts, four-wheelers and bicycles, Day said. No road closures are expected, but traffic may be stopped as police control departures from the airport at the end of each night. Organizers have asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to close the Marion airport during the event. The James Dean Fest will pay the airport a fee intended to compensate for losses, Goldstone said. Those losses could be substantial because airport employees will not be selling any fuel or performing flight training or maintenance during the festival, airport manager Andy Darlington said. "We're doing our best to keep our pilots updated but there is really not a whole lot of information to give them at this point," he said. "Nothing is set in stone about how things are going to work. We told them the days we're going to be closed, but how much access they're going to have to their planes and hangers during that week, we just don't have a lot of news for them right now." Darlington has been calling airports in Anderson, Muncie, Kokomo, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne to inform managers there about the expected closure. Airport employees will get paid vacation during the event, although Darlington expects to be on hand. That weekend also coincides with high school graduation activity at Marion and Mississinewa High Schools. Officials from both schools said they have informed students and families that the James Dean Fest will be in progress. |
| The annual James Dean Festival will be held the weekend of September 23rd-26th 2005. Ducktail Run Rod & Custom Show, Eugene Linn Memorial Park, Gas City, IN . Cars from over 40 states and Canada travel to participate in the show. Swap meets, crafts and live entertainment all weekend. Muffler rapping, flame-throwing contests, and all makes and models of cars on display. Call 765-662-2343 for Car Show Info, call 765-934-2102 for Vendor Info. Fairmount Museum Days/Remembering James Dean Festival, Playacres Park and Downtown Fairmount, IN. Huge car show featuring 50's classic and custom autos. Parade of Neon, special guests, swap meet and plenty of 50's entertainment! James Dean look-alike contest, 50's dance contest, Fussgangers Volksmarch 10k walk, Pet Parade, and showing of James Dean's three films. For additional information, contact 765-948-4555 30 James Dean Memorial Service, Back Creek Friends Meeting on CR 150 north of Fairmount 2 miles. 1pm. Celebrities who are present are asked to say a few words about Jimmy. After the memorial service, attendees walk to Park Cemetery for a brief service at James Dean's gravesite. Call 765-948-4307 or visit the website at: FHM |
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Five decades after the death of James Dean, he is still revered as a cinematic icon and remains an enigma to a generation that hardly knows him. While his film career lasted only 16 months, it produced three classics: East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. Based on extensive research and interviews with directors, James Dean discusses Dean's talent, his rebellious nature, his candour, his curiosity, his tenacious struggle for success, and his sadness and sensitivity. 200 pages. Includes color photos. |
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A yearlong tribute will begin on what would have been James Dean’s 78th birthday, February 8th, with a global press event in Los Angeles, California. Programs and events surrounding the 50th anniversary tribute will be unveiled at this time. This year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever, with plenty of activities to pay respect to the legendary actor. The 2005 James Dean Fest will be held June 3-5 at the Marion Municipal Airport in Marion, Indiana. The event is expected draw over 40,000 attendees to the modest Midwest town. For more information on the event visit: DEAN FEST |
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For the 50th Anniversary coming up, Warner Brothers will be releasing a special 50th Anniversary DVD box set. The box set will contain Jimmy's three films, East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant. The Box Set will also feature a brand new documentary on Dean's life entilted 'Forever Young'. Several years in the making, the documentary will make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2005. The box set will be available May 31, 2005. You'll also be able to purchase each movie seperately if you prefer not to buy the box set. You can pre-order the box set or each movie at: AMAZON |
| Sign the petition to get "REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE" re-released to theaters for it's 50th anniversary in 2005. This looks like it may be a possibility in some cities. I'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. Rebel Petition |  |
| Sign a petition to give James Dean an Honorary Oscar at the 2005 cermonies. Follow the link. Honorary Oscar It's about time the academy finally gave James his Oscar. Keep those signatures coming! It doesn't look like Jimmy is going to get that Oscar this year. The Academy has neglected him again this year, which is too bad because this would've been the perfect year for him to receive one. Let's keep those signature going though, and perhaps the Academy will smarten up for next year! |  |
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CMG Worldwide and James Dean, Inc. are excited to unveil this special logo honoring the life and legacy of James Dean. The logo was designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dean’s death in 1955.The brand, James Dean, has been developed over many years and is marketed worldwide. Hundreds of licensees and products, includingdenim, leather jackets, shoes, fragrances, gifts, toys and collectibles in virtually every corner of the world contribute to the success of his brand. To recognize James Dean’s timeless legacy authorized licensees plan to incorporate the logo on packaging and in the promotion of authorized products as early as this year. For more information visit the official site at Official Site |
| There is a new clothing line of James Dean apparel being offered at GIII in associtation with the official James Dean site. They are currently offering a red windbreaker jacket like Jimmy wore in Rebel Without A Cause. You can get more information at the following website GIII |  |
| Rebel Without a Cause to become off-Broadway production in March. In a film made legendary by James Dean the struggle to overcome the uncertainty and isolation faced by 3 teens trying to establish their own identity is superbly played. Set in a mid-1950’s Los Angeles, the characters face choices that conflict with values set forth by middle- class parents and way of life often seen as ideal. The young cast reveals the dark emotions of teens so often ignored but very real and ultimately they obtain maturity through rebellion and tragedy. A cult classic, the film’s significance and message are still relevant today and an artists group established solely to produce a live version for the stage hopes to share this message with a whole new generation. By bringing a production of Rebel to life off-Broadway, they hope to reach an audience from all parts of the world, introducing them to the film and its approaching 50th anniversary celebration. The talented actors and artists are donating their time for a 2-week run beginning March 09, 2005. Hopeful that an early start will spark others to develop projects that will honor the anniversary of the film and its star’s untimely death, the group is accepting tax deductible donations. For more information please visit the Barely Balancing Artists Web site at Web Site | |
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James Dean by George Perry is in stores now. This book is authorized by the James Dean Estate and will feature many never seen before photos from the Dean family's private collection. This is the official book of the James Dean 50th anniversary celebration and the only book written with full authorization and assistance from the James Dean estate. DK Publishing will release the introspective masterpiece “James Dean” on May 16, 2005. Perry’s remarkable book boasts a virtual cornucopia of rare images and James Dean memorabilia, including over 30 never-before-seen from the Dean family’s private collection. Sparingly sprinkled throughout the book are exclusive feature pages highlighting various aspects of his exhilarating life and times. Snippets covered in these page-long glimpses include material about his films, his passion for cars and racing, famous Dennis Stock photos and a nostalgic look at American life in the 1950s.“James Dean” investigates all facets of the man who gave definition to the word “cool.” The book looks at everything from his upbringing in the Quaker community of Fairmount, Indiana to his tragic death on September 30, 1955 and the effects his departure had on the world. There is even in-depth commentary from some of Dean’s closest friends and family, including Marcus Winslow, Dean’s cousin and the executor to his estate, and William Bast, Dean’s best friend and roommate. Another exclusive feature of “James Dean” is the never-before-published letters from James Dean to his family. In his sincere and revealing letters, the charismatic star divulges his goals, fears and innermost thoughts to those that were closest to him. The book also includes an all-inclusive timeline of Dean’s life and career, a complete run-down of his stage and television performances and a comprehensive filmography.“James Dean” is the ultimate guide to the life and work of Dean. Due for release May 16, 2005, the book will inform and delight all that thumb through its knowledge encrusted pages. Avid and novice fans alike will relish in this profoundly comprehensive and candid portrait of the making of an American icon. To pre-order this book go to Amazon |
| Making Of Rebel Without A Cause by DOUGLAS L. RATHGEB with a foreward by Stewart Stern. This work is a complete history of this classic American film, from idea to script to film. In 1954, troubled director Nicholas Ray chatted at a dinner party about his controversial plan for a film about middle-class juvenile delinquents. He was told of a book, written by a prison psychologist and owned by Warner Bros., called Rebel Without a Cause. Unimpressed after reading it, Ray began writing his own story. Warner Bros. quickly bought it and hired Ray to direct the film. From the backgrounds of the many players to the pre- production, production, and post-production of the film, the work covers every aspect of Rebel Without a Cause from its rudiments to the 1955 Oscars: the selection of cast and crew, legal fights, preparatory research, changing screenwriters and the many variations of the story, location scouting, auditions, the writing of the score, script readings, difficulties with the censors, romances and fights, shot-by-shot analyses of the directing, editing, screenings, and, of course, its star’s death. Dozens of intimate anecdotes fill the work with every detail from wardrobe decisions to James Dean’s pranks to the Air Pollution Control Board’s opposition to the final car crashes. An epilogue discusses the possible sequels, rights conflicts, documentaries, musicals, and spin-off attempts, and offers concluding words on the cast and crew. Sources include production records, publicity releases, scripts, newspapers, and discussions with Stewart Stern. An appendix offers two unpublished letters from Stewart Stern to Nicholas Ray and to Marcus and Ortense Winslow. To order this book head over to Amazon |  |
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FROM GALLERY SITE - Fairmount, Ind - The Grand Opening of the new James Dean Gallery, located on Interstate 69 near Gas City, Indiana, took place on May 15, 2004. The James Dean Gallery first opened in 1988 in Dean's hometown of Fairmount, Indiana, and has become the most popular tourist attraction in Grant County. After fifteen successful years in its original location, the exhibit will be moving to a new facility eight miles north of Fairmount. Housing the world's largest James Dean exhibit, the Gallery features a six-room interpretive display that will chronicle Dean's life growing up in rural Indiana, his rapid rise to stardom on the big screen, his untimely and tragic death and his subsequent rise in becoming an American icon. The Gallery also features a thirty-five seat theater that will showcase rare James Dean television appearances and early screen tests. A research library will be available that will house numerous books, articles, photos and archival files containing historical documents concerning the life and career of the famous actor. The new state-of-the-art building incorporates Art Deco design elements from the 1930's Golden Age of Hollywood. Boasting over 7,000 square feet, the facility will house the collection of Dean archivist and researcher David Loehr, known appropriately as the "Dean of Deanabilia." "The growth of the collection and the increase in Dean's popularity in recent years required that we relocate to a larger, more accessible location, which will ensure the long-term preservation of the artifacts for the education and enjoyment of generations to come," says Loehr. |
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Keep up to date with what's happening with Fairmount High School at Fairmount High School Project |
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Filmmaker Joey Travolta and Dale J. Oprandy have closed a deal for a one-year option of the feature film and television rights to the life story of Sal Mineo, 25 years after the murder of the actor. The pact marks the first authorized for Mineo's life story. Travolta and Oprandy will guide the project through development as executive producers, with Travolta set to direct a feature based on Mineo's life. Travolta said he hopes to start lensing the project early next year, with Oprandy's Oprandy Enterprises providing part of the financing. Oprandy will co-write the screenplay with co-producers Dan Goldman and Mark Basil. The rights were secured from Mineo's estate in a deal closed by Tom Korman, Mineo's former agent and executor of his estate.For more info on the movie go to Sal Mineo Movie Page |
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NATALIE WOOD:A LIFE by Gavin Lambert is now out in bookstores. At the urging of her husband Robert Wagner, family friend Lambert paints a riveting portrait of the late star. Given unrestricted access to her private papers and photos, and through exclusive interviews with private people including Warren Beatty, Lambert reveals the Natalie few knew. He presents an intimate look at the child controlled by a driven stage mother, the strugles of the maturing actress dertermined to be a leading lady, and her marriages, divorces and love affairs. Finally, a no-holds barred look at a true Hollywood legend. Both US & Canadian buyers can purchase the book at Amazon |
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