James Dean

 

 

The classroom that I was in the other day has a number of movie posters on the wall.

One of them was one of James Dean, as he appeared in his third (and last) movie.

 

You are already aware of the fact that James Dean has some connections to Paul Newman, which I wrote about in September of 2009

https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2009/09/

 However, it you review Dean's bio, a few over interesting facts pop out.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dean

 

James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931 – September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, and his impact on cinema and popular culture was profound, although his career lasted only five years. He appeared in just three major films: Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he portrayed a disillusioned and rebellious teenager; East of Eden (1955), which showcased his intense emotional range; and Giant (1956), a sprawling drama. These have been preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for their "cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance". He was killed in a car accident at the age of 24 in 1955, leaving him a lasting symbol of rebellion, youthful defiance, and the restless spirit.

For his role in East of Eden, Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.^[The following year, he earned a second nomination for his performance in Giant, making him the only actor to receive two posthumous acting nominations. In 1999, he was honored by the American Film Institute, being ranked as the 18th greatest male film star from Golden Age Hollywood on their "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars" list. Time magazine recognized Dean in 2012 as one of the "All-Time Most Influential Fashion Icons".

Dean's film roles and style had a strong impact on Hollywood, capturing the spirit of 1950s youth and creating an enduring legacy that helped shape American pop culture and define rebellious, countercultural attitudes for generations.

Dean’s last movie, “Giant” was a commercial and financial success.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_(1956_film)

Giant is a 1956 American epic drama film directed by George Stevens, from a screenplay adapted by Fred Guiol and Ivan Moffat from Edna Ferber's 1952 novel. The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean; and features Carroll Baker, Jane Withers, Chill Wills, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor, Elsa Cárdenas, and Earl Holliman.

Giant was the last of Dean's three films as a leading actor, and earned him his second and final Academy Award nomination – he was killed in a car crash before the film was released. His friend Nick Adams was called in to do some voice dubbing for Dean's role.

In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant"

“Giant” was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, but won only one (Best Director).

Giant was a huge box-office success. The film earned $35 million in ticket sales during its original studio release in 1956, a record for a Warner Brothers film until that time. This record was not surpassed until the Warner film Superman in the late 1970s.

The movie earned $12 million in rentals in the United States and Canada during its initial release.  It did not perform as well in other markets where it made around half as much,^[but it was one of the biggest hits of the year in France, with admissions of 3,723,209.

If you want to see James Dean in action, here is a trailer for the movie:

Giant (1956) Official Trailer - Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson Movie HD

 As of 2025-2026, the estate of James Dean, which is managed by the James Dean Foundation Trust, continues to generate significant income, often cited in the range of $5 million to over $10 million annually. Despite his death in 1955, his estate remains highly profitable through licensing, merchandising, and the use of his image in fashion and advertising.

• Consistent Earnings: Reports indicate the estate has maintained a steady income stream, often ranking him among the top highest-earning deceased celebrities.
• Revenue Sources: The income primarily comes from licensing his name and likeness, with previous years having reported figures of $8.5 million (2015) and consistently around $5 million more recently.
• Estate Management: The estate was originally inherited by his father, who established the trust to maximize the commercial value of his likeness.
• Future Projects: The estate has explored using CGI for film roles, such as the proposed project "Finding Jack".
•  

The estate's consistent earning power is remarkable given that Dean only starred in three major films during his lifetime

 

During his adolescence, Dean sought guidance and companionship from a local Methodist pastor, the Rev. James DeWeerd, who appears to have influenced his later interests in bullfighting, car racing, and philosophy. Hollywood columnist and Dean biographer Joe Hyams alleged that Dean was molested as a teenager by DeWeerd, writing that "It was the beginning of a homosexual relationship that would endure over many years".

Being gay in the 1950’s could have prevented him from a movie career.

Ironically, one of Deam’s co-stars in “Giant” was also a homosexual which did not became apparent until much later.  He died of AIDS in 1985.

 There have a number of songs written about James Dean.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_about_James_Dean

My favorite, though, is “Rock On” David Essex:

JAMES DEAN ... ROCK ON ...tsrgp

 All of us are exposed to so much disturbing news every day (especially political news) that it is important go back to a time when one man (James Dean) was one of the most influential men in the world, even though his time with all of us was tragically brief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We'll always have Paris - part 2

 We'll always have Paris  - part 2

We'll always have Paris" is a famous, nostalgic line from the 1942 film Casablanca, spoken by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). It signifies that despite their forced separation; their cherished memories and shared past cannot be taken away.

Casablanca 70th Anniversary Edition | We'll Always Have Paris | Warner Bros. Entertainment

 

I am rapidly approaching 80 years, and I also have relatives and friends who have crossed that milestone, or will do so in the near future.

 

All of us have cherished memories that help us to appreciate the fact that we have experienced a lot more good things than bad things in our life – and we need to be grateful for that.

 

I marvel at the fact that most of us can remember people and events from decades in the past.

I’m nor sure why I can remember people from grade school and high school – but I can.

The best memories are the ones that we share with other people, which includes most of our family vacations and trips to places best described as “hither and yon”

If you really want to travel down memory lane, Barbara Streisand can help.

Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks.

Two brand new recordings "Memory" and "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" were included and both released as singles. "Comin' In and Out of Your Life" was the most successful of the new singles, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. The album also included a previously unreleased solo version of "Lost Inside of You" which had appeared on her 1976 soundtrack album A Star Is Born as a duet with Kris Kristofferson

The album was certified 5× Platinum by the RIAA, reaching number 10 on the US Billboard 200.

In the UK, where it was released as Love Songs, it reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart for nine weeks (seven of them consecutively and it became the best-selling album of 1982 there, the first album by a female performer to achieve it). The album was certified platinum in the UK (prior to multi-platinum awards being given), and 6× platinum in Australia.

According to the liner notes of Streisand's retrospective box set, Just for the Record, the album also received a record certification in the Netherlands and in Switzerland.

The album won Brit Award for British Album of the Year as Best-Selling Album at the 1983 Brit Awards. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide

Here are a few songs from that album:

 

Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand - You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore

Memory -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWoQW-b6Ph8

Evergreen-

“Evergreen” from A Star Is Born” (1976)

The way we were -

Bing Videos

 

Barbara Streisand was born on April 24, 1942, which means that she is now 84 years old.

She likely remembers the way she was a long time ago, and those memories are treasures to be cherished

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. If you know someone who is a mother, help them celebrate the day.

That memory will linger for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the year that I stopped being a kid

 

My 18^th birthday was on August 28, 1965, which meant that I was now officially (and legally) an adult, even though I did not feel any different.

Apart from the fact that my relatives and friends helped me to celebrate the day, the world as a whole did nothing to commemorate the date, even though the local draft board may have noticed that I was now old enough to join the Army and save the world. (Fortunately, I had been accepted at the University of Minnesota, which allowed me to get a student deferment (2S)

However, 1965 turned out to be a year that saw a lot of significant events.

For starters, a march that started in Selma, Alabama on March 7 quickly led to some very significant civil rights legislation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965

Closer to home, the Mississippi river over flowed, which flooded downtown St. Paul, and gave some of my classmates a chance to earn some extra money filling sandbags. 

In addition to the troubles at home, turmoil overseas was starting to heat up.

In 1965, the number of troops sent to Vietnam was 184,330, and eventually reached a peak of 536, 100 in 1968.

The passage of the Voting Rights Act did not improve the lives of black people overnight, which led to an event that started in August of 1965.

• On August 11, 1965, a white California Highway Patrol officer pulled over a black man named Marquette Frye, 21, for suspected drunk driving.
• An altercation broke out after a crowd gathered, escalating into a confrontation between residents and police.
• Rumors spread and police brutality rumors escalated tensions, triggering widespread rioting, looting, and arson that lasted for six days. 

Britannica +4

 

The riots, which resulted in 34 deaths and over $40 million in damages, highlighted the desperate need for social reform in urban American cities. 

 The six-day uprising in Los Angeles was driven by long-standing issues, including police brutality, high unemployment, sub-standard housing, and entrenched segregation. 

 

Britannica +4

 

Key Underlying Causes:

• Police Brutality & Tension: Deep-seated animosity existed between the Black community and the LAPD, which was seen as an occupying, abusive force.
• Economic Deprivation: High unemployment rates and lack of economic opportunity created a feeling of hopelessness among residents.
• Systemic Neglect: Residents faced substandard housing, poor education, and systemic racial discrimination.
• Geographic/Social Isolation: The Watts community was largely segregated and neglected by city services. 

Civil Rights Digital Library +4

 

 1965 also happened to be the year that a man named Rodney King was born.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King

Although the Watts riots led to an attempt to improve the relations between the police and the black community, it was not enough – which led to the arrest of Rodney King on March 3, 1991.

On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high-speed pursuit for driving while intoxicated on Interstate 210. An uninvolved resident, George Holliday, saw and filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage, which showed King on the ground being beaten, to a local news station, KTLA. The station broadcast the film, which was rebroadcast by other stations, with this exposure precipitating riots.

When a jury in Simi Valley acquitted charges against 3 of the 4 police involved, riots started.

Though few people at first considered race an essential factor in the case, including Rodney King's attorney, Steven Lerman,^[he Holliday videotape was at the time stirring deep resentment among black people in Los Angeles and other major cities in the United States, where they had often complained of police abuse against their communities. The officers' jury consisted of Ventura County residents: ten white, one mestizo or aboriginal, one Asian. Lead prosecutor Terry White was black. On April 29, 1992, the jury acquitted three of the officers but could not agree on one of the charges against Powell.

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley said, "The jury's verdict will not blind us to what we saw on that videotape. The men who beat Rodney King do not deserve to wear the uniform of the LAPD."^] President George H. W. Bush said, "Viewed from outside the trial, it was hard to understand how the verdict could possibly square with the video. Those civil rights leaders with whom I met were stunned. And so was I, and so was Barbara, and so were my kids."

Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots began, lasting six days. Black Americans were outraged by the verdicts and began rioting in the streets. By the time law enforcement, the California Army National Guard, the United States Army, and the United States Marine Corps restored order, the riots had resulted in 63 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses. Smaller riots occurred in other U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, and as far east as Atlanta and New York City. A civil disturbance occurred on Yonge Street in Toronto, Canada when Canadians gathered to protest the acquittal in Los Angeles as well as local police killing of a black man in Toronto two days prior.^[

 Eventually, of course, even Rodney King realized that things were out of control:

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=rodney%20king%20-%20wh%20cant%20we%20all%20get%20along%20&mid=9D814ADA6A3C76AF09ED9D814ADA6A3C76AF09ED&ajaxhist=0

I thought of the Watts riots today after I finished reading a book titled “The Hate U Give”. By Angie Thomas.

The book was assigned reading for an English class that I monitored a week ago. After a brief review of the book, I decided to put it on hold at our local library.

I started reading it yesterday morning, and finished reading it this afternoon.       

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hate_U_Give

The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting.

The Hate U Give was published on February 28, 2017, by HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray, which had won a bidding war for the rights to the novel. The book was a commercial success, debuting at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks. It won several awards and received critical praise for Thomas's writing and timely subject matter. In writing the novel, Thomas attempted to expand readers' understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as difficulties faced by black Americans who employ code switching. These themes, as well as the vulgar language, attracted some controversy and caused the book to be one of the most challenged books of 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 according to the American Library Association.

The book was adapted into a film by 20th Century Fox in October 2018, which received positive reviews. The novel was also adapted into an audiobook, which won several awards and earned praise for its narrator, Bahni Turpin

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angie_Thomas

Angie Thomas was born on September 20, 1988, in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was raised.

Thomas was subject to multiple instances of gun violence at a young age. She grew up near the home of assassinated civil rights activist, Medgar Evers, stating that her mother heard the gunshot that had killed him. When she was 6 years old, Thomas witnessed a shootout between gangs.

In an interview with The Guardian, she recounted how her mother took her to the library the following day to show her that, "There was more to the world than what [Thomas] saw that day." This inspired her to take up writing.

In her adolescence, Thomas shared her skills as a rapper, although her career in music was short-lived. She was, however, the subject of an article in Right On! Magazine, and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts^] from Belhaven University.^]She was the first Black teenager to graduate from her creative writing course.

Your mood while reading this book will fluctuate from rage to joy to sorrow – and back to joy again.

 You already know that police brutality in this country is still far too common – even though the vast majority of policemen in this country are decent people.

Sadly, that is NOT true of too many people employed by ICE.

I would recommend reading this book, even if it makes you uncomfortable. 

After all, that is the only way that our society can become better.