February 08
James Byron Dean's
Birthday
 


When James Dean died in a car on September 30, 1955, he fulfilled a frightening prophecy. In September 1955, Dean showed his Porsche 550 Spyder to British actor Alec Guinness. Alec told James: "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week." Exactly seven days later, another car turning left crossed into Dean's lane. The two cars hit almost head-on. James was pronounced DOA at the hospital.

James became a cultural icon after his death and was the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and remains the only actor to have had two posthumous acting nominations.  He had only made three films and only one of them, East of Eden (1955), had been released before his death. Much of James's performance in the film is unscripted, including his dance in the bean field and his fetal-like posturing while riding on top of a train-car. His other two films were Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). But it was his portrayal as the troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause that made hundreds of thousands of teenager immediately identify with him as well as thousands of gay men which led to The Gay Times Readers' Award as the male gay icon of all time. 

James' first television appearance was in a Pepsi Cola television commercial. He then appeared in episodes of several CBS television series, The Web, Studio One, and Lux Video Theatre, before gaining admission to the Actors Studio to study method acting under Lee Strasberg. But it was his great 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, including from director Elia Kazan was looking for an actor to play the emotionally complex role of Cal Trask for East of Eden.

Much has been written and speculated about James'  bisexuality. He avoided the draft by registering as a homosexual. When questioned about his orientation, he is reported to have said, "No, I am not a homosexual. But, I'm also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back." Actress Liz Sheridan, who played Jerry Seinfeld's mother on the sitcom Seinfeld, claims that she and Dean had a short affair in New York when they lived together. In her memoir, she also states that James was having an affair  with director Rogers Brackett.  James'  bisexual attraction makes one question why, on the sitcom Happy Days, Fonzie has a picture of Dean in his closet next to his mirror.

But James' iconic status continues more than fifty years after his death and earns his estate about $5,000,000 per year according to Forbes Magazine. So what better better way to celebrate his birthday than to rent an East of Eden DVD and toast his memorable  performance with an East of Eden cocktail while the final credits are running? However, if  you are a documentary film  fan, we suggest renting the brilliant James Dean: Forever Young (1954) that details his early work in television and bit roles in film with variety of archival footage to tell his story, including a haunting safe-driving PSA that he made a few days before his death.

East of Eden Cocktail

 
This delicious pomegranate cocktail recipe from from Cakes & Ale in Decatur, Georgia
 
Ingredients
 
One whole pomegranate, quartered (only one quarter to be used
per drink)
1.5 oz Corsair Artisan Wry Moon (or other unaged whiskey)
1 oz good apple juice
Dash of simple syrup
Twist of lime

Instructions

  1. Muddle one quarter of the pomegranate in shaker. Add whiskey, apple juice, and a dash of simple syrup.
  2. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Best served up with a twist of lime (give the rim of the glass a quick rub with the rind side of the lime twist to impart a bit of the lime oil).
© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes