It's Hedley

James Dean in EAST OF EDEN (1955) dir. Elia Kazan

James Dean as Jim Stark, Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

James Dean as Caleb Trask East of Eden (1955) dir. Elia Kazan

JAMES DEAN as CAL TRASK East of Eden (1955) dir. Elia Kazan

James Dean in the Robert Montgomery Presents television episode Harvest (1953)

James Dean’s Five Best TV Performances… That You Can Watch On YouTube Right Now

A Long Time Till Dawn (1953)

What It’s About: James Dean plays “Joe,” a young convict who’s just been released from jail. Distraught that his girl has left him for someone else, Joe tries and fails to tamp down his tendency toward violent rage.

Why It’s Worth Watching: This is Dean’s first television role, so it would be interesting enough for that reason, but also — it’s written by a young pre-Twilight Zone Rod Serling!

Joe is a prototypical James Dean character, every muscle in his body simmering with an inchoate rage that he would tap into again with his later characters in East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. I find Joe more disturbing than either Cal or especially Jim; here, there’s something about James Dean that seems truly insane.

James Dean in the Danger television series episode Death Is My Neighbor (1953)

James Dean in the Danger television series episode Padlocks (1954)

East of Eden (1955) dir. Elia Kazan

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) dir. Nicholas Ray

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) dir. Nicholas Ray

James Dean as Jett Rink in GIANT (1956) dir. George Stevens

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) dir. Nicholas Ray

You know something? I woke up this morning, you know, and the sun was shining, and it was nice and all that type of stuff, and the first thing, I saw you. And I said, “Boy, this is gonna be one terrific day, so you better live it up, ‘cos tomorrow you’ll be nothing.” You see? And I almost was.

                       Rebel Without a Cause (1955) dir. Nicholas Ray