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James Dean Pulls a Gun on Ronald Reagan

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (15)

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This is cool, cats. Real slick. Wayne Federman, a writer on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” unearthed lost footage of a television program called “The Dark, Dark Hours,” from way back in 1954, less than a year before East of Eden would make James Dean a break-out star. Rebel without a Cause would be released soon thereafter, after the death of James Dean.

Anyway, in the clip, James Dean is a bad guy of some sort who brings his friend, who has already been shot, to a doctor’s house. That doctor is played by Ronald Reagan. Dean points a gun and makes Reagan fix his friend. Reagan, of course, gets to the be hero, while James Dean is the troubled thug.

It’s one of those videos where you’re like, “I”ll watch this for 15 seconds just to see what’s going on,” but then you sort of get sucked in. It’s kind of over-the-top, and the acting is all over the place, but both guys — especially Dean — are compelling as hell. If you’re like me, you end up watching the entire clip because hell if these two aren’t captivating.

(Source: Atlantic Monthly via IESB)









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Comments

wow...shit. That was surprisingly awesome. Makes you wonder even more what Dean could have done.

Posted by: PissBoy at April 23, 2010 9:55 AM

What's with the 10 year old in a crib? And what's with the doctor attempting to disarm the guy in a little room containing his wife and daughter? Two straight wars really fucked with our brains around here.

I'm not a big fan of James Dean, but he sold the shit out of the potentially cheesy "I'm a big man" moment.

Posted by: Kballs at April 23, 2010 10:06 AM

That right there was some Friday morning awesome.

"It's only a 32, not a big bullet."

Love.

Posted by: Cindy at April 23, 2010 10:08 AM

Dean channeling Michael Madsen in "Reservoir Dogs" for a few seconds there.

Say what you like about Reagan the actor, man scored himself some primo tail (Jane Wyman).

Posted by: , at April 23, 2010 10:09 AM

Jane Wyman pffffffff, Nancy had it going on with that badunkadunk!!!

Posted by: Pookie at April 23, 2010 10:58 AM

I'm so glad you're back, Pook.

Really I am.

Posted by: , at April 23, 2010 11:06 AM

I had to turn it off when Dean turned on the radio and started getting down to whatever the hell that crap music was. See kids? You're going look that dated and stupid in a few years when people see your videos on the web.

Posted by: BWeaves at April 23, 2010 11:21 AM

Siiiiiiiiiiiigh, James Dean. So dreamy. I swoon!
I really liked that clip. Even if it was a bit uneven, it reminds you that Dean was pretty awesome.

Posted by: St. Saturn at April 23, 2010 11:32 AM

St. Saturn, save some room on the fainting couch for me. Oh, James! Even in fuzzy black and white, he does it for me.

Posted by: The Wandering Parakeet at April 23, 2010 11:44 AM

Thank you(.)Or is it(, )? I get confused. I wasn’t planning on coming back, but I was approached by some people affiliated with Pajiba in April of 2009 after my suspension was handed down. I had planned on starting my own movie review website. Some people affiliated with Pajiba had asked me to hold off on my plans because they wanted to speak with me. Around December of 2009 I was approached and asked about my return to Pajiba, I said no. The Pajiba representatives convinced me to delay my decision and think it over during the holidays and our talks were broken off. In February of 2010 the talks resumed and I accepted Pajiba’s lucrative contract offer.

Posted by: Pookie at April 23, 2010 11:52 AM

Heh. Ironically, Reagan was nearly assassinated with a .22. A .32 seems a little more dangerous in hindsight.

Posted by: Lindsey with an 'e' at April 23, 2010 11:56 AM

No question Dean was pretty awesome. But everyone wondering 'what would he have done if only he hadn't died' is silly. He would have eventually become a characture of himself and made crap just like everyeone else. What if Eddie Murphy had died after 48 Hours, Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop? Everyone would still be crying about what a great star we lost and you see how that turned out.

Posted by: EricD at April 23, 2010 12:20 PM

The frame of the scene is pretty well-established for its blatant indicators of who is good and bad: Reagan is the patriarch of the '50s nuclear household, while Dean and his accomplice aren't just shooters; they listen to jazz and don't respect their elders.

Moral of the story: Don't fuck with GE.

Posted by: Recondite at April 23, 2010 12:33 PM

love the dean. thank you.

Posted by: maxpurr9 at April 23, 2010 1:53 PM

While I've seen most of Jimmy's tv work (yea, I refer to him as Jimmy, sue me) I am so glad this was recovered. Great stuff.

Any fans should track down Dizzy and Jimmy by Liz Sheriden (she played Jerry's mom on Seinfeld), she dated James Dean in the 50s in New York and her writing is just amazing.

Posted by: grace b at April 23, 2010 7:35 PM