He died 10 years before I was born but from a very early age I knew who James Dean was...my Mom kept him alive as she discussed the personal and societal impacts of his films. Every generation has it's "bad boy," the guy your parents warned you about and told you to stay away from. James Dean was the "Rebel Without A Cause," he met and exceeded Edna Ferber's Jet-Texas character of Jet Rink in the 1950's classic film, Giant, which also starred Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Besides "Rebel" and "Giant", Dean also starred in "East of Eden", but it was during production of "Giant" that Dean was killed in a car accident in California. He made three films, only three, but it is those three films that form the basis for the legend who still lives and influences our culture today, some 56 years after his untimely demise behind the wheel of his beloved Porsche Spyder. Three films: in 2011, it is unthinkable to call one's self a star or actor or celebrity after having only three films on their resume...not so for Jimmy...James Dean was here for a short time, he blazed across the big screen; he influenced fashion and culture, he unknowingly (and perhaps) unwittingly came to represent the Rebel, that individual who dares to chart their own path, to forge an identity based upon their own personal reality instead of the conjured reality of others. He was amazing, he amazes us still.......
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