[CHRONOLOGY]

1947

• Mar 28 -plays part of John Mugford in Fairmount High School sophomore production of Mooncalf Medford.

• Oct -now a junior at Farimount High School plays Otis Skinner in Our Hearts were Young and Gay.

1948

• Aug 30 -Fairmount High School baseball team, the Quakers, trounces St. Paul, 7-0, in season's final game.

• Oct 8 -Dr. George Davis of Purdue Univerisity gives first of his rousing recitations of stories and poems by Hoosier poet laureate, James Whitcomb Riley, leaving profound impression on 17 year old Jimmy.

• Oct 29-At Halloween Carnival, plays Frankenstein in Fairmount High's production of Goon With the Wind.

• Nov 2 -Fairmount High basketball game, the Quakers, win over Jefferson Township Yoeman, 44-39 in first game of season.

• Dec 23 -Featured in Fairmount High Thespians' production of two one-act plays for Christmas program.

1949

• Feb 8 -Jimmy's 18th birthday, registers for the draft. Basketball team the Quakers win over Alexandria Tigers, 41-39.

• Feb 13 -With Barbara Leach represents Fairmount on Grant County Voice of Youth, WBAT radio. Together they win debate: "The United States President Should be elected by a direct voice of the people." Broadcast at the Marion Public Library.

• Feb 16 -Fairmount High senior class trip to Indianapolis.

• Feb 26 -Jimmy scores winning points at the buzzer of Basketball game Quakers vs. Mississenawa Indians 39-37.

• April 7 -Jimmy appears as Grandpa Vanderhof in Fairmount High senior class play You Can't Take It With You.

• April 9 -Wins first place honors in Dramatic Declaration in the Indiana State Finals of the National Forensic Leagues contest in Peru, Indiana with his reading of The Madman from the Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

• April 22 -Jimmy attends Fairmount High School Senior Prom alone.

• April 27 -Boards train with Adeline Nall to Chicago and changed there for the Zephyr which took them to Longmont, Colorado.

• April 29-30 -Travels to Longmont, Colorado with Adeline Nall to compete in the National Forensic League Competition. Jimmy recieves Sixth Place Honors.

• May 7-8 -Senior class to Washington D.c.

• May 16 -Jimmy graduates 20th from top of class of 49 students. Gives address at Bethel Tabernacle of the Wesleyan Methodist Camp grounds.

• June 14 - After graduaton and before leaving for California, headline in The Fairmount News reads "James Dean Honored at Farewell Party Monday Night"

• June 15 -Jimmy leaves by bus to join his father in California.

1950

• Jan 18 -Begins Freshman year at Santa Monica City College enrollment of just over 1600 students.

• Feb 8 -Jimmy's 19th birthday.

• May 1 -Appears in She Was Only a Farmers Daughter at Santa Monica City College.

• Sept -Jimmy enrolls at UCLA as a sophomore. His major is listed as theatre arts.

• Oct 10 -Within a month of enrollment, Jimmy lands role in UCLA Theate production of Macbeth. He writes back home to his Aunt and Uncle that it is "the biggest thrill of his life' "God its a dream Don't anyone wake me up."

• Oct 12 -Rehearsals begin for Macbeth. Jimmy keeps busy with law classes, part time job, fraternity life, and theatre rehearsals.

• Nov 29 -Macbeth opens at the Royce Hall Auditorium.

• Dec 2 -last performance of Macbeth.

• Dec 13 -First professional acting job, recieves $10/day for Pepsi-Cola commercial in which a group of teenagers are riding a merry go round at the picnic grounds of Griffith Park. The next day including Nick Adams dance aroung a jukebox singing "Pepsi cola hits the spot..."

1951

• Jan -Dean gradually drops out of UCLA.

• Feb 8 -Jimmy turns 20 practically friendless.

• Mar 2 -Dean appears in his first speaking television show with a terrible cold as John the Apostle in Family T.V. Theatre episode Hill Number One. Girls at local parochial school form the Immaculate Heart James Dean Appreciation Society.

• April 1 -Bill Bast gets Dean a job at CBS radio as usher. He is fired within two weeks.

• July 22 -First bit part in movie FIXED BAYONETS directed by Sam Fuller. His one line "It's a rear guard coming back" is later cut.

• Sept 1 -On advice of drama coach James Whitmore, leaves for New York to look for work in theatre.

• Nov -Gets first professional job in New York as stunt tester on TV game show, "Beat the Clock".

1952

• Feb 8 -Jimmy's 21 birthday. Celebrates at Jerry 's with Diz Sheridan. ("His best Birthday ever!"?)

• Feb 20 -appears in live CBS-TV drama The Web

• May 11 -Appears NBC's U.S. Steel Hour, "Prologue to Glory".

• Aug -Dramatic reading of Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" at the Village Theatre, New York.

• Oct -Lands his first leading role on Broadway in See the Jaguar playing a 16 year old boy who has been locked in an icehouse all his life by a demented mother.

• Nov 12 -Auditions for the Actor's Studio with Christine White in scene "Ripping Off Layers to find roots". Dean and White are 12 out of 120 to be selected and are the only two to join.

• Dec 3 -"See the Jaguar" opens at New York's Cort Theatre. Party at Sardi's afterward

• Dec 6 -"See the Jaguar" closes only after 5 performances in four days.

1953

• Jan 15 -Appears as in NBC's Kate Smith Hour: "Hounds of Heaven".

• Jan 29 -Appears as in NBC's Treasury of Men in Action: "The case of the Watchful Dog".

• Feb 8 -Jimmy's 22nd Birthday. Appears on T.V. drama You Are There: "The capture of Jesses James". Jimmy plays Bob Ford the man who shot Jesse James in the back. Jimmy considered this his best role to date.

• Mar 14 -Appears in CBS's series Danger: "No Room".

• April 16 -appears in NBC's Treasury Men in Action: "The Case of the Sawed off Shotgun". (with Ben Gazzara from actors studio)

• June 16 -Appears off broadway in the non-speaking role of a ghost in The Scarecrow at the Theatre DeLys. Gets part through Frank Corsaro. Limited 2 week engagement with Eli Wallach, William Redfield and Patricia Neal. Based on a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• July 17 -Appears on NBC's Campbell Sound Stage: "Something for an Empty Briefcase".

• Aug 1 -Appears in CBS's Studio One Summer Theatre: "Sentence of Death". Directed by Matt Harlib. Startled to find Dean in a corner standing on his head. Dean says he finds it relaxing.

• Aug 25 -Appears in "Death is My Neighbor" on CBS. with Walter Hampden and Betsy Palmer

• Sept 11 -Appears in "The Big Story" on NBC.

• Oct -Appears in Omnibus: "Glory in the Flower" as Bronco on NBC with Alistair Cooke, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy and Carol Channing.

• Oct 14 -Appears on NBC's Kraft Theatre: "Keep our Honor Bright as a college student...who masterminds a cheating scandl.

• Oct 16 -Appears on NBC's Campbell Sound Stage: "Life Sentence".

• Nov 11 -Appears as Joe Harris on NBC's Kraft Theatre: "Long Time Till Dawn" written by Rod Serling co-starring .

• Nov 17 -Appears on NBC's Armstrong Circle Theatre: "The Bells of Cockaigne".

• Nov 23 -Appears on NBC's Robert Montgomery Presents the Johnson Wax Program: "Harvest" co-starring Dorothy Gish.

• Dec 18 -Rehearsals begin for the Immoralist at the Ziegfield building on 6th Ave. Pay $300/wk.

• Dec -The Wild One starring Marlon Brando is released.
• Dec -Drives Triumph 500 motorcycle to Fairmount.

1954

• Feb -Jimmy's 23rd birthday. Opening night of Jimmy's second show on Broadway The Immoralist in the part of Bachir a thieving blackmailing homosexual Arab boy. He turns in his two week notice.

• Feb 1 -Reheases with the Drama Workshop of the New School for Social Research dramatic reading of Ezra Pound's new translation of Women of Trachis by Sophocles with Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. Directed by Howard Sackler. Jimmy reads the roles of Hyllus and Lichas. There were only two readings. Jimmy meets Leonard Rosenman who composes some incidental music for the play. Rosenman went on to write the music for EDEN

• Feb 20 -Dean leaves cast of Immoralist.

• Feb 23 - Kazan sends telegram to Jack Warner stating "Screened James Dean Test yesterday and am sure he's the boy for Cal."

• Feb 24 -Dean appears in his last stage performance of his life at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. Jimmy reads the roles of Hyllus and Lichas.

• Mar 6 -The New York Times: "Immoralist star signed by Kazan for Eden". Dean is placed under exclusive contract to Warner Brothers at a salary of $1200 per week with a guaranteed minimum of ten weeks for his work in EDEN.

• Mar 8 -Kazan arrives to pick up Jimmy at his apt at. Jimmy's first flight. Clothes in brown paper bags.

• April 7 -Signs contract with Warner Brothers for role of Cal Trask in East of Eden. Jimmy receives an advance of $700.

• April 26 -Jimmy writes letter to Barbara Glenn on Famous Artists Corporation Agency paper (his west coast agents) "I don't like it here"

• May 13 -Early wardrobe shot taken of Jimmy and Julie Harris for Mendocino for scenes 1-34 Walk and Ice House scenes.

• May -Buys first sports car, a (used?) Red British open MG TD.

• May 26 -Cast and crew fly to Mendocino in Northern California. Jimmy sleeps on the plane next to Leonard Rosenman.

• May 27 -Eden begins shooting in Mendocino, California.

• June 4 -Eden moves to the Salinas Valley near the town of Spreckels. Dean has recently purchased a Triumph T-110 motocycle and plans to ride to Spreckels on it. Kazan does not allow it.

• June 11 -Returns to Warner Brothers studios for indoor scenes. Davalos makes it clear when they return he does not want to live with Jimmy any more. Jimmy moves out of the apartment and lives in his studio dressing room a luxurious two-room suite once used by such stars as Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. Kazan lives in the adjoining dressing room.

• June 19 -Pier's 22nd birthday. She spends the afternoon helping Jimmy at Griffith Park wash and brush down his palomino Cisco out at the ranch.

• June 29 -Gossip columnist Sidney Skolsky writes "James Dean has the lead in EAST OF EDEN and you'll be hearing of him soon. Pier Angeli, who isn't in the movie, has discovered him already." Dean refers to her as Miss Pizza and takes her to meet his father and step mother. Dean also takes Pier to meet Gene Owen and her husband Hal.

• July 6 -Gets California Driver's license.

• Aug 13 -Eden filming ends. Julie Harris finds Jimmy alone in his trailer crying "It's over".

• Sept 5 -Appears in NBC's Philco T.V. Playhouse: "Run Like a Thief". Jimmy plays a young man suspected of robbery.

• Sept 27-Director Nicholas Ray moves into office at Warner Brothers to start work on script for Rebel Without a Cause.

• Sept 29 -Jimmy wearing a tuxedo escorts Pier to the premiere of A STAR IS BORN at the Pantages Theater. The priemier is the largest Hollywood at seen up until that time and it is televised live. a quick glimpse of the back of Jimmy's head is seen. Also in attendance at the primier is Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Palance, Debbie Reynolds, Shelly Winters, Lauren Bacall and Liberace.

• Sept 3 -Jimmy flies to New York to visit friends.

• Oct 7 -Warner Brothers exercises right to extend Jimmy's contract.

• Oct 4?-Pier announces her engagement to Vic Damone.

• Nov 9 -Appears on CBS's series Danger: "Padlocks" costarring Mildred Dunnock.

• Nov 24 -Former girlfriend, Pier Angeli, marries Vic Damone at the St. Timothy's Roman Catholic Church in Westwood; Jimmy allegedly sits outside of church guns motorcyle across the street in disapproval.(This is the same church where seventeen years later Pier's own funeral services would be held after her death, a possible suicide.

• Dec -Plays a "hep-cat" killer subdued by a country doctor played by Ronald Reagan, in CBS's General Electric Theatre: "The Dark, Dark Hours."

• Dec 17 -Appears in General Electric Theatre's: "I'm a Fool" with Natalie Wood and Eddie Albert.

• Dec 25 -Jimmy spends Christmas taking photos at Roy Schatt's.

• Dec 29 -Roy Schatt shoots the 16 black and white pictures which become known as the torn sweater series. These are some of the most famous pictures of Jimmy.
• Dec 31 -Jimmy attends New Years eve party at Roy Schatt's.

1955

• Jan 4 -Warner Brothers announces James Dean to play role of Jim Stark n Rebel Without A Cause. He is to recieve $1250 a week for minimum of 10 weeks of work on REBEL. Jimmy appears on ABC's U.S. Steel Hour: "The Thief" co-starring Mary Astor.(pictures in reheasal and backstage in dressing room taken by Roy Schatt).

• Jan 18 -Jimmy returns to Hollywood to begin pre-production meetings with director of Rebel, Nicholas Ray.

• Feb 8 -Jimmy's 24 birthday.

• Feb 14 -Jimmy attends "Sweetheart Ball" at Fairmount High School with photographer Dennis Stock who also acts as the dialog coach on Rebel. Jimmy plays his bongos with the band and signs autographs.

• Mar 1 -Purchases a $4000.00 white 1500cc Porsche Super Speedster. (Wins amateur races at Pacific Palisades and Pasadena?) Enters prestigious 2-day meet at Palm Springs.

• Mar 7 -Dennis Stock's photo essay, "Moody New Star", appears in Life Magazine.

• Mar 8 -Jimmy returns to Hollywood. He skips the premiers of EDEN telling agent Jane Deacy "I can't handle that scene."

• Mar 9 -Celebrity preview of Eden at New York's Astor Theatre. Marilyn Monroe hands out Programs and is a usherette. Benefit for Actor's Studio. Jimmy does not attend.

• Mar 10 -Eden opens to the public at the Astor Theater in New York City.

• Mar 13 -Interview by Howard Thompson, "Another Dean Hits the Big League" appears in the New York Times.

• Mar 14 -Appears in NBC's Lux Video Theatre: "The Life of Emile Zola". Interview with Jimmy follows broadcast.

• Mar 19 -Jimmy is officially confirmed for the role of Jett Rink in GIANT.

• Mar 21 -Rave review of Jimmy's performance in Eden appears in Time Magazine.

• Mar 26 -the Eighth Running Palm Springs road race. Drove his white Porsche Speedster #23. Wins first in amateur race on first day and comes in 3rd place in the professional race the following day.

• Mar 27 -Hedda Hopper praises Jimmy's performance in Eden. Hedda's son Edward Hopper will appear in Rebel.

• Mar 30 -Rebel begins shooting Exterior shots outside planetarium. Jimmy works nine hours that day

• April 2 -Warner Brothers again extends Jimmy's contract. Slated to play Jett Rink in movie version of Edna Ferber's novel Giant. He is to recieve $1500 per week for GIANT Total salary $22,500.

• April 4 -Screenwriters Fred Guiol and Evan Moffat finalize script for Giant.

• April 10 -Eden opens nationwide.

• April 14 -Warner Brothers announces "Dean to play Graziano role in Somebody Up There Likes Me." After Jimmy's untimely death, the picture is quickly recast with Paul Newman and also stars Pier Angeli and Sal Mineo.

• April 14-15 -The unlighted Road is filmed.(not live?). paid $2,500 plays Jeff Latham a young drifter who is unwittingly becomes involved in racketeering and murder.

• April 22 - Jimmy suffers a badly bruised right hand while filming. He slams his right fist into the side of a desk harder than the script calls for. He is taken to Riverside Drive Emergency Hopital where x-rays reveal no broken bones. Dr. Hiatt advises Dean to keep his hand wrapped in an elastic band for at least a week but the injured hand will not prevent him from working.

• May 1 - Race in Bakersfield Six lap race. Racing number is #33 places 3rd in his white porsche.

• May 6 - his last T.V. show, CBS's Schlitz Playhouse: "The Unlighted Road" co-starring Pat Hardy airs.

• May 19 -Giant begins production.Shooting in Virginia with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Scenes which do not include Jimmy's character. Jett Rink does not appear in the film until Texas.

• May 26 -Filming on Rebel ends. Jimmy and Ray are the last ot leave the set.

• May 29 -Jimmy races car in Santa Barbara's 4th Running Road Races on memorial day. places 4th? He races his white porsche, his number is again #33. His car hits a hay bale his engine blows and he does not finish the race. This was to be Dean's last race. Dean decides to purchase a faster car.

• June 3 -Jimmy joins Giant filming in progress.

• July 8 -Giant cast and crew over 280 strong leave Martha, Texas.

• July 12 -Cast and crew back in L.A. for interior sequences at the studio in Burbank. While waiting for shots to be set up during GIANT Jimmy studies the text of Hamlet which he wants to do on Broadway.

• July 22 -Jimmy kept waiting in makeup and costume and not used by director Stevens.

• July 23 -Jimmy fails to show up on the set for work.

• Aug -Takes one year lease on house in the San Fernando Valley at 14611 Sutton St. Sherman Oaks. Rents house from Nico Romanos, maitred at Villa Capri.

• Aug 1 -The Hollywood Reporter: "James Dean is studying German so that he can fight with Ursula Andress in two languages".

• Sept 16 -Press release "James Dean plans to go on racing kick when Giant ends."

• Sept 17 -Jimmy in Jett Rink costume makes a 30-second commercial for National Highway Safety Committee with Gig Young. Improvises on their famous adage of THe life you save may be your own with Signs off with the improvised line "And, remember...drive safely because the life you save might be mine."

• Sept 21 -Trades in Porsche Speedster and adds a check for $3000 and purchases silver Porsche Spyder 550 from Jon Von Newman at Competition Motors N.Vine St. Custom car artist, George Barris, paints "130" and "Little Bastard" on it. "Little Bastard" was a nickname Jimmy got while on set of Giant

• Sept 22(or 23 or 24) -Finished "Last Supper" scene in Giant. Jimmy's last day of filming? Jimmy's voice is later dubbed in by Nick Adams from REBEL. after Jimmy's death.

• Sept 23 - Jimmy meets Alex Guiness at the Villa Capri and show him his new car outside. Alex warns Jimmy the car will be the death of him.

• Sept 26 -Jimmy learns of race to be held on following weekend in Salinas. Jimmy decides to enter and submits his name for entry. His name is submitted too late to be included on the printed program.

• Sept 30 - At approximately 5:45 p.m. James Dean's Porshe collides with a Ford sedan at an intersection near Cholame, California. He is killed instantly.