James Dean
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[voice over, opening lines] My mother made me promise to be an artist. She taught me that imagination can take a person anywhere. Mine took me from Indiana, to Broadway, to Hollywood. She was right.
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[voice over] I decided to move to New York. Every actor I cared about, Brando, Clift, even Whitmore, all worked in New York. New York was big and lonely. I loved it. Being a struggling actor in New York in the nineteen fifties was the best, it was the right place at the right time. Stop worrying about my mother and father for a while. I was dead broke, didn't matter, cause I was home.
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[On the set of Giant] You know, you keep me waiting for hours preparing for some scene. You never get around for shooting. Cause I ain't working today. And you do it again, I'm gonna take two days and than three.
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I'm not even interested in this glitzy glamour crap! All right! If you wanna wear monkey suits! That's fine! Not me!
Dialogue
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Martin Landau:
[about an audition] You never know. I mean look at me; when I tried out for "Tennessee Williams" I thought I was terrible.
James Dean: You
were terrible... you didn't get the part.
Martin Landau: Just a detail.
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Winton Dean: That's a nice car.
James Dean: Yeah, it's alluminum. They only made 30.
Winton Dean: Must have cost a lot.
James Dean: Well, I got a lot.
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Martin Landau: What's your name?
James Dean: I can't decide.
Martin Landau: What are your choices?
James Dean: I've got James Dean, Jimmy Dean, Byron Dean.
Martin Landau: Which one's your real name?
James Dean: James. Byron's my middle name.
Martin Landau: Go with your real name.
James Dean: You think?
Martin Landau: I know. Jimmy's an eight year old boy, and Byron's a dead poet with a crooked foot.
James Dean: James is king.
(laughs) What's your name?
Martin Landau: Martin Landau.
(They shake hands)
James Dean: Where are you from?
Martin Landau: Why? Do you wanna come home and meet my mom?
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Elia Kazan: Have a seat.
(James sits down)
Elia Kazan: Tell us about yourself, Jimmy.
James Dean: Well,
(pauses) you know, there's not much to tell. I was born in Indiana and moved out to California when I was five, till I was nine. My mother died, and then I was sent back to Indiana to live with my aunt and uncle.
Elia Kazan: What was it like living on a farm?
(pauses, takes out a swiss army knife from his pocket, fiddles with it)
James Dean: I wasn't much of a farmer. I rode on a motorcycle.
(laughs) I used to chase the cows, they'd start running and others swinging from side to side.
(Kazan smiles)
Elia Kazan: How about your father?
James Dean: Well, we don't really talk much. We don't like each other.
(starts jabbing the knife into his chair) In fact we hate each other. See I'm an actor cause it's the best way I know how to express myself, I'm not very good with talking. I think you can tell.
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Jack Warner:
[About the 50 Spyder race car] You know that uh...Car racing is for idiots. Well, your working for me and I say no racing cars.
[Looks at Dean, who smiles] You find that funny huh?
[Dean nods] I'm signing a deal that would pay you a million dollars and for a millions dollars I'm telling you, no more racing cars.
James Dean: When I'm not shooting...
Jack Warner: Beg your pardon?
James Dean: When I'm not shooting, I'm on my own, Jack. If you don't like that, you can take...
Jack Warner:
[Stops Dean] You're gonna say something, you're gonna regret.
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