The death of Hollywood actor James Dean took place on September 30, 1955, near Cholame, California. Dean previously competed in several racing events, and was traveling to a sports car racing competition when his car crashed at the intersection of California State Route 46 (formerly 466) and California State Route 41. He was 24 years old.
Video Death of James Dean
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In April 1954, after securing a starring role by Cal Trask in East of Eden, James Dean bought a 1955 Triumph Tiger T110 motorcycle 650Ã, cc and, later, used red 1953 MG TD Midget sports car. In March 1955, Dean traded MG for the new Porsche Super Speedster 1955 purchased from Competition Motors in Hollywood, California. He traded Triumph T110 for Trophi Trophy Trophy 1955 three days after filming wrapped up in East of Eden. Just before filming began on Rebel Without a Cause, Dean competed in Palm Springs Road Races with Speedster on March 26-27. He finished first overall in the beginner class Saturday, and second overall in Sunday's premier event. Dean also ran Speedster in Bakersfield on May 1-2, finishing first in the class and third overall. His final race with Speedster was in Santa Barbara on Memorial Day, May 30, where he started in the eighteenth position, running to fourth, before changing his engine and blowing the piston. He did not finish the race.
During the filming of Giant from June to mid September, Warner Brothers has banned Dean from all racing events. In July, Dean put a deposit on the new Lotus Mark IX sport racer with Jay Chamberlain, a dealer in Burbank. Dean was informed that Lotus shipments would be delayed until the fall. On September 21, when Dean completed the Giant, he suddenly traded at Speedster in Competition Motors for the new, stronger and faster 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder and entered the upcoming Salinas Road Race event scheduled October 1 -2. He also bought a new 1955 Ford Country Squire station station to be used to pull "Little Bastard" into and out of the race in an open wheeled car.
According to Lee Raskin, Porsche historian and writer James Dean: At Speed ​​Dean asked special painters and pinstriper Dean Jeffries to paint "Little Bastard" in the car:
Dean Jeffries, who owns the paint shop next to [George] Barris, does an adjustment job consisting of: '130' painting with non-permanent black paint on the front hood, rear deck door and cover. He also painted "Little Bastard" in the script across the back cowling. Red leather bucket seats and original red tail line. The tail lines are painted by the Stuttgart factory, which is a habit in Spyders for racing ID.
It is said that Dean was nicknamed "Little Bastard" by Bill Hickman, a stunt driver Warner Bros. that Dean befriended. Hickman was part of Dean's group driving to Salinas Road Races on September 30, 1955. Hickman said he called Dean "little bastard", and Dean called Hickman a "big bastard." Another version of "Little Rogues" origin - strengthened by two close friends Dean, Phil Stern and Lew Bracker - is that Warner Bros. president Jack L. Warner once referred to Dean as a small bastard after he refused to empty it while East of Eden in the trailer in the studio. And Dean wants to get "even" with Warner by naming his racing car "Little Bastard" and bravely pointed out that despite a racing ban during all filming, Dean will race with "Little Bastard" between the projects. When Dean introduced himself to British actor Alec Guinness outside Villa Capri's restaurant in Hollywood, he asked him to see Spyder. Guinness thought the car appeared "evil" and told Dean: "If you get in that car, you'll be found dead in it by this time next week." This meeting took place on September 23, 1955, seven days before Dean's death.
Maps Death of James Dean
Accident
On September 30, 1955, Dean and his Porsche engine-trained mechanic Rolf WÃÆ'¼therich were at Competition Motors in Hollywood preparing "Little Bastard" for a weekend sports car race at Salinas. Dean originally intended to pull Porsche behind his Ford station wagon, encouraged by Hickman and accompanied by professional photographer Sanford H. Roth who was planning Dean's photo story in the race for Collier's magazine. Because Spyder did not have enough "break-ins" for miles before the race, WÃÆ'¼therich recommended that Dean drive it to Salinas to get more "sitting time" behind the wheel. The group has coffee and donuts at the Hollywood Ranch Market on Vine Street opposite the Motors Competition before leaving around 1:15 pm PST. They stopped at the Mobil for gas station on Ventura Blvd. on Beverly Glen Blvd. in Sherman Oaks around 2 pm. The group then heads north at the Golden State Freeway and then passes "Grapevine" to Bakersfield.
At 15.30, Dean was stopped by California Highway Patrolman O.V. Hunter at Mettler Station in Wheeler Ridge, just south of Bakersfield, to drive 65 mph (105 km/h) in the 55 mph zone (89 km/h). Hickman, following Spyder at Ford with the trailer, was also ticketed for driving 20 mph (32 km/h) beyond the limit, as the speed limit for all vehicles pulling the trailer was 45 mph (72 km/h). Upon receiving the quotation, Dean and Hickman turn left onto SR 166/33 to avoid through the slow city center of 25 mph (40 km/h) in Bakersfield. SR 166/33 is a shortcut known for sports car drivers who go to Salinas, called "street racers", who take them directly to Blackwells Corner on Route 466 AS (later SR 46). At Blackwells Corner, Dean pauses for a drink and meets fellow drivers Lance Reventlow and Bruce Kessler, who are also on their way to Salinas at the Mercedes-Benz 300SL coupe Reventlow. When Reventlow and Kessler left, they all agreed to have dinner in Paso Robles.
At about 5:15 pm, Dean and Hickman leave Blackwells Corner, driving west on Route 466 to Paso Robles, about 60 miles (97 km) away. Dean accelerated in "Little Bastard" and left Ford's station wagon far behind. Next on Route 466, Porsche grabbed the Polonio Pass and drove a long Antelope Grade, passing the car along the road to the intersection on Route 466 and Route 41. At approximately 17:45, Ford 1950 was black and white. Tudor is driven at high speed heading east on Route 466 west of the intersection near Shandon. The driver, Cal Cal, 23-year-old Donald Turnupseed, turned left on Route 41 to the north, heading for Fresno. As Ford Turnupseed crosses the center line, Dean (obviously seeing an imminent crash) seems to be trying to steer Spyder in a "side stepping" racing maneuver, but with insufficient time and space, both cars fall almost instantly. A witness, John Robert White, reportedly saw Spyder hit the ground two or three times in a wagon, and landed in a ditch beside the road shoulder, northwest of the intersection. The mere speed of the collision made the much heavier Ford slide 39 feet (12 m) down the 466 Route on the western route. The accident was witnessed by a number of pedestrians who stopped to help. A woman with breastfeeding experiences attends Dean and detects a weak pulse in her neck, but according to the woman, "death appears instantly".
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Captain Ernest Tripke and his partner, Corporal Ronald Nelson, have completed a coffee break in Paso Robles when they were summoned to the accident scene at the intersection of Route 466/41. Before Tripke and Nelson arrive, Dean has been deprived of Spyder's cockpit, his left leg has been crushed between the clutch and brake pedal. Dean was badly injured as he took the brunt of the accident, with a broken neck and several internal and external injuries. Nelson watched an unconscious and dying Dean stationed in an ambulance, and a barely conscious WÃÆ'¼therich, who was thrown from Spyder, lying on the shoulder of a road next to a damaged vehicle. Dean and WÃÆ'¼therich were taken in the same ambulance to the Paso Robles War Memorial Hospital, 28 miles (45 km) away. Dean was declared dead on arrival at 6:20 pm by an emergency room doctor, Dr. Robert Bossert. The cause of death listed on death certificates of James Dean is listed as a neck fracture as well as multiple upper and lower jaw fractures along with both right and left arm fractures as well as internal injuries. Warren Beath writes that Dean has died in the arms of his friend Bill Hickman. Despite Dean's speed report of 85 mph (137 km/h), Nelson estimates that the actual speed is about 55 mph (89 km/h), based on the ruins and dean's body position.
WÃÆ'¼therich survived with a broken jaw and a serious hip and femur injury that required immediate surgery. Turnupseed was only slightly injured with bruised faces and a bloody nose. After being interviewed by CHP, Turnupseed rides in the dark to his home in Tulare. Hickman and Roth arrived at the crash site about ten minutes after the accident. Hickman helps in squeezing Dean out of the ruins. Roth took photos of the accident scene (which was acquired by Seita Ohnishi, a retired Japanese businessman who would later establish a monument near the site).
Several sources gave Dean the last known words - pronounced just before the impact when WÃÆ'¼therich told Dean to slow down when Ford Tudor stopped in their path - like, "The man must stop... He will see us". Raskin believes that every report about Dean and WÃÆ'¼therich communicating before the accident was a pure conjecture. According to a coronary deposition taken from WÃÆ'¼therich at the hospital, and then in a 1960 interview given to an official Porsche magazine, Christophorus , he could not remember the exact moments before and after the fall.
Checking and effect
On a coroner's official inspection, held at the San Luis Obispo Court House on October 11, 1955, Turnupseed told the jury that he had not seen the low-profile Spyder until after he turned left onto Route 41. After another testimony by CHP, and the accident witness, the coroner's jury returned with the verdict of "accidental death without criminal intent," finding Turnupseed innocent of any erroneous contribution to Dean's death. The late Dean was also found not guilty of criminal charges or misconduct of contributions to the accident.
Although not accused of any offense, Turnupseed still suffered a devastating blow that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He only gave one interview to the Tulare Advance-Register newspaper immediately after the accident, but after that he refused to speak publicly about the accident. Turnupseed went on to own and operate a very successful family electrical contracting business in Tulare. He died at the age of 63 from lung cancer in 1995.
WÃÆ'¼therich, after several elaborate operations on hips and thigh bones, returned to West Germany in 1957 with psychological and legal problems. He worked for the Porsche testing department and international rally and racing team during the 1960s. He died in July 1981, in Kupferzell, West Germany, in another car accident when he lost control of his car and crashed into a residence. Like Dean in an earlier accident, WÃÆ'¼therich had to be expelled from an accident and died at the crash site. He is 53 years old.
There is an ironic epilogue for fatal crash James Dean: while filming Giant, Dean is also filming a brief public service announcement with actor Gig Young for the National Safety Council. It featured Dean dressed up like a young "Jett Rink" talking about how fast driving on the highway could be more dangerous than racing on a track. At the end of the segment, instead of saying the slogan, "The life you saved might be your own," Dean puts a line on the ad "The life you might think may be mine ".
Funeral and memorial
Dean's funeral was held on October 8, 1955, at the Fairmount Friends Church in Fairmont, Indiana. The coffin remained closed to hide the severe injuries to the upper body and face. An estimated 600 mourners were present, while 2,400 other fans gathered outside the church during the procession. Dean's body was buried in the Tombs at Fairmount - less than a mile from where he grew up on his aunt's farm and his uncle.
In 1977, a memorial to Dean was established in Cholame, California. The stylish statue consists of stainless steel around the paradise tree that grows in front of the former Cholame office building. The statue was designed in Japan and transported to Cholame, accompanied by the project contributor, Seita Ohnishi of Kobe mentioned above. Ohnishi chose the site after checking the crash site, less than a mile away. Highways 41 and 46 intersections where the accident happened now became a meadow, and both roads have been rearranged for decades to make them safer. On September 30, 2005, the intersections on Highways 46 and 41 were dedicated as James Dean Memorial Junction as part of the official commemoration of the 50th anniversary of his death in the State of California. (Map of the intersection 35Ã, Â ° 44? 5? N 120 Â ° 17 ? 4? W )
Date and time of birth and death Dean scraped into sculpture, along with handwritten description by friend Dean William Bast from one of Dean's favorite lines from Antoine de Saint-Exupà ©  © ry's The Little Prince : "Which important not visible to the eye. " It also includes an infinity symbol next to the date of his death, indicating that he will never be forgotten.
"Curse" from Dean's car
James Dean's "curse" of cars, "Little Bastard", has become part of American cultural mythology. Warren Beath, an author and author of James Dean, believes that the source of the myth is George Barris, the self-described "Customist" who says he was the first to buy a damaged car. Barris promoted the "curse" after he put the accident in public in 1956. Over the years, Barris described a series of mysterious accidents occurring from 1956 to 1960 involving "Little Bastard," which resulted in serious injury to the audience and even the death of truck driver. Raskin claims that many of the claims about "curses" are based on Barris 1974,
Raskin's 2005 book James Atan: At Speed ​​states that a ruined Spyder is expressed as a total loss by an insurance company, which pays Dean's father, Winton, fair market value as a settlement. The insurance company, in turn, through a rescue page in Burbank, sells Spyder to Dr. William F. Eschrich. Eschrich, who competed against Dean in his own sports car at three race events during 1955, dismantled the engine and mechanical parts and installed a Porsche 4-cam engine in his Lotus IX car chassis. Eschrich then drove a Porsche-powered Lotus, which he called "Potus", in seven California Sports Car Club events during 1956. At the Pomona Sport Car Racing on October 21, 1956, Eschrich, driving this car, was involved underage. "Shunt" with other drivers.
Barris' Cars of the Stars states that Dr. McHenry, "driving an engine-driven car from Dean's car, was killed when his vehicle got out of control and crashed into a tree in the first race on which the motor had been used since Dean's accident." Another doctor, William F. Eschrid [sic] from Burbank, "Eschrich, who was interviewed a day after McHenry's fatal crash, said he had loaned Dean's transmissions and some other parts to McHenry:" I can not believe he used the transmission when he crashed, but he uses the back swing arm that holds the back. " McHenry seems to have the distinction of being the only "bonafide" victim.
Raskin stated that although Barris might have adjusted some cars for Rebel Without a Cause, he never adjusted Dean's private car and none of his Porsche. Lew Bracker, Dean's best friend at L.A. and fellow Porsche riders, argues that Barris is not involved with Dean's racing activities; he was never considered part of Dean's "inner circle" who was invited to go to Salinas on September 30, 1955. It is not known exactly how Barris knew Eschrich, but he was given a broken Spyder body after Eschrich disarmed Porsche. In 1956, Barris announced that he would rebuild "Little Bastard," but it proved to be the duty of Hercules because the damaged assemblies lacked any remaining integral strength. Instead, Barris decided to weld aluminum sheet metal over the left front fender and cockpit area. He went on to beat on the aluminum panel with 2x4 to try to simulate what appeared to be collision damage. Then in 1956, Barris lent "Little Rogues" to the Los Angeles National Security Council chapter for local sticks and special car shows. Terrible display promoted as: "James Dean Last Sports Car". During 1957-1959, the exhibition visited various bars and auto shows, cinemas, bowling alleys, and highway safety displays throughout California.
There are several stories related to the "curse" that can be strengthened. For example, the story of the wire service on March 12, 1959, reported that "Little Rogues", temporarily stored in a garage at 3158 Hamilton Avenue in Fresno, was burned "awaiting displays as a security exhibition in upcoming sports events and special cars." The May 12 1959, Fresno Bee , reported that the fire broke out on the night of March 11, and there was little damage to Spyder without damaging cars or other properties in the garage. No one was hurt: "The cause of the fire is unknown, it burns two tires and burns the paint on the vehicle." Later that year, "Little Bastard" toured the national automotive exhibition and traffic safety exhibition. The legend also states that the "Little Rogues" mysteriously disappeared in 1960. According to Barris, Spyder returned from a Florida traffic safety exhibition in a sealed truck. In Barris's book and in many TV interviews, he says, "Little Bastard" is being sent back into a closed carriage. When the train arrived in Los Angeles, Barris said he signed the manifest and verified that the seal was still intact - but the carriage was empty.
Raskin believed that Barris's "Little Bastard" side show had lost its appeal when the pop culture of 1960 began focusing on Muscle Cars' big block. Raskin also believes that Barris chose to misplace "Little Bastard". The stories of mysterious disappearance are Barris's way of perpetuating Dean myth, especially on Dean's death memorial.
Although the legendary "Little Bastard" seems to have disappeared from sight, the Historic Attraction Attraction in Roscoe, Illinois, Illinois claims to have Dean Spyder's original cut on the screen (a small piece of aluminum, a few square inches in size) that is off and stolen from areas near the windshield which broke down while Spyder was being kept at Cholame Garage after the accident. Also, in 2005, for the 50th Anniversary of the Dean's Death, the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois announced they were displaying what is supposedly the "Little Bastard" passenger door. Volo and Barris offer $ 1 million to anyone who can prove that they have the remains of "Little Bastard". No one came to claim the prize.
The Porsche 4-Cam engine (# 90059), together with the original California Owner's Registrar (aka CA Pink Slip) machine number list, is still in possession of the late Dr. family. Eschrich. The Porsche transaxle assembly (# 10046), currently owned by Porsche collectors and restorer Jack Styles in Massachusetts. Raskin originally documented and published all serial numbers (VIN) for Spyder (chassis, engine, transmission); and for his 356 Super Speedster. To date, none of the Porsche Dean have been found.
Documentary
On February 15, 2009, the three California Roadway Patrol (CHP) officers dealing with Dean on the day of his death - Officer Otie Hunter, who commissioned Dean for speeding, and Officers Ernie Tripke and Ronald Nelson, who investigated the fatal crash - participated and shared memories they were about that fateful day in an SCVTV documentary entitled The Stuff of Legend: James Dean Final Ride, co-produced by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.
Note
Quote
According to Death of James Dean's book, "Turnupseed may be quoted at the scene because it turns illegally and possibly other allegations of negligence, such as signal failure, failure to see safe movement, and unsafe speed, but because the accident involved death, Jimmy may be speeding (but not the silly speed some people suggest (more like 60-70), and because the Porsche is driving very low to the ground, and by that time the day of Turnupseed is completely unaware of what hit him (or he hit) until it was too late.
External links
- "Little Bastard": Silver Spyder Porsche/Dean Mystery Revisited. The Selvedge Yard.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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