It could have been Brando.
The director wanted Marlon Brando to star in the 1952 film "East of Eden" however the screen writer, Paul Osborn, recommended James Dean.
James Byron Dean died 77 years ago this month.
Yet his estate still earns over $5,000,000 each year.
Why?
He is a legend, an icon...
In little more than a year, and after credits in just 3 films, he became one of the most admired screen stars of all time.
He achieved cult status and became an icon of American culture.
Then he did what all icons have to do...he died young...and "left a good looking corpse".
He received a posthumous Best Actor Nomination at the Oscars, the first actor to do so. Twice.
When he got the part in "East of Eden", James Dean bought himself a Porsche 356 Speedster. During filming of "Rebel without a Cause" he traded the car for one of only 90 known Porsche 550 Spyders.
The Porsche was a formidable machine.
Seven days before his death, James Dean approached Sir Alec Guinness outside a restaurant. He wanted to show him his new car.
Guinness commented that the car looked sinister and told Dean "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week"
The rest is history
The car adds greatly to the mystique of James Dean.
It not only killed him but also injured countless others.
The legendary racer George Barris paid $2,500 for the car after the crash. It promptly slipped off a trailer and broke a mechanic's leg.
Barris sold on the engine and the drive-train to two racers. Whilst racing each other one was killed crashing into a tree, the other was injured overturning his car.
The tires had been unharmed during Dean's crash. They were sold and subsequently blew up during a race.
Two would be thieves were injured while attempting to steal other parts. One tried to steal the steering wheel and ripped open his arm on a piece of jagged metal.
The car was eventually loaned to the California Highway patrol for a highway safety exhibit.
The first exhibit was unsuccessful. The garage storing the Porsche went up in flames, destroying everything except the car itself.
The second exhibit, at a Sacramento High School, ended when the car fell off its display and broke a student's hip.
The truck transporting the car back to the depot lost control, causing the driver to fall out. Thinking his day couldn't get any worse he was then crushed by the Porsche falling off the back of the lorry.
The car mysteriously vanished in 1960. It's not been seen since.
The car had certainly lived up to its name. The language coach on the set of the film "Giant" had given it the nickname 'Little B**tard'.
It's no exaggeration to say no other Hollywood actor has so many fans having produced so little work. James Dean had made just 3 major films when he died.
Yet studios reported that more people wrote to the deceased James Dean than any living actor.
His charismatic screen presence and very brief career creates what is today one of the world's rarest signatures.
His death at such a young age transformed him into a cult figure.
James Dean offers a timeless fascination.
He's an all American Hero.
And he's also one of the rarest signatures in the world. After all, he wasn't around long enough to sign.
James Dean signatures are up there with the rarest.
But James Dean signed photos are truly like gold dust.
We have one available. It's a cracker. You can see it on the following link. These things sell themselves. That's all I have to say.
James Dean signed photo
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Regards
Adrian Roose
Stanley Gibbons & Fraser's Autographs