One additional note:Anyone who posts about auto racing and thinks that NASCAR is legitimate "racing" is to be ignored. NASCAR is not racing, it is sanctioned roundy round bumper cars surviving by advertising crap American beer and cancer causing chewing tobacco. It is nothing more than TV Wrestling with wheels, not a legitimate motor sport.
You Dirty SOB . There is not a thing wrong with auto racing or NASCAR. The only thing to be ignored here is you! I find your racist comments disgusting. People like you should be put in Prison.
@@chuckschillingvideos Whoa! I'm not sure who you line up as good or great actors and how emotions, natural emotions, make a picture. He never had to "act." He had the ability to pull you in. No matter how many were in the room or on the screen, you couldn't take your eyes off of him. Three movies are all we got to see of him and you don't see the gift he had? This man was handsome, photogenic, deep and sexy? Yes, indeed. R.I.P. James Dean
As far back as 1955 the media showed their bias toward someone that didn't fit in their little groove. The fact is no matter James Dean reputation, what or how fast he was driving was not the cause of the accident. The sole blame belongs on Turnupseed. He turned left into oncoming traffic without, 100% knowing it was safe to do so, and as a result killed a future legend.
fire starter105: "killed a future legend" must be great to be able to read the future of someone. If James Dean had been driving sensible that day, he may have been able to avoid hitting the other car. "if" is a little word with a big meaning. James Dean was meant to meet his maker that day and nothing could have changed that. He was by no means a good actor but maybe one day he could have been but that is something we will never know.
I just watched a interview with the police officers that responded and investigate d the accident, they said he wasn't speeding he stopped 45 after impact so he wasn't speeding
Anibal Babilonia: Get a life. He was no cooler than anyone else. but obviously, the brainwashing of publicists they do on actors has worked on you. He was just a guy, Anibal, just like any other guy and yes, it was a shame he died so young but it is just as bad a tragedy when any other young man or woman dies so young. Admire people if you want but please, don't put them up on a pedestal; they are just human beings just like you and me. The coolest guy that ever lived? really, really, REALLY? There are a lot of guys in this world and that's a strange thing to say as I doubt you have met or seen every guy in the world.
Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brother, forbid James from racing during filming, for fear of James not being able to film. Jack refered to James as "that little bastard".
Here's another Hollywood connection to this wreck, Bill Hickman, noted stunt driver probably best known as the driver of the black Dodge Charger in the classic Steve McQueen movie Bullitt was driving the station wagon behind Dean that was the support vehicle for Dean's racing efforts and was towing the trailer that the Porsche was on when they stopped to get gas when Dean decided to unload it and drive it to the race to get a feel for it instead of towing it to the race, Hickman met Dean when he was assigned as his dialogue coach for the movie Giant, Hickman came across the wreck moments after it happened and ran down and was holding onto Dean when people started to show up. Hickman went on to drive in some of Hollywood's greatest chase scenes including Bullitt, The Seven Up's, and The French Connection among others, he also had a small acting part in The French Connection.
Or that's what Dean's father called him and Dean satirically named his Porsche race car Little Bastard. Jack Warner was one of the old Hollywood kings and they ran everything with an iron fist. That included trying to control his actor employees lives whenever possible. Another theory put forth on the crash had Dean driving slower at the approach to the intersection and the closing speed of the two cars was 120-130. (eg, 60+60, 70+50, 70+60). But that could have been Warner spinning things to try and collect on his production delay/cancellation insurance.
@@dukecraig2402 Almost correct. It was Bob (Texas Bob) Hinkle that was the dialogue coach in Giant not Bill Hickman. But they have similar names so I understand the mix up. He was a stunt man in Rebel without a Cause so presumably that is how James and Bill met.
They’re such back heavy cars that when u corner in on especially the vintage ones you can feel it could spin out very easily. Made me feel anxious in one
JAMES DEAN AND MARILYN MONROE ....WHO BOTH GENERATED A MAGICAL AURORA ...PHOTOGENIC .....WHETHER THEY COULD ACT OR NOT THEIR MAGICAL CHARISMA STOLE THE SHOW ....ICONIC BEYOND COMPREHENSION .....BRAVO!
I live in it every day everything I own is the 1950s apart from this pc which is hidden away. My car, clothes House even tv im only 35 I hate today's world.
Excellent documentary. Great information about the history of the Porsche. More information, new people who were alive at the time he raced. Good narrative voice. Enjoyed this.
Glad you enjoyed this... Bob Varsha is one of the great commentators in automotive history. Reactions like yours are why I enjoy sharing these great programs on YT.
As the Ambulance carrying Dean from the crash site T-Boned another vehicle it's quite feasible that this wrenched his severe neck injury beyond repair.
He was more than likely going to die from the severe skull fracture caused by the impact, when his face collided with the headlight of the Ford. Dean's face was cut with glass, but his Spyder's windscreen was made out of plexiglass, and because the glass on the Ford's windscreen was undamaged, the glass found imbedded in Dean's face had to have come from the headlight.
Yep that was unfortunate. He might have had a chance otherwise. But we'll never know. I hope he is at peace together in the afterlife with his Mother and Father.
I am a more then a fan. I consider myself a Elvis and James Dean historian. Together these two men changed our culture forevet. Ironically though from the same era they never met they have very similar and very different traits and hobbies. To this day I don’t know any actor singer or performer who goes rite to your soul they can not be imitaded though many tried. You can’t recreate the mood and changes they created and that includes the Beatles and Michael Jackson. They come from a certain decade that gave birth to their persona that’s long gone and will never be again. So it’s not only their personalities but the era that their from that shaped them and gave way to the 60s. They also had a female counterpart named. Marilyn Monroe all died tragically but left legacies unmatched
I remember watching this years ago on Speed Channel. That was back when Speed was a great channel. Loved Wings and Water Wednesday. Nearly everything on the channel was interesting, back then. It was honestly the only reason I had cable TV. Well, the History Channel used to be good back then too. Both really went down hill around 10 - 12 years ago. I've not had a TV since then.
nothing but one huge advertising mess...milking what little history there is creating new shows....thing is the old blood that created these things moved on or passed on and it's all about the advertising dollar now...the internet is right behind
That mercury he drove in "rebel without a cause" was George Barris's personal car. It wasn't supposed to be in the movie. But Dean saw it and insisted on using it for the movie.
I can tell you exactly where Guinness got the inside that Dean wouldn't have lived very much longer. He, like others , realized that Dean was dangerous.
Seat belts were not required to be installed in new cars in the 50's. It may seem odd to us today, but during the 1950's, the primary fear many/most drivers and passengers felt was the fear of burn injuries, not impact injuries. Their primary concern was to be able to get out of a burning car faster. Cars are designed with much greater attention to fire prevention now and so there is less of a fear of dying while trapped in a fireball than there was in the 50's.
The impact of the crash is what killed him you’d be surprised at how much little or big impact kicks the shit out of a human. I’ve been knocked off a bicycle with little speed and I have skidded so far and it shocked me and my jaw dropped. So be careful don’t be cocky on any type of vehicle I’ve witnessed more tragedies than I’ve not wanted to witness.
James Dean's 'Drive' didn't 'change' history.... the car crash was noteworthy in what can be seen as an historic event. A culmination of both driver errors resulted in their collision and the death of Dean. Racing on the Highway - What would people really expect as a highly likely outcome?
it changed HIS STORY , fool , of course it changed history ! if it hadnt of happened things would of been very different in the movie world for one ,Elvis would of had to take a back seat also ,Wake up
I am, and will always be a "Deaner". However, I must sadly agree about driving that car on the highway. It was a stupid thing to do since the car was built for racetrack driving only. A more experienced driver would never have done such a thing. If Dean didn't know any better, his mechanic should have. But, I guess we have to remember that dean was young, and young people sometimes do stupid things. They are still of the "that happens to everyone else, not to me" mindset. Had he been 40, he probably would have had a different attitude and kept the Porsche on the back of the station wagon which he bought for that very purpose.
A man inherited a Harley Davidson from someone. He wasn't a motorcyclist, so had the bike in his garage for sometime before getting the itch to put it back on the road. He noted that some parts were needed so took the details of the bike and rang Harley to order the parts. A short time later the bike shop rang back and asked him to check the details supplied. He did and got a thankyou. Again another call not long later was an American voice asking him to do the same again, he was a little flustered, but was asked to look in a certain place and see if there was anything written on it. He did and found a plaque that said "This bike was presented to James Dean, donated by Elvis Presley" or near that, am remembering from the top of my head. Then Harley had the guy and his family over to America and the bike. they kept the bike and he went round the factory watching them build his brand new replacement complete with a plaque dedicated to him. Not a bad will.
I'm not a JD fan boy at all, but I bet after he became a racer, any car he drove would've been the car everybody had to have. I do wonder what 1960s cars he'd have driven. I could see him in a stingray
I have a Porsche 911 997. It is very very very difficult to drive those things slowly. And when I say slowly, I mean the speed limit, or even under 100 miles per hour. :) I mean they cruise at 110 (180km/h) fer chrissakes. And oh is he a good boy, handles like on Rails, accelerates like u r unleashing a monster. Words cannot describe the Joy of driving a Porsche. I can actually understand James Dean's addiction completely. Rest in peace my fellow Porsche Junkie ( by the way, wherever he is, he's thinking the worst thing is he can't drive his Porsche anymore. Haha)
This may have been the inspiration for the 1966 movie "Grand Prix" which starts at Monaco and ends at Monza. BTW, anybody notice the narrator was Burl Ives?
The handling qualities of the 550 aren't "complicated" -- they are just simple physics and require some knowledge and skill but are by no means "complicated."
Ha ha....sure....65 years later! But back when the average car was a 4000 pound, front engine, marshmallow-soft land yacht, very few people knew how to drive a tiny 1300 pound, rear engine racer without swapping ends. James Dean probably didn't think it was complicated either, Bub.
This is one of the great programs that were shown on the Speed Channel in the early 2000s. What a great channel that was! Then NASCAR bought the channel, and sucked all the life out of it.
That last spot with Actor Gig Young on "driving safely; the next guy you hit might be me." Gig Young later committed suicide himself some years later perhaps a decade or two???? Wow very uncanny.....Very Strange.....RMA
1955 cars were... HUGE.... here you have a young college boy headed home on a break from College there is a slower car in his way and most likely going to make the same sweeping turn to the left to head to Fresno there is no separate lane for a left turn and that turn is not at a sharp angle it is a sweeping turn that can be made at a high speed. So here is a College boy headed home maybe a date waiting. He sees his chance to pass the slower car that must also be blocking his view up the road ,and make the turn to get ahead of that car all at one time.Needless to say he is not looking closely for other traffic and surely not for a small silver Porsche that would have been nearly invisible to him on that road. ....he passes the slower car that has slowed even more to make the turn he swings out to pass then just a second before impact he sees the Porsche... BOOM ! Huge car wins James Dean is dead and his friend and Mechanic severely injured does not matter who was driving the Porsche the outcome would have been still in the College boys hands. His Father is well known in the area and powerful the boy made a mistake can't bring James Dean back to life anyways so why ruin the boys life too they must have reasoned....sadly so. He knew what he had done and why , he had to live with that and not well I believe. A Japanese Fan of James Dean had a memorial put near the crash site the, roads have been realigned and are not the same now as back in 1955 ....I live in the area.
The whole story about the CHP officer knowing that another CHP officer had written Dean a ticket two hrs prior to the accident is BS. In 1955 the CHP would have no way to connect that data since the ticket was written manually - no computers.
Jan Reeves hell the CHP that wrote the ticket was probably still on duty or had not been off long. They had to turn in copies of tickets written, to be filed by hand.
@@shwngbr and, probably, because it was a sensational incident-James Dean!-the policeman who DID write the ticket prob had gotten that info into the media at the time and it has lived SINCE then.
If they had radios in their patrol cars (I do not know if they did in 1955), you can better believe the officer ticketing Dean would have called it in and let anyone and everyone know about it.
Jan Reeves A car like that would result in an officer giving notice to other officers on the stretch of highway to be looking out for it not only because it was a rare car but because of who was driving. There was probably radio chatter about him the entire way until the crash. He was a celebrity after all.
They got the last photo info wrong. They say here in this video that the photo was taken at a roadside cafe , it was actually taken that morning at a gas station in Sherman Oaks on Ventura Blvd and Beverly Glen. They were filling up before they headed up north. They later stopped at a roadside market just shortly before the accident. There were no photos of that stop. The last photo of James Dean was earlier that morning in Sherman Oaks gasing up.
Clint Eastwood has been there several times paying tribute. He told people Dean was a good friend. Damn, James Dean was a people magnet. He would cultivate friendships with so many who'd helped him along the way in his career. Unbelievable for someone simultaneously private and alone.
I doubt Dean was going ONE speed....I bet 70 was a kind of average. Anybody who's driven on those older two lane blacktops KNOWS that you get stuck behind a car ar 50 for a while then FLOOR it to pass and hit some high speeds Ultimately, turnupseed turned, with no blinker, moving kind of quick for taking a turn (in several vids they speak of 55 mph) and wasn't in his lane. I think Dean came down from his crazy speeds...but not enough speed limit was 50 there?? Still fatal
I saw a video about the crash. Dean was traveling west, and the time was five something in the afternoon. The sun could have been directly in his eyes, and when he finally saw the other car, it was too late.just a thought.
OMG I have binge-watched everything on James Dean. It's all there thanks to RU-vid. An amazing collection not available until the internet. I'm 67 and never even knew about Dean other than hearing his name! I cannot believe it because I even worked for HBO back in its early days, the 1980s.
James Dean wasn't speeding when the collision occurred. He didn't have to be to suffer the damage to himself, his passenger, and his car. It's a myth he was speeding when the accident happened.
@@kellijenkins-iles5039 I read the CHP report, you can find it online. It was Mr. Turnipseed was at fault. In Mr. Turnipseed's defense, he didn't see Jemmy Dean's car. I live about 60 miles from that intersection and have traveled it many, many times. It's a bad intersection even after changes were made. Jimmy Dean's car was a silver colored (aluminum body, not painted) car on a gray road coming from the east to the west at near sundown. Very hard to see. Turnipseed was traveling eastbound and wanted to turn northbound. He pulled out in his big, heavy station wagon car to make the turn directly in Dean's path. He saw Dean too late, tried to back up, missed reverse gear and ended up being more in Dean's path. Dean tried an evasive maneuver but it was too late. He was not speeding. He had also gotten a ticket earlier that day. Most people slow down after they get a ticket, Dean was one.
This accident happened the year before I was born. I'm just know studying the details. One thing that I haven't heard mentioned is the fact that turnipseed wasn't expecting Deans car to be going so fast and so thought he had plenty of time to turn in front of him. Its a mistake anyone could make. Its very difficult to judge a vehicles speed by looking at it head on. I don't blame turnipseed in the least.
It still makes me angry that (Donald Turnipseed) the driver of the other car wasn't charged and convicted. It's almost stereotypical of small police forces to blame the big city movie people for their own deaths. Since when does driving 10 mph over the speed limit carry a death sentence? The known facts are that Dean was going straight in his lane and the other driver turned into him head on. Regardless of all speculation the other driver impeded Dean's right of way and killed him.
He Probably couldn't see that 550 either as it blended into the color of the road way at that time of the day..would explain more about driving into the path of an oncoming vehicle. Not trying to defend the other drvr but after riding mtrcycles over 38yrs it makes a lot of sense as I've had drvrs do this to me umpteenth times even though they're looking right at me as I come dwn the road/street. R.I.P James Dean 'little Bastard' Gone but not forgotten.
Dean was speeding near 100 mph that and the color blended into near unseen. If anyone was at fought it was Dean speeding near 100 mph at the accident point.
I agree with you. Most of time I drive on the highways over 10 to 25 MPH over the speed limit (most people do too) and never had any accident. On James Dean accident seems like the cause of the accident was the Ford driver, according to the reports on how things happened.
The computer crash forensic woman clearly got it wrong , the car flipped over and landed back on the wheels which is not shown in her reenactment. The other driver was completely at fault for turning left in front of on coming traffic , the speed of the on coming car is irrelevant.
Thats why you always use your turn singles. The guy that turned in front of dean is a dip shit. That happened to me and the other guy turned in front of me while I was closing in at 100 feet and bam. He was cited for failure to yeild.
Fords and most other cars didn't have "turn signals" in 1950 although they could be installed in later years, seat belts too; got my first set of belts from Sears late '50s.
According to Patricia Seinfeld fox too young too die book James Dean is in the book and she states he was doing 86 to 93mph when he was killed in that car
@@CycolacFan It was said by one of the actors or producers that were tailing the Porsche saw Dean when they arrived 10 or 12 mins after the collision. Dean tried to steer clear of the Ford by performing a race manoeuvre. He then tried to cut left but the Ford hit the Porsche on Dean's side which is the exact height of where Dean's head would have been. The headlight of the Ford hit Dean in the face and there is shattered glass that was logged into Dean's facial region. He was pinned on the passenger side of the car and his legs and feet were crushed and trapped between the clutch and the other pedals in some pictures of the wreckage youcan see the actor/producer on the ground next to the wreck. Dean cant be seen. But it was said that he was in real bad shape. Ultimate cause of death broken neck an internal bleeding
Various parts of the Porsche went into other cars as mentioned here including the engine, suspension and tyres, supposedly the tyres all blew during a race after they were put on another Porsche. I remember hearing that when the car went in the nationwide tour people were leaning over the ropes and tearing pieces off the body as souvenirs. Given all that I wonder if there's really much of the original car left to find...?
I read some comments here asking us to imagine what James Dean would be doing today if he was alive. Well it's rather obvious isn't it? ... He would be trying to get out of his coffin.
It is interesting that it was a Porsche that decapitated many spectators at Le Mans in 1955 and led to Porsche not fielding a F1 team for 40 years. Porsche also released the infamous 911 turbo know as 'the widow maker', because it killed so many people.
There is so much misinformation in this program. SMH. Dean was not speeding well not 'balling the jack' at least according to experts of crash studies.
Combining force of each car at even 60mph -each....will give you exact equivilant of running into Stone Mountain at 120mph. . .And "crush - characteristics ..?? Plot the steel, ladder-framed 3000-lb Ford Businessman's Coupe against the 1500-lb aluminum, pressed-frame rear-engined Porsche . . in a near head-on..?? Bye, Félicia....
those kind of road intersections were all over the place in those days....we had a saying in a town I lived in....'it will take 3 deaths to get a light put in' and that held true for decades...after many deaths
Sometimes I don't understand how Porsche could get any negative impact at all. They buils a very impressive car and as safe as any other if used as intended. It's the same with Paul Walker and Roger Rodas' deaths. It had nothing to do with Porsche. They were driving crazy at a high rate of speed on old and worn tires in a business district. James Dean was also driving at a high rate of speed ignoring traffic limits. Both accidents were extremely tragic, but no fault of Porsche. Just like guns. Guns don't kill people, people kill people!!!
The car was bought by William F. Escheric who bought it for $1,092 after Warner paid it off. Then a Fellow named George Barris bought The Porsche 550 but unfortunately, the engine and other extremities were sold or keep by William F. Escheric before Berris got the car. The vin numbers were on the engine and not the chassis where it usually is printed. The car then disappeared coming back from a Museum showing in Miami going to LA. No one really knows where it is. But it's rumored to believe to be in a building somewhere in Seattle Washington. The engine and other parts of the car were kept by the William F Escheric Family and they actually still have the pink slips for the car. I believe there's still a 1million dollar bounty on whoever finds James Deans cursed Porsche. I'd take it...Curse and all! #130lilbasterdforver
There will always be conflicting reports about this accident, but I believe he either died instantly or before the ambulance arrived. That photo of his being carried to ambulance, he is entirely covered. I don't see how they could cover his face and hinder his breathing.
