It was sixty-eight years ago today that actor James Dean was tragically killed in a freak auto accident at the tender age of twenty-four. The above shot is from “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955) and shows a deleted sequence of Dean, a young girl, and a toy monkey. The film opens with Jim Stark (Dean) lying in the road; he has stumbled upon a windup toy monkey and is fascinated by it. He protectively wraps the monkey with newspaper to keep it from getting cold. Seen behind the opening credits of the film, it speaks to his character and foreshadows his key motivation. He desperately seeks safety and protection for himself, but is unable to find it through friendships or his dysfunctional family. Instead, he does his best to create his own family unit with Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo) by becoming what he wishes his father could be.
The house seen behind him still exists just off Hollywood Boulevard:
Cropping the contemporary photo approximates what we saw in 1955:
The monkey itself was not seen in the finished film after the opening scene; most likely Jim Stark gave the toy to the child once he arrived at the police station. The bit was probably touching, but not necessary for the story and was thus deleted.
The monkey came up for auction in 2018 and 2022. From the 2022 Heritage Auctions catalog description:
James Dean "Jim Stark" Toy Monkey from Rebel Without a Cause (Warner Bros., 1955). Vintage original mechanical cymbal-clapping monkey toy constructed of wind-up metal armature covered in faux fur with painted cloth face and red felt cap with silver star ornament. The toy's wind-up stem is present, but the key is missing. Wire armature at feet has breached the fur and protrudes. Metal cymbals are present.
When we first meet the iconic James Dean as "Jim Stark" in this groundbreaking film, he's rolling around playing with this toy monkey amidst trash on a city sidewalk. The actual opening credits roll over this sequence. Mechanicals present but untested. In vintage Good condition. Provenance: Christie's East. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.
It appears that the monkey went unsold both times. There are no details as to how it is known that this is the genuine article that Dean interacted with.
See more James Dean photos at my main website.
6 comments:
Dave-
Nice matching job - as always. "Christie's East". That's the provenance... and some Certificate of Authenticity-?? Really. It appears the bar for such things is falling lower and lower.
Palm Beach Modern Auctions tried the same 'stunt' back in March 2018, with "one of" Jim's red jackets from Rebel..., which the seller was trying to pass-off as authentic based on some unsigned, flimsy letter. From the images which accompanied that Lot, it was obvious that although "similar in style" to a McGregor Nylon Anti-Freeze Jacket, it was wrong on several accounts. Anyone truly familiar with that 'particular' jacket wouldn't have been fooled. (The pre-sale estimate of $400,000-$600,000.00 may have helped turn-off potential buyers, but in these times, who knows).
People who fall for these no-provenance auctons are the kind of people I need to get in touch with and sell my photos/art to!
Knowledge is power. Great info Nanook! ( Agreed Dave, find one of those places to strike it big! )
twenty-eight years ago ?
Max - Oops - sixty-eight years ago! Math has never been my strength!
Aww, poor li'l monkey, left on the cutting room floor! His acting career was over before it got started.
Now I can't get the auction scene from The Phantom of the Opera out of y head, where they're selling off a similar simian percussionist.
A collector's piece indeed,
Every detail exactly as she said.
She often spoke of you, my friend,
Your velvet lining, and your figurine of lead.
Will you still play when all the rest of us are dead?
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