9/30/55 and The Monkey

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.

Temple Tuesday: Zanuck Reunion, 1953

20th Century-Fox producer Darryl Zanuck received the Milestone Award in December 1953. From the photo’s accompanying publicity blurb:

FILM MAKER HONORED—Darryl F. Zanuck (left), 20th Century-Fox vice-president in charge of production, is shown here with the Milestone Award with which he was presented recently by the Screen Producers Guild, lauding him for his industry achievements. With Zanuck are Gov. Goodwin Knight of California; Carey Wilson, SPG president; and Shirley Temple, who made all of her childhood pictures with Zanuck.

What’s the background on this award? Look no further than the official website:

The Guild initiated its annual Milestone Award Dinner at which an extraordinary honoree would be recognized for his or her historic contribution to the motion picture industry. The Milestone Award is the Guild's highest honor, and may be awarded to an individual or team for their contributions to the entertainment industry.

The first winner was Jesse Lasky (1951), followed by L.B. Mayer. Other winners include Walt Disney (1957), Bob Hope (1962), Alfred Hitchcock (1965), Steven Spielberg (1999), and Bob Iger (2014). From 1967-1997 the award took a hiatus for unknown reasons. Sounds like something I should investigate for another post! If Shirley’s outfit looks familiar, that’s because I posted a shot of her wearing it a year later to the re-premiere of “Gone with the Wind” at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater on August 10, 1954.



While Shirley wore the same outfit, she did carry a different purse AND changed the orientation of the diamond clip on her decolletage from vertical to horizontal. The beautiful piece of jewelry from Tiffany & Co. was sold by Heritage Auctions in December 2016 for a cool $250,000. From the auction catalog:



Diamond, Platinum, Double-Clip-Brooch, Tiffany & Co. The brooch features full-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 5.25 carats, enhanced by baguette-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 1.75 carats, set in platinum, marked Tiffany & Co. Total diamond weight is approximately 7.00 carats. Gross weight 41.90 grams. Individual Clip Dimensions: 1-5/16 inches x 1 inch Combined Dimensions: 2-3/4 inches x 1 inch



The auction house missed a real opportunity by not giving the background on the brooch. Thanks to some sleuthing by Melissa, aka “The Colonel,” I learned that it was a gift from Fred Astaire’s sister, Adele, aka “Lady Cavendish.” After luncheon with Shirley at 20th Century-Fox studio in 1936, Adele and her husband, Lord Cavendish, sent Shirley the jewelry. That must have been some lunch! “Isn’t it beautiful!” Shirley said as she opened the package. Two days later, a gold badge commemorating Shirley’s membership into the Texas Rangers arrived from Governor James Allred and immediately won the favor of the little girl. “You better put this [the diamond brooch] away for safekeeping,” she told her mother. “I think I’d rather wear this badge!” The brooch was supposedly Shirley’s first piece of real jewelry. Mama Temple herself wore the brooch at the return to Fox party in November 1948 when Shirley was making “Mr. Belvedere Goes to College.”



While Shirley may not have completely appreciated the brooch as a child, it sure got some use in her adult life. Note what’s holding her cape together at the 1961 Oscars with Annette Funicello!



California Governor Goodwin Knight should look familiar to Disneyland fanatics. He was at the Park on opening Day (July 17, 1955). Here he is at left on the way to the opening ceremonies with Art Linkletter (striped shirt behind Walt), Walt Disney, and Santa Fe President Fred Gurley.



If you want more on the SPG (Screen Producer’s Guild), here’s the 411: The Producers Guild of America began as two separate organizations, with the Screen Producers Guild being formed on May 16, 1950. In 1957, television producers formed the Television Producers Guild. The two merged in 1962 to form the PGA under producer Walter Mirisch (“Some Like it Hot”).

See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Safe Again!

Thanks to the annual goof of my hosting company screwing up my SSL Certificate renewal, my site was down for the last day or so. This also meant all the photos in my blog were inaccessible, too. Oh the joys of running a website. Today I celebrate one of my very favorite classic TV shows, “Lost in Space.” A friend tipped me off to the publication of a book by Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy (aka Penny and Will Robinson) called Lost (and found) In Space 2: The Expanded Edition. I’m glad I missed the first edition, because this one is chock full of new photos and updated text. If you’re a fan of the show, do not miss ordering this from Angela’s website!

On her Instagram, Cartwright also announced that Heritage auctions is selling a number of the original costumes from the show, including this one worn by Guy Williams in one of my favorite episodes, “The Anti-Matter Man” from Season 3. By this time, most of the episodes focused on Dr. Smith and Will, with a lot of silly and campy situations. This one departed from that, and returned to the original balanced core of the series which was the Robinson family and dramatic situations. The art direction (Frank O. Barnette and Jack Martin Smith) and cinematography (Frank Carson) on “The Anti-Matter Man” is amazing, too. From the auction site description:



Guy Williams "John Robinson," "Anti-Matter Man" Costume from Season 3 of Lost in Space (CBS TV, 1965-1968). Vintage original 1-piece character jumpsuit constructed of black and ivory color-blocked sparkle fabric with standing short ring collar, split snap-wrist cuffs, and zipper front closure from neck to fly. Signed on the interior collar, "Guy, Sept 67" and retaining the studio cleaning tag. Highly visible worn in the fan favorite Season 3, Episode 15: "The Anti-Matter Man." Exhibiting minor age and production wear with some small breaches to legs. In vintage Fine condition. Accompanied by a LOA from renowned collector James Comisar. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.



At an opening bid of $7,000, I might have to miss this one! Even at $5,000, Williams’ groovy Season 3 tunic is out of my range.



Christmas is around the corner; any generous readers out there?

See more “Lost in Space” photos at my main website.