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James Dean
Audie Murphy
| James Dean |
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James Dean
By Denis Mueller
"You were too fast to live, too young to die, bye bye"
The Eagles
It was September 30, 1955; James Dean had just finished work
on the film "Giant" when he, along with his friend Rolf Wutherich, left for a week-end race at Salinas. Dean was driving his
silver-grey Porsche Spider, when suddenly, during the twilight of a late September day, a 1950 Ford driven by a young college
student appeared in Dean's lights. As Dean tried to turn his steering wheel to avoid the crash he shouted: "That guy's got
to stop." A moment later James Dean crashed into the car and died instantly.
The rumors surrounding his death began
almost immediately: Dean had committed suicide, the accident was faked, and he had survived the crash but was given plastic
surgery. Hollywood had not witnessed anything like this since the death of Rudolf Valentino. But this was different; the brooding
actor had become a spokesperson for a generation; it was unimaginable to think of him as dead. Or was it?
Lee Strasberg,
his acting teacher, at the famous Actor's Studio, felt there had always been an aura about Dean's behavior. He was a young
man who craved attention and had a great need to be loved. "His behavior and personality which seemed to be a part of a pattern
which invariably had to lead to something destructive. I always had a strange feeling that there was in Jimmy a sort of doomed
quality."
Dean added to that fatalist quality with interviews which suggested a romance with death. When asked, in
one of his last interviews, what he respected, Dean replied: "That's easy. Death. It's the only thing left to
respect. It's the one inevitable, undeniable truth. Everything else can be questioned. But death is truth, in it lies the
only mobility for man, and beyond it only hope."
"Rebel Without a Cause" opened three days after Dean's death.
It was followed later on by the film "Giant". Almost immediately fan clubs spread across the nation while the media followed
the event with an almost ghoulish delight. One magazine called the 'Picture Post' said: "America has known many rebellions
but none like this. Millions of teenage rebels heading for nowhere, some in hot-rod cars, and others on the blare of rock
'n' roll music, some with guns in their hands. And at their head a dead leader."
Around his death grew up a myth surrounding
the young star. Most of his fans had never seen his movies so they came to know him after he had died. James Dean became a
symbol for the disaffected youth of his generation and as an eternal flame for the tragic.
Immediately after Dean's death, a cult grew up around the
scandal magazines of the 1950s. This was the heyday of the scandal sheet. In fact, there were over 40 magazines that were
devoted to the half-truths, and the sometimes outright lies. The Dean story was a natural. It sold magazines and papers. An
example of this kind of publicity can be found in the magazine 'Modern Screen' which ran articles like: "Six Unsolved Mysteries
of Jimmy Dean's Death" and "James Dean's Black Madonna." This kind of inquiry was not limited to the tabloid press. Magazines
like 'Life Magazine' and films such as Robert Altman's, "The James Dean Story", contributed to the romance of Dean's death.
Dean's death affected many of his fans around the world but it also had an impact on those around him. Dean was a
reckless young man who challenged authority and was disdainful of it at the same time. This carried over into his acting style,
which accounted for some of the admiration from his peers. People like Martin Sheen, who would later star in the film "Badlands",
were among those who admired him. One of the other people who knew Dean was Sal Mineo, who played the part of the troubled
young boy in "Rebel Without a Cause", and was murdered outside his Hollywood apartment in 1974. He stated prior to his death
that he had several spiritual encounters with Dean after Jimmy's death.
While there have been all sorts of articles, books, movies
and songs concerning the life and times of James Dean, there has not been many, at this time there is no way for me to know,
studies of death and the significance of the death of James Dean. The death of James Dean has become a model, as to how, we
celebrate the passing of someone who has attained mythic status. It is how celebrities' deaths are celebrated.
Sources: The James Dean Story, Robert Altman Film
Copyright 2003 by Pulse Direct, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Audie Murphy |
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Audie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1924-May 28, 1971) was an American soldier
in World War II. In 27 months of combat action, he became the most decorated soldier in the history of the U.S. Army. Murphy
received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional medals awarded for bravery and
service.
Immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on December 7, 1941, Murphy - then just 17 years old - tried to enlist in the military, but the services rejected him as underage.
Shortly after his 18th birthday in June 1942, Murphy was finally accepted into the United States Army, after first being turned
down by the Marines and the paratroopers for being underweight. During basic training he passed out during a close order drill.
His company commander then tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers' school because of his apparent youthfulness
and physical weaknesses, but Murphy insisted on becoming a combat soldier. His wish was granted; after 13 weeks of basic training,
he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for advanced infantry training.
Due to his fragile physical appearance, Murphy still had to
fight the system to get into combat. His persistence paid off in early 1943 when he was shipped out to North Africa with his
combat initiation coming when he took part in the liberation of Sicily in July 1943. Murphy distinguished himself in combat
on many occasions while in Italy, fighting at the Volturno River, at the Anzio beachhead, and in the cold, wet, desolate Italian
mountains. While in Italy, his instinctive skills as a combat infantryman began to earn him promotions, increased responsibilities,
and decorations for valor.
Audie Murphy was credited with killing more than 240 German
soldiers during World War II which made him a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division. His principal U.S. decorations included
the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Star Medals, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals with
Valor device, and three Purple Hearts (for the three wounds he received in combat). Murphy participated in many official campaigns
in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, as denoted by his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with
one silver battle star (denoting five campaigns), four bronze battle stars, plus a bronze arrowhead representing his two amphibious
assault landings at Sicily and southern France. The French government awarded Murphy their highest award, the Legion of Honor.
He also received two Croix de Guerre from France and one from Belgium. In addition, Murphy was awarded the Combat Infantryman's
Badge. Murphy spent 29 months overseas and just under two years in combat with the 3rd Infantry Division, all before he turned
21 years of age.
Murphy's 1949 autobiography To Hell and Back became
a national bestseller. In the book Murphy modestly describes some of his most heroic actions -- without portraying himself
as a hero. Instead, he chose to praise the skills, bravery, and dedication of the other soldiers in his platoon. Murphy played
himself in the inevitable 1955 Universal movie of his book. The film grossed almost ten million dollars during its initial
theatrical release, and became Universal's biggest hit ever, holding the record until surpassed Jaws. Murphy went on
to make a total of 44 feature films, most of them Westerns. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Audie Murphy
has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.
Copyright © 2006 ArcaMax Publishing, Inc. and its
licensors.
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