I've never heard this one-it's almost unbelievable-
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James Dean's Porsche
Friends told James Dean that the car was trouble when they saw it - a rare Silver Porsche Spyder, one of only 90 in 1955. Nicknamed "The Little Bastard," the car carried the iconic screen rebel to his grave on September 30, 1955.
After the accident, many fans refused to believe Dean was dead. A story circulated that he was still alive although terribly disfigured, and in true urban legend fashion this tale took on a life of its own.
I won't go into all the James Dean as a cult idol stuff except to say his mystique has staying power. For example, his tombstone was stolen twice in 1983, and in 1985 had to be replaced because of damage done to it by fans. Seems he was still the popular fellow despite having been dead for three decades.
After the tragedy, master car customizer George Barris bought the wreck for $2,500. When the wreck arrived at Barris' garage, the Porsche slipped and fell on one of the mechanics unloading it. The accident broke both of the mechanic's legs.
While Barris had bad feelings about the car when he first saw it, his suspicions were confirmed during a race at the Pomona Fair Grounds on October 24, 1956. Two physicians, Troy McHenry and William Eschrid, were both racing cars that had parts from the "Little Bastard." McHenry died when his car, which had the Porsche's engine installed, went out of control and hit a tree. Eschrid's car flipped over. Eschrid, who survived despite serious injuries, later said that the car suddenly locked up when he went into a curve.
The car's malevolent influence continued after the race: one kid trying to steal the Porsche's steering wheel slipped and gashed his arm. Barris reluctantly sold two of the car's tires to a young man; within a week, the man was nearly involved in a wreck when the two tires blew out simultaneously.
Feeling that the Porsche could be put to good use, Barris loaned the wrecked car to the California Highway Patrol for a touring display to illustrate the importance of automobile safety. Within days, the garage housing the Spyder burnt to the ground. With the exception of the "Little Bastard," every vehicle parked inside the garage was destroyed. When the car was put on exhibit in Sacramento, it fell from its display and broke a teenager's hip. George Barkuis, who was hauling the Spyder on a flatbed truck, was killed instantly when the Porsche fell on him after he was thrown from his truck in an accident.
The mishaps surrounding the car continued until 1960, when the Porsche was loaned out for a safety exhibit in Miami, Florida. When the exhibit was over, the wreckage, en route to Los Angeles on a truck, mysteriously vanished. To this day, the "Little Bastard's" whereabouts are unknown.
Sources:
AMC's Hollywood Ghost Stories television special
Winer, Richard and Nancy Osborn. Haunted Houses.
Replies
...I Was Thinking The Same As Malcolm....As I Was Reading This Post....About The Movie Christine.....Just Couldnt Remember What It Was Called Though....Till I Read His Reply.............Seems James Dean Was Still Watching Over....The Little Bastard.......From The Other-Side......:)......
Hehe...!!! Sky, dear one...You know...What is it that defines Dean in a good light...?? He could not act for toffee nuts...And just look at his physique....As an actor, no triceps/biceps developments...What did people see in him anyway...???
Now, his contemporary, Marlon Brando, was much better as an actor and also, as a damn cool dude.... ;-)
Dean was young-he studied in LA and the lower west side in NYC but for only a few years-
Brando was fun to watch as Brutus in 1953 Julius Caesar-having taken a couple years acting lessons myself I can say that remembering the lines, making them your own, and bringing a character to life is not easy-in the famous speech 'Friends, romans , countrymen' he was uneasy for the first few lines and then fell into it and let it flow! Later in his life he said he was not a good man-he said he failed as a father-admitted to using his fame with any woman he could and impregnated many-but he could act!!!
Good points made, friend.....I find that Brando stood out from many in his era and he used the "method acting" technique, well...But he was such a charismatic fellow, anyway.......Good movies were; "A Streetcar Named Desire, The Wild One, On the Waterfront, Mutiny on The Bounty, Last Tango in Paris, The Godfather, etc...And yes, Julius Caesar and Napoleon, too...Just such good performances and presence...
In comparison to Brando I feel that Dean was mediocre...
As an acting student, did you rub shoulders with anyone who became famous...?? :-)
my teacher was trained in Moscow in the 20's by a student who studied with Stanislavski earlier-but first she studied and performed in the Moscow Ballet! Then her acting career took her London where she learned English and worked in London then to Broadway and Hollywood during the golden age and worked with Sir Lawrence Olivier! She was old in the 1980's and a bit crabby and chased people out of her classes with her artists' temperament -of course I became busy with kids etc. and had to go into lightworking! But it was a good time-West Village with all that creative energy- just before gentrification -wouldn't it be nice, a Bohemian lifestyle
Stanislavski's system[edit]
"The Method" traces its origins to the "system", as formulated by Constantin Stanislavski. Stanislavski's philosophy was a part of thetheatrical realist movement and based on the idea that great acting is a reflection of "truth" conveyed both internally and externally through the actor. Stanislavski set out to convey "truth" through a more human system of acting, which would encourage an actor to build a cognitive and emotional understanding of their role. He developed his system of acting through his friendships with Russia's leading actors, his collaborations with playwright Anton Chekhov, and his own teaching, writing, and acting at the Moscow Art Theatre (founded in 1897).
His system is often erroneously identified with Lee Strasberg's Method approach, which claimed inspiration from Stanislavsky's approach. However, Strasberg's adaptation relied exclusively on psychological techniques and contrasted sharply with Stanislavsky's multivariate, holistic and psychophysical approach, which explores character and action both from the "inside out" and the "outside in." In this respect his system is far more similar to other classical acting techniques than to method acting.
PET ROCK: your post is very reflective of Stephen King's "Christine." I had a tire blow-out once on a key astrology day, but this accounting of Dean's car is definitely eerie. There may just be a "ghost in the machine."
Malcolm-Dean 's ghost -pissed off that he died that young