S Suspense
Release Spring 2008

Death of James Dean Sparks a Curse!

Friday, September 30, 1955, director George Stevens and a small group, including Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson were watching rushes of the movie, Giant. George was behind a desk by the controls. The projection room was dark when suddenly the phone rang. The screen came to a halt, freezing the picture. Lights went up. Everyone turned and looked at George, telephone dangling in his hand. It looked like he had seen a ghost. Slowly he stood up, his voice coming from a place far away when he said, “There’s been a car crash. Jimmy Dean has been killed”.

The Day of the Crash!

It had been a beautiful day in California. Dean had wrapped up shooting the movie Giant and had planned to race his 1955 Porsche Spyder in an automobile race held at the Salinas Airport. Dean originally intended to pull his new silver Porsche Spyder on a trailer behind his station wagon but, at the last minute decided to drive the sports car to put some pre-race mileage on it. Following in Dean’s station wagon were stunt car driver Bill Hickman and famous photographer Sanford Roth.

Our Story Begins…

Racing down Route 99 (now Interstate 5), Dean was stopped by a California Highway patrolman for going 65 mph in a 45 mph zone. Resuming the trip, the Porsche turned west on Highway 46 just north of Bakersfield and headed for Paso Robles, where Dean would catch U.S. 101 north for Salinas. Dean’s fast Porsche left the slower station wagon behind as the Porsche came upon an intersection. Approaching from the opposite direction was a 1950 Ford Coupe. Dean’s Porsche had already accelerated to a reported estimate of 85 mph. Donald Turnupseed, a student, was headed home for the weekend to visit his parents. At the intersection, Turnupseed later testified that he slowed as he approached the intersection, glanced up the hill to look for oncoming cars, then crossed over the line to continue his trip. Turnupseed said he never saw the oncoming race car. Police later concluded that the color of Dean’s car and the twilight dusk camouflaged the silver Porsche. The 1950 Ford and Dean’s Porsche hit almost head-on. Following Dean, Bill Hickman and Sanford Roth continued north, not knowing the tragedy they would witness first hand.

The Crash Scene

Fifty Years Later

A Mother’s Worst Fear

The Third Wheel

Explore the legendary James Dean at
The James Dean Club
www.JamesDeanClub.com