The Hollywood Hoosier  

The first person to ever receive an Oscar nomination posthumously was a Hoosier by the name of James Byron Dean. Born in Marion but raised in Fairmount, Dean began his acting career by starring in a Pepsi commercial in 1952. At first, he didn’t have much success in Hollywood until he met TV producer Roger Brackett   which led to Brackett offering Dean a role in the Broadway play “See the Jaguar.”  

 Dean’s success on Broadway led to him securing a role in his first feature film “East of Eden,” which would get Dean his first Oscar posthumous nomination. Most people immediately compared him to another famous actor in the 50s, Marlon Brando, because of the angst-ridden characters they seemed to both play at the same time.  

 Dean would secure two more roles in his career; the first being Jim Stark in “Rebel Without a Cause” which is his most iconic role where he played alongside Natalie Wood – and his more obscure role as Jett Rink in “Giant.” The role as Jett Rink would earn him his second posthumous nomination.   

Dean did not get to see the success of either film because both were released after his death on Sept. 24th, 1955  

James Dean still lives on

   Indiana chooses to still celebrate the actor in many ways. The town he was raised in Fairmount, Indiana hosts a three-day festival on the last full weekend of September that has been around since 1975. The festival includes things such as the James Dean lookalike contest where people from all over the world try to dress as Dean. Additionally, there is a 50s dance contest they host every year and a rock lasso contest in reference to a famous scene from “Giant.” 

 Most people who compete in the lookalike contest choose to cosplay as Jim Stark from “Rebel Without a Cause” sporting the iconic red jacket from the film. Mike Gross, the 2024 winner, chose to reenact his favorite scene where Stark breaks a painting because “I thought it was genius,” Gross said. “James Dean is not just an actor but an artist that knows when to break stuff and him breaking the painting is perfect for rebelling.”  

 Future generations in Fairmount, Indiana will remember James Dean because kids have their own look-alike contest where they get to use fake cigarettes. When they get asked the question “what’s your favorite James Dean film,” many of the kids will say “Rebel Without a Cause.” 

There is a museum in Fairmount for fans of James Dean to see his various relics such as a recently added Porsche 356 Speedster that the famous actor owned. The museum has a 17-minute compilation where they show the first commercials that James Dean was in.  

 This year, the Franklin Historic Artcraft theater put on a two-day festival showing all three James Dean films on the original 35mm film print in honor of his birthday weekend.   

“The impact that Dean left on Hollywood in the short time he made movies is eternal.” Dave Windisch, Director of Marketing for Franklin Heritage said.