In 1954, troubled director Nicholas Ray chatted at a dinner party about his controversial plan for a film about middle-class juvenile delinquents. He was told of a book, written by a prison psychologist and owned by Warner Bros., called Rebel Without a Cause. Though he was initially unimpressed, Ray adapted the book into his own screenplay and Warner Bros. hired him to direct what would become a classic.
From the backgrounds of the many players to the pre-production, production, and post-production of the film, this complete history recounts every aspect of Rebel Without a Cause from its rudiments to the 1955 Academy Awards: the selection of cast and crew, legal fights, changing screenwriters and the many variations of the story, location scouting, auditions, script readings, difficulties with the censors, romances and fights, the editing, test screenings, and, of course, the death of its star. Dozens of intimate anecdotes, from wardrobe decisions to James Dean’s pranks, add rich detail. An epilogue discusses the possible sequels, rights conflicts, documentaries, musicals, and spin-off attempts, and offers concluding words on the cast and crew.

Novelist and reference librarian Douglas L. Rathgeb has published in The Journal of Popular Film and Television, Literature/Film Quarterly, Post Script and the Steinbeck Newsletter. He lives and works in Davis, California.

Douglas L. Rathgeb
Foreword by Stewart Stern
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 246
Bibliographic Info: photos, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2004]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6115-8
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8750-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii

Foreword by Stewart Stern      1

Preface      3

Prologue      5

Part I: Preliminaries

1. Nicholas Ray      11

2. “The Blind Run”      16

3. James Dean      20

4. Weisbart and Uris      23

5. Story into Script      28

6. Lindner and Shulman      32

7. Changes      34

8. Stewart Stern      40

9. Dead End      42

10. A Critique      46

11. Los Angeles and New York      48

Part II: Pre-Production

12. A Private Hell      53

13. Screenplay by Stewart Stern      55

14. Start Notice      58

15. Casting      63

16. Mr. Warner      67

17. Free-for-All      70

18. Locations      74

19. Mr. Warner Returns      77

20. Majors and Minors      79

21. The Excitement Gathers      81

22. Cold Feet      84

23. Rehearsals      87

24. Blackboard Jungle      92

25. Exit Stern      99

Part III: Production

26. On Location      105

27. Transformation      111

28. Red Channels      114

29. Hard Work, Hard Feelings      117

30. Lost Time      120

31. The Mansion      124

32. Fury and Sound      127

33. Looping and Ad-Libbing      130

34. Stern’s Argument      135

35. Lonely Street      138

36. Night Work      141

37. Reckless Violence      144

38. Two Endings and an Argument      147

Part IV: Post-Production and Beyond

39. Two Assignments      155

40. Inquisition      158

41. Rough Cut      161

42. Final Preparations      165

43. Previews      169

44. Death in the Afternoon      173

45. Damage Control      178

46. Reaping the Whirlwind      181

47. Premiere      185

48. Box Office      188

49. Shulman Strikes Back      193

50. Oscar and Beyond      195

Epilogue: After Rebel      197

Appendix      203

Notes      209

Bibliography      227

Index      229

“meticulously detailed…inspired…well organized…thoughtful”—Classic Images; “a detailed look…Rathgeb has done film history a service”—Film & History.