r/OldSchoolCool • u/eaglemaxie • 2d ago

1950s James Dean visibly resentful of a studio-mandated date to escort Academy Award-nominated actress Terry Moore to the premiere of Sabrina in Los Angeles, 1954

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18.8k Upvotes

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1.5k

u/mivrafox 2d ago

Apparently they had only met the day before. The studio put Dean in a tux and sent them to the premiere together
His face makes a lot more sense with that context

948

u/leeuwerik 2d ago

However that expression could have been caused by 1000+ other things.

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u/Justincrediballs 2d ago

From what I remember of the story, he wasn't given any input, was tossed into a tux (first time he ever wore one) and used as an arm-candy prop to escort her to the premier.

Noone really knew him until he breakout role later on.

For context, my girlfriend goes into these wild deep dives into early-mid 20th century celebrities. She knows I don't really care but there's an unspoken rule that I listen to her take on these things and she listens to me talk about DnD and video games.

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u/SeanBourne 1d ago

She knows I don't really care but there's an unspoken rule that I listen to her take on these things and she listens to me talk about DnD and video games.

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u/Jasnaahhh 1d ago

I mean, in fairness, I got super into the Warp Gods this way. I was always a D&D girl though. Have you tried running her some games set in the gilded era? The Wheel of Time ruleset is really good for more 'normal/mystery settings', so is Big Eyes Small Mouth.

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u/Maglor_Nolatari 1d ago

Call of cthulhu is often set in early 20th century iirc. Combining the orient express campaign with that celebrity knowledge could set definitely help the scene.

1

u/Jasnaahhh 21h ago

Such a good suggestion!! I had a totally different love for roleplaying games once I had DMs that really learned how to manage social interactions, improv and a call for collaboration. In one campaign the DM asked 'what is unique about this town?" and I was like .. uhhh ... any job a dog can conceivably do, is done by dogs. It was just supposed to be some flavour text but we got obsessed with it.

We KEPT returning to that town like crazy, or meet up with travellers from that town. We decided there was a whole component to their civilisation where it was the most disgustinng thing ever to trick or misuse a dog for something they'd find abhorrent if they could understand it, or use one to commit dishonorable offenses, so basically all financial transactions ended up going through a dog intermediary for added insurance. Being involved in the worldbuilding and creating interesting character relationships and in-jokes was way more satisfying than slaying a dragon or whatever.

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u/Maglor_Nolatari 16h ago

That sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing that.

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u/NowYouLookOrdinary 2d ago

Exactly. To be fair, he pretty much always looked this way. It was his whole schtick.

214

u/PhoebeGemaGray 2d ago

Me in dress shoes!

44

u/Redfish680 2d ago

Me in any shoes

132

u/SolidDick 2d ago

I never wear shoes, because they make me fall down.

https://giphy.com/gifs/9YV3SFprp0jYY

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u/PurfuitOfHappineff 2d ago

Agador!

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u/KeyofE 2d ago

Agador Spartacus! He likes to go by his full name.

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u/doomgeneration91 2d ago

Agador Spartacus

4

u/Affordable_Z_Jobs 2d ago

Peasant soup is an entree. It's like a strew!

2

u/Crambo1000 2d ago

They can't handle my Guatamalan heat

1

u/PhoebeGemaGray 2d ago

Well try barefoot shoes. I bought some for water shoes but they are awesome for honking too! Game changer!

3

u/MeatEaterDruid 2d ago

Me in pants!

1

u/PhoebeGemaGray 2d ago

Or ill fitting undies!

1

u/willfull 2d ago

"Sorry, we don't carry EEEE, normal width is all we have in stock right now."

-- every tux rental, ever

0

u/Joy2b 2d ago

Why do your dress shoes hurt?

19

u/brakeb 2d ago

He was missing his boyfriend?

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u/MyGrandmasCock 2d ago

How dare you? He didn’t have a boyfriend! He had a “gentleman suitor”.

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u/Automatic_Society850 2d ago

a split second and everyone assumes they know the whole story

5

u/commonsings 2d ago

I think that was just his face - his look! No special occasion needed.

2

u/anonymousetache 2d ago

Repost this and say he had gas and I’d believe it

1

u/palmerry 2d ago

Constipation, for instance

1

u/Epstiendidntkillself 2d ago

He could have misjudged a fart.

211

u/HearseWithNoName 2d ago

Poor woman probably had NO clue what they got her into. She looks so happy to be there

231

u/allothernamestaken 2d ago

She is happy to be there, and she's well aware that this is all just important marketing for her job.

4

u/catincal 2d ago

She looks like Patti Simcock on Grease

40

u/AIfieHitchcock 2d ago

Terry was actually a frequent arranged date for publicity, this stuff was baked into their contracts. She absolutely knew the deal. She’s literally still alive and has spoken about it.

3

u/Lithogiraffe 1d ago

i wonder what she thought of her gloomy-gus date.

3

u/afoolstale 1d ago

According to him, she was rude and completely ignored him the entire way there. She thought she was better than him. Then when she stepped out of the car she turned into what you see in the picture. He was disgusted. That was in one of his biographies or the one his best friend wrote.
I'd like to hear her version of the night,

1

u/afoolstale 1d ago

Did she mention him? He had nothing nice to say about her.

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u/badgeman- 2d ago

Yes. I can't imagine anything worse than attending the Oscars with a beautiful and talented young actress.

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u/dtay88 2d ago

She could have been annoying?

94

u/hawkcarhawk 2d ago

She also could have been ignoring him and enjoying herself despite the wet blanket.

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u/ehs06702 2d ago

I'd be a wet blanket too if I was forced to go out on a date with somebody.

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u/LaDauphineVerte 2d ago

That’s what cocktails are for. Also, wasn’t he supposed to be a good actor? James, you missed an opportunity.

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u/JT9960 23h ago

He had a better guy to enjoy

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u/LaDauphineVerte 6h ago

I meant an opportunity to show off his acting chops.

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u/mr_ji 2d ago

I've lived in areas with a lot of celebrities around most of my life. Known several, dated a few. They run the gamut from vapid to airheaded to brooding to pleasant to puzzling to intriguing to introspective to witty to straight up awesome to be around. They're like everyone else, they just have a talent for looking good and happy effortlessly (it's not effortless, but they make it look that way), are very patient with strangers, and are good at getting people with money to like them. Have you ever known someone who became famous? What was their personality before? There's a good chance it's not too different after.

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u/itsnotme_mrsiglesias 2d ago

And if I had 2 wheels I'd be a bicycle, what's your point??

7

u/Express_Shake3980 2d ago

I understood that reference

2

u/dtay88 2d ago

Well I was replying to someone implying that there couldn't be a reason for him to be upset in the situation

1

u/WillyTanner 2d ago

He’s an actor and this is part of his job.

Act.

6

u/astorianvictorian 2d ago

He was James Dean, he could pick any woman he wanted. Sometimes some guys just don't find a conventionally attractive woman to be attractive to them. That doesn't make them gay.

1

u/rynthetyn 1d ago

He was bi, however, and probably being sent on dates by the studio in an effort to keep that under wraps.

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u/Beginning-Run-1697 18h ago

How does that affects his point in anyways

1

u/Beginning-Run-1697 18h ago

You do know men are also entitled to their preference right. The fact she beautiful doesn't change a thing if he doesn't want to go with her If the genders were switched most people would have seen this as some kind of abuse toward her in Hollywood

-10

u/IsThatGruffLoner 2d ago

I mean, he was gay so...

21

u/ZoominAlong 2d ago

He was bi, but from what's being said, he apparently also had no idea he had to escort her until that day. He might have just been annoyed in general.  

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u/danieljeyn 2d ago

They realized they had to do something to publicly beard his gayness lest rumors start getting around.

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u/Orange-V-Apple 2d ago

He wasn’t gay, he was bi

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u/EclecticLandlady 2d ago

I love this quote, attributed to him in regard to his bi-sexuality, “I’m not going to live with one hand tied behind my back.”

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u/TonginTozz 2d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/8JgN7HzC7CEs8mdJOJ

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u/Any-Cranberry-6305 2d ago

He must've crawled under there for warmth.

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u/Dummydumboop 2d ago

Was he barking?

1

u/Jiggerjuice 2d ago

I fell asleep

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u/techman710 2d ago

He went by by.

9

u/Orange-V-Apple 2d ago

*bye bye 

Or

*bi bi

Yours is wrong either way :p

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u/lastseenhitchhiking 2d ago

Yep, his most significant relationship was with Pier Angeli.

-27

u/cavity-canal 2d ago edited 2d ago

80/20 gay/bi

EDIT: damn, guys should really watch season 2 of English teacher. This is a quote from a great ep.

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u/Orange-V-Apple 2d ago

“Purple is 80% blue and 20% purple” type comment 

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u/cavity-canal 2d ago

it’s a quote from a show

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u/CatchAlarming6860 2d ago

Now I understand the color purple a lot better!

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u/Feisty_Swordfish_660 2d ago

Omg is this a reference to English Teacher that no one is understanding

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u/rage__gage 2d ago

omg not the downvotes for quoting a show

3

u/HerRoyalRedness 2d ago

The lead of that show was exposed as a rapist, and the redhead woman on the show shamed the victim (who was her then-boyfriend).

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u/daddy_tops 2d ago

Unsubscribe

-1

u/cavity-canal 2d ago

‘exposed as a rapist’ as if it’s on the same level as Diddy is wild work.

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u/only_zuul21 2d ago

"So you're 10% straight"

-3

u/2ndprize 2d ago

before like 2007 bi was gay. For dudes, for women that line was probably in like 1991

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u/awry_lynx 2d ago

his quote regarding his sexuality was "I’m not going to live with one hand tied behind my back."

don't erase this man lol

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/halfsherlock 2d ago

You have to be so careful with this narrative. Bi people exist and shouldn’t be erased. Bi men aren’t “easing” into being gay, and bi women aren’t just playing for male attention.

I don’t think that was your intention with your comment, but bi-erasure and condemnation is so rampant despite the “b” in LGBT being the largest group under the umbrella.

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u/danieljeyn 2d ago

Yeah, yeah. They can downvote me. Whatever.

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u/Scherzoh 2d ago

He preferred a different kind of mandate.

-10

u/Weaubleau 2d ago

I was going to say, was he gay or something because, c'mon!  Wow!

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u/jessipowers 2d ago

He’s being an asshole. This woman also just met her date the day before and the studio put her in a gown and sent them on their way. He’s being rude as fuck to his date by acting like a petulant baby about his contract terms that she had nothing to do with and she was probably also a victim of a similarly bad if not even worse contract.

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u/keekah 2d ago

How is he being an asshole? This photo captures a split second in time. This photo gets reposted all the time with the same caption. But you look at photos of him, he pretty much has the same look in all of them.

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u/JCAIA 2d ago

Right. This is a work event, who has to like anything about it. At most, they had to sit together and walk arm in arm. They weren’t being forced to marry.

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u/NarrowSwimmer952 2d ago

So you were there and know the full context?

It could be 1000 reasons why he looked annoyed that split second.

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u/PriceNo2651 1d ago

Actually fucking Orwellian replies here, are you not allowed to be unhappy about being pressured into a date? What if he has a gf, does he then have to explain why he was ecstatic to appear with another woman?

-2

u/OfficerSmiles 2d ago

oh shut up

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u/keekah 2d ago

I agree. They're calling him an asshole based off a candid photo. A split second in time. Who knows what was going through his mind when that photo was taken, if anything. Like he's constantly supposed to be smiling.

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u/OfficerSmiles 2d ago

Even if he WAS pissed, I'd be pissed too. I'm sure hollywood was heterowashing the fuck out of him. He was extremely bisexual and openly so, bet they never let him bring a male date though.

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u/Delcap 1d ago

Congrats, you just gave the paparazzi the reaction they profit on. Taking a one-second glimpse of someone’s face and believing a constructed narrative around it without any context.

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u/Swimming_Bowler6193 2d ago edited 2d ago

He was bi and resentful of the studios making him do things like this.

There are a few anecdotes in several books about his preference for men.

EDITED: not gay, bi

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u/Rockguy21 2d ago edited 2d ago

This is only tangentially related but Raymond Burr was set up on bearding dates like this with Natalie Wood and he was really upset because they also set Tab Hunter up on dates with her and he was resentful of the media giving more attention to Tab Hunter’s dates with Natalie Wood than his.

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u/hasimirrossi 2d ago

Much like closeted actors and their beards, actors and their egos go hand in hand.

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u/Rockguy21 2d ago edited 2d ago

I just think its funny that Raymond Burr ever thought there was a serious chance he would be the hotter match with Natalie Wood than Tab Hunter. Have some self-awareness!

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u/zeppo5 2d ago

Not Chandler -Burr

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u/Lithogiraffe 1d ago

i had to look them up. and i agree.

also TAB Hunter sounds so Hollywood studio made up. like a agent threw a dart at a bunch of nouns and verbs on a wall to make up a new client's stage names

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u/Ceegee93 2d ago

He wasn't gay, he was bi.

No, I'm not a homosexual. But I'm also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back.

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Ceegee93 1d ago

Nope, James Dean in an interview iirc.

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u/KB_Sez 2d ago edited 2d ago

He was not gay. Liz Sheridan and others who actually knew him, not people who made things up 20 years after his death, have made that clear

Not to say he did not experiment, which he did and pretty much admitted it but he was not gay

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u/Slacker_The_Dog 2d ago

We have a word for that. That's bi. It's the B in LGBT. People forget about it. A lot.

-5

u/KB_Sez 2d ago

Nope. I didn't forget it....

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u/Slacker_The_Dog 2d ago

Well some times a ladies man just needs some dick

3

u/awry_lynx 2d ago

he had a wild, lengthy love affair with Pier Angeli (but also, my god who wouldn't), so I don't think 'preference' is quite the right word. he just liked people. smoking hot people.

-1

u/HawkeyeTen 2d ago

He definitely wasn't gay. Dean actually almost got in a huge physical fight with Rock Hudson during the filming of "Giant" because he was angered by the latter's advances on him. And as someone else said, he had a passionate romance with Pier Angeli for a while.

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u/Different_Wolf_764 2d ago

To be honest, that was pretty much his face all the time. Unimpressed scoundrel was the shtick.

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u/eirinne 2d ago

Except that was his job, he’s behaving poorly

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u/OkPosition4563 2d ago

And sometimes I have to go to a meeting I dont like, guess what, we put our big boy shoes on and go through it professionally. But hollywood has always been entertaining the emotionally stunted manchildren and whatever the female term of that is.

3

u/LaDauphineVerte 2d ago

It wasn’t a mandated marriage fer chrissakes. 😂

1

u/powerhammerarms 2d ago

I don't know. I don't know how upset you could be about this. It's not that bad and he's not an 8-year-old. I don't know why he would still be pouting about it at the premiere.

But maybe he was emotionally immature. Maybe he really is upset about that in this photo. But his employer required him to attend a movie premiere with a woman? How upset can you be about that?

I would guess he's more pissed off about the paparazzi. But then again I know nothing about the picture. If he is that pissed off about having to take this woman I think he lacks perspective.

1

u/DOGPISSCURESCANCER 2d ago

I mean, he’s an actor though so he’s meant to be able to control that shit. 

1

u/muhammad_oli 2d ago

People are adding that specific context bc the way his face happened to be in this photo. He wasn't walking down the damn carpet mean mugging every camera to get this message across.

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u/PedalBoard78 2d ago

Sounds terrible to be made to be around a pretty lady

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u/Otherwise-Ratio1332 2d ago

She was in the same position, only she decided to go with the situation and not pout about it.

0

u/Luna--tick 2d ago

He was in love with Pier Angeli at the time

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u/wretch5150 2d ago

Did the effing title not work for you, pal?

0

u/Queasy_Property_8136 2d ago

Yep. And apparently on the way over she sat in the car that brought them, in complete silence not even acknowledging Dean. As soon as they got out and the camera bulbs started flashing, she plastered on that fake smile and was blabbing sweet nothings in Dean's ear. On the way back to her home, it was back to cold silence.

0

u/SpinningHead 2d ago

And the fact that he was likely gay.

-1

u/Ridlion 2d ago

Wasn't he an actor? He could have acted happier. /s