James Dean first made his mark as an actor working in the young medium of television. His first fan club, The Imaculate Heart James Dean Appreciation Society, was formed after his first non-commercial acting role in the teleplay "Hill Number One."After his move to New York City, Dean's television career "took off" (with a lot of personal hardship inbetween roles), getting staring roles as troubled teenagers.
The following data was culled from the Internet Movie Database, various biographies, and The Unabridged James Deanby Randall Riese(especially for the synopses).
| Episode: | The Unlighted Road |
| Series: | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars |
| Air Date: | 6 May 1955 |
| Role: | Jeff Latham |
| Also Starring: | Pat Hardy, Murvyn Vye, Robert Williams, Edgar Stehli, Voltaire Perkins and Charles Wagenheim |
| Director: | Justis Addiss |
| Author: | Walter C. Brown |
| Synopsis: | A teenager wanders into a town in the hopes of making a better life for himself. Unfortunately, he finds himself running with the wrong crowd. |
| Episode: | The Life of Emile Zola |
| Series: | Lux Video Theatre |
| Air Date: | 10 March 1955 |
| Role: | Himself |
| Also Starring: | Lee J. Cobb, Joy Page, Gloria Holden, Robert Warwick, Paul Richards, Dayton Lummis, Booth Colman, Shepard Menken, Edgar Barrier, Lawrence Nyle |
| Director: | Buzz Kulik |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | According to The Unabridge James Dean, Dean did not perform in this teleplay, but appeared in an interview shown before the show with clips of East of Edenshown after the show. |
| Episode: | The Thief |
| Series: | U.S. Steel Hour |
| Air Date: | 4 January 1955 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Paul Lukas, Mary Astor, Diana Lynn, Patric Knowles |
| Director: | Vincent J. Donehue |
| Author: | Arthur Arent (from the play by Henri Bernstein) |
| Synopsis: | The son of a wealthy family is "suspected of stealing money" (Riese). |
| Episode: | The Dark, Dark Hour |
| Series: | General Electric Theater |
| Air Date: | 12 December 1954 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Ronald Reagan (also hosted), Constance Ford, Jack Simmons |
| Director: | Don Medford |
| Author: | Arthur Steuer |
| Synopsis: | A thug holds a doctor and his wife hostage in their home. |
| Picture: | coming soon |
| Episode: | I'm a Fool |
| Series: | General Electric Theatre |
| Air Date: | 14 November 1954 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Natalie Wood, Eddie Albert (narrator), Roy Glenn, Eve March, Leon Taylor, Gloria Costillo, Fiona Hale |
| Director: | Don Medford |
| Author: | Arnold Schulman (based on a story by Sherwood Anderson) |
| Synopsis: | A boy assumes a false identity to impress a girl. |
| Purchase from Amazon: |
|
 |
| Episode: | Padlocks |
| Series: | Danger |
| Air Date: | 9 November 1954 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Mildred Dunnock |
| Director: | John Frankenheimer |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Pictures: | Dean with Dunnock |
| Episode: | Run Like a Thief |
| Series: | Philco TV Playhouse |
| Air Date: | 5 September 1954 |
| Role: | Rob |
| Also Starring: | Kurt Kasznar, Gusti Huber, Barbara O'Neil |
| Director: | Jeffrey Hayden |
| Author: | Sam Hall |
| Synopsis: | A bracelet found by a waiter is given to the waiter's wife. |
| Episode: | The Little Woman |
| Series: | Danger |
| Air Date: | 30 March 1954 |
| Role: | Augie |
| Also Starring: | Lydia Reed, Lee Bergere , Mildred Duavod |
| Director: | Andrew McCullough |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | A little girl hides a criminal in her playhouse. |
| Episode: | Harvest |
| Series: | Robert Montgomery Presents the Johnson's Wax Program |
| Air Date: | 23 November 1953 |
| Role: | Paul Zalenka |
| Also Starring: | Ed Begley, Dorothy Gish, Vaughn Taylor, Reba Tassell, John Connell, John Dennis, Joseph Foley, Nancy Sheridan |
| Director: | James Sheldon |
| Author: | Sandra Michael |
| Synopsis: | A jilted boy enlists in the Navy. |
| Purchase from Amazon: |
|
 |
| Episode: | The Bells of Cockaigne |
| Series: | Armstrong Circle Theatre |
| Air Date: | 17 November 1953 |
| Role: | Joey Frazier |
| Also Starring: | Gene Lockhart, Vaughn Taylor, Donalee Marans, John Dennis |
| Director: | James Sheldon |
| Author: | George Lowther |
| Synopsis: | "A blue-collar laborer [struggles] to support his wife and asthmatic child." (Riese) |
| Purchase From Amazon: |
|
 |
| Episode: | A Long Time Till Dawn |
| Series: | Kraft Television Theater |
| Air Date: | 11 November 1953 |
| Role: | Joe Harris |
| Also Starring: | Naomi Riordan, Robert Simon, Ted Osborn, Rudolph Weiss |
| Director: | Dick Dunlap |
| Author: | Rod Serling |
| Synopsis: | An ex-con attempts to lead a straight life. |
| Pictures: | Joe the gangster |
| Purchase from Amazon: |
|
 |
| Episode: | Life Sentence |
| Series: | Campbell Soundstage |
| Air Date: | 16 October 1953 |
| Role: | Hank Bradon |
| Also Starring: | Georgann Johnson |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Keep Our Honor Bright |
| Series: | Kraft Television Theater |
| Air Date: | 14 October 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Michael Higgins, Joan Potter, David White, George Roy Hill, Rusty Lane, Larry Fletcher, Addison Richards |
| Director: | Maury Holland |
| Author: | George Roy Hill |
| Synopsis: | A student honor committee deals with a "student cheating scandal" (Riese). |
| Episode: | Glory in Flower |
| Series: | Omnibus |
| Air Date: | 4 October 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Ed Binns, Frank McHugh |
| Director: | Andrew McCullough |
| Author: | William Inge |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Rex Newman, Reporter for the Globe and News |
| Series: | The Big Story |
| Air Date: | 11 September 1953 |
| Role: | Rex Newman |
| Also Starring: | John Kerr, Wendy Drew, Carl Frank, Donald McKee, Ken Walken, Bobby Nick, Susan Harris, Bob Sloane (narrator) |
| Director: | Stuart Rosenberg |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | Fact based drama about Joplin, Missouri journalist Rex Newamn. |
| Episode: | Death is my Neighbor |
| Series: | Danger |
| Air Date: | 25 August 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Walter Hampden, Betsy Palmer |
| Director: | John Peyser |
| Author: | Frank Gregory |
| Synopsis: | Dean plays a psychotic janitor. |
| Episode: | Sentence of Death |
| Series: | Studio One Summer Theatre |
| Air Date: | 17 August 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Gene Lyons, Ralph Dunn, Betsy Palmer |
| Director: | Paul Nickell |
| Author: | Adrian Spies & Thomas Walsh |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Something for an Empty Briefcase |
| Series: | Campbell Soundstage |
| Air Date: | 17 July 1953 |
| Role: | Joe Adams |
| Also Starring: | Susan Douglas |
| Director: | Don Medford |
| Author: | S. Lee Pogostin |
| Synopsis: | A young criminal commits one last crime so that he could purchase a brifcase, with which he plans to start his life anew. |
| Episode: | The Evil Within |
| Series: | Tales of Tomorrow |
| Air Date: | 1 May 1953 |
| Role: | "Lab Assistant" |
| Also Starring: | Rod Steiger, Margaret Phillips |
| Director: | Don Medford |
| Author: | Manya Starr |
| Synopsis: | A scientist's wife ingests one of his concoctions. Sci-fi teleplay. |
| Episode: | The Case of the Sawed-off Shotgun |
| Series: | Treasury Men in Action |
| Air Date: | 16 April 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | n/a |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | No Room |
| Series: | Danger |
| Air Date: | 14 April 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Martin Kingsley, Irene Vernon |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Series: | The Capture of Jesse James |
| Episode: | You Are There |
| Air Date: | 8 February 1953 |
| Role: | Bob Ford |
| Also Starring: | Walter Cronkite (host) |
| Director: | Sidney Lumet |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | The shooting of famed outlaw Jesse James. |
| Episode: | The Case of the Watchful Dog |
| Series: | Treasury Men in Action |
| Air Date: | 29 January 1953 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | n/a |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Hounds of Heaven |
| Series: | The Kate Smith Show |
| Air Date: | 15 January 1953 |
| Role: | "An Angel" |
| Also Starring: | John Carradine, Edgar Stehli |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | Earl Hamner, Jr. |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Forgotten Children |
| Series: | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| Air Date: | 2 June 1952 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Cloris Leachman, Don McHenry, Nancy Malone |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Epsiode: | Abraham Lincoln |
| Series: | Studio One |
| Air Date: | 26 May 1952 |
| Role: | William Scott |
| Also Starring: | Robert Pastene |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | John Drinkwater |
| Synopsis: | A guard caught sleeping on duty is court martialed and then pardoned by Lincoln. |
| Episode: | Prologue to Glory |
| Series: | Kraft Television Theatre |
| Air Date: | 21 May 1952 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | Thomas Coley, Pat Breslin, Una O'Connor, William Lee, Butch Clavell |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | E.P. Conkle |
| Synopsis: | The early life of Abraham Lincoln. |
| Episode: | The Foggy, Foggy Dew |
| Series: | Lux Video Theater |
| Air Date: | 17 March 1952 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | James Barton, Muriel Kirkland, Richard Bishop |
| Director: | Richard Goode |
| Author: | J. Albert Hirsch |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Ten Thousand Horses Singing |
| Series: | Studio One |
| Air Date: | 3 March 1952 |
| Role: | "Hotel Bellboy" |
| Also Starring: | John Forsythe, Catherine McLeod, Vaughn Taylor, Joe Morass |
| Director: | Paul Nickell |
| Author: | Worthington Minor (adapted from a story by Robert Carson) |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Sleeping Dogs |
| Series: | The Web |
| Air Date: | 20 February 1952 |
| Role: | n/a |
| Also Starring: | n/a |
| Director: | n/a |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | n/a |
| Episode: | Hill Number One |
| Series: | Father Peyton's Family Theatre |
| Air Date: | 25 March 1951 |
| Role: | John the Apostle |
| Also Starring: | Ruth Hussey, Joan Leslie, Gene Lockhart, Jeanne Cagney, Leif Erickson, Regis Toomey, Henry Brandon, Nelson Leigh, Gordon Oliver, Roddy McDowall, Frank Wilcox, Everett Glass, Charles Meredith, Michael Ansara |
| Director: | Arthur Pierson |
| Author: | n/a |
| Synopsis: | GI's trying to recapture a hill during the Korean War is paralled with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. |
| Purchase from Amazon: |
|
 |
 |
last updated 20 December 1998
Unless otherwise noted, all material Copyright © 1998 M. Dawn Matonis. No part of this site may be reproduced in any form without permission. James Dean Is Not Dead is neither affiliated with CMG Worldwide nor James Dean, Inc.