In the decades following his death, many of those who knew James Dean best––actors, directors, friends, lovers (both men and women), photographers, and Hollywood columnists––shared stories of their first-person experiences with him in interviews and in the articles and autobiographies they wrote. Their recollections of Dean became lost in fragile back issues of movie magazines and newspapers and in out-of-print books that are extremely hard to find. Until now.  The Real James Dean  is the first book of its kind: a rich collection spanning six decades of writing in which many of the people whose lives were touched by Dean recall their indelible experiences with him in their own words. Here are the memorable personal accounts of Dean from his high school and college drama teachers; the girl he almost married; costars like Rock Hudson, Natalie Wood, Jim Backus, and Raymond Massey; directors Elia Kazan, Nicholas Ray, and George Stevens; entertainer Eartha Kitt; gossip queen Hedda Hopper; the passenger who accompanied Dean on his final, fatal road trip; and a host of his other friends and colleagues. "A fascinating compendium..." — Library Journal “Editor Peter L. Winkler … provides cogent commentary on the validity of the various stories presented here.” —Edge Media Network “A rich and remarkably well-done anthology.” —The National Book Review “ The Real James Dean  by Peter L. Winkler is a fascinating read with each essay offering a unique reflection from one of Dean’s contemporaries. It’s much more approachable than a full in-depth biography.” —Out of the Past “The book reveals an individual of complexity, admired by some and despised by others, but always fascinating. … It’s a must read for anyone interested in James Dean and Hollywood.” —Twenty Four Frames “[A] corrective to fans, and crazies, who have done so much to keep Dean’s flame alive and shape his image since he died.” —Critics at Large “[T]he most balanced and courageous portrait of Dean we’ve seen.” —Classic Movie Chat  Peter L. Winkler  is the author of  Dennis Hopper: The Wild Ride of a Hollywood Rebel . His writing has appeared in  Filmfax , the  Huffington Post , the  Los Angeles Review of Books , and  Playboy . He lives in Valley Village, California.  George Stevens Jr.  is a writer, director, and producer who founded the American Film Institute. He has won seventeen Emmys, two Peabody Awards, and an Honorary Academy Awar.  The Real James Dean Intimate Memories from Those Who Knew Him Best By Peter L. Winkler Chicago Review Press Incorporated Copyright © 2016 Peter L. Winkler All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-61373-472-8 Contents Foreword by George Stevens Jr., Introduction: Rescued Memories, 1 James Dean — The Boy I Loved Emma Woolen Dean, 2 "My Jim Is a Tough Boy to Understand": James Dean's Father Talks About His Son Richard Moore, 3 My Case Study James Dean, 4 Grant County's Own Adeline Nall as told to Val Holley, 5 The Man Who Would Be 50: A Memory of James Dean Mrs. Gene Nielson Owen, 6 There Was a Boy ... William Bast, 7 There Was a Boy ... Part II William Bast, 8 There Was a Boy ... Part III William Bast, 9 The Great White Way John Gilmore, 10 Blindside John Gilmore, 11 I Almost Married Jimmy Dean Beverly Wills as told to Helen Weller, 12 James Dean at UCLA James Bellah interviewed by Ronald Martinetti, 13 James Dean, The Hungry Matador Peter L. Winkler, 14 Life with Rogers: James Dean's Gay Mentor Tells All Ronald Martinetti, 15 In Memory of Jimmy Elizabeth Sheridan, 16 What Jimmy Dean Believed Jack Shafer, 17 The Little Prince Frank Corsaro, 18 Bottle, Bottle, Who's Got the Bottle? Hume Cronyn, 19 Drawing Blood Shelley Winters, 20 A Serpent in Eden Elia Kazan, 21 Just Lousy With Rapport Raymond Massey, 22 Demon Dean Sidney Skolsky, 23 "I Was James Dean's Black Madonna!" Vampira as told to Robert Rees, 24 Kindred Spirits Eartha Kitt, 25 When James Dean Charmed the Gossip Queen Hedda Hopper and James Brough, 26 James Dean: Rebel with a Cause Joe Hyams, 27 Romeo and Juliet in Burbank Peter L. Winkler, 28 A Kind of Loving Toni Lee Scott, edited by Curt Gentry, 29 Jimmy Dean: Giant Legend, Cult Rebel Leonard Rosenman, 30 Chickie Run on the Sunset Strip Shelley Winters, 31 James Dean: The Actor as a Young Man Nicholas Ray, 32 James Dean Jim Backus, 33 You Haven't Heard the Half About Jimmy! Natalie Wood, 34 A Tenderness Lost George Stevens, 35 Trapped in Marfa Mercedes McCambridge, 36 The James Dean I Knew Bob Hinkle, 37 Some Unsentimental Memories of James Dean by Rock Hudson Ray Loynd, 38 This Was My Friend Jimmy Dean Mike Connolly, 39 Along Came a Spyder Alec Guinness, 40 The Rebel and the Mogul Dore Schary, 41 The Assignment I'll Never Forget: Jimmy Dean Sanford H. Roth, 42 Death Drive Rolf Wütherich, Epitaph, Acknowledgments, Credits and Permissions, Bibliography, Index, CHAPTER 1 James Dean — The Boy I Loved Emma Woolen Dean Emma Woolen Dean wa