Nov 11 - James Dean Letters
South Kensington – A selection of personal handwritten letters by James Dean, which have never been offered for sale before, are to be sold at Christie’s auction of Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Memorabilia in South Kensington on 23 November 2011. The letters are each addressed to Dean’s on-off girlfriend of two years, Barbara Glenn. They provide candid accounts of his private life before becoming a star, sent from out-of-town tryouts for The Immoralist in Philadelphia and from behind the scenes of his first foray into Hollywood, the celebrated East of Eden. The emotional letters, which reveal the strains of Dean’s work and their long distance relationship, are to be offered along with copies of unpublished private family photographs of the couple directly from the son of Barbara Glenn – filmmaker Keith Gordon.
Content
For Immediate Release 12 September 2011
Contact:
Leonie Pitts
+44 (0)20 7752 3121
[email protected]
AN INSIGHT INTO THE MIND OF AN ICON:
Personal Handwritten Letters From JAMES DEAN to BARBARA GLENN To Be Sold at Auction for the First Time
South Kensington – A selection of personal handwritten letters by James Dean, which have never been offered for sale before, are to be sold at Christie‟s auction of Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Memorabilia in South Kensington on 23 November 2011. The letters are each addressed to Dean‟s on-off girlfriend of two years, Barbara Glenn. They provide candid accounts of his private life before becoming a star, sent from out-of-town tryouts for The Immoralist in Philadelphia and from behind the scenes of his first foray into Hollywood, the celebrated East of Eden. The emotional letters, which reveal the strains of Dean‟s work and their long distance relationship, are to be offered along with copies of unpublished private family photographs of the couple directly from the son of Barbara Glenn – filmmaker Keith Gordon.
Keith Gordon comments, “As I remember her stories, my mother was introduced to James Dean – whom she always referred to as 'Jimmy' – by their mutual close friend Martin Landau in the late 1940s/early 1950s in New York, where they were all young actors starting out and struggling together. She never discussed their romance in great detail, but I did know Jimmy was her first serious, grown-up relationship. It was apparently very intense and involved numerous break-ups and reconciliations, but she often remained his confidant even during some of the „off-again‟ times. Eventually my mother met my father Mark Gordon, an actor and director, and broke it off with Jimmy to go with my Dad. Jimmy actually gave her his blessing to leave – even he knew that what they had was too fraught with drama to ever be stable. Years later David Dalton tracked down my mother and interviewed her for his biography „James Dean-The Mutant King‟ – she is the first person thanked in the books acknowledgements. As far as I know that was the first time she spoke 'on the record' about their time together. I think she was happy with the way the book captured the complexities of their relationship – I found several copies, along with James Dean‟s letters to her and other memorabilia such as reviews and photographs tucked away safely in a drawer. I hope that a fan or collector can gain as much pleasure from owning these letters as my mother clearly did from receiving them, and as I did in learning more about my mother‟s history.” Neil Roberts, Head of Popular Culture says, “Christie‟s is honoured to be offering these unique letters for auction for the very first time, providing a tangible insight into the mind of the film star James Dean. The letters have been treasured for nearly half a century, and will be sold during the 80th anniversary of his birth. They reveal a private side of Dean‟s character far removed from his public persona – the young man who became a screen legend – a lonely, insecure, and caring person, dedicated to his craft.” During his short life, James Dean quickly made a name for himself on television and Broadway. As he rehearsed for an adaptation of André Gide's book The Immoralist – a performance that would be his last on Broadway and lead to several awards and calls from Hollywood – Dean wrote to Barbara Glenn. In the letter he criticizes the play, calling it “a piece of shit”, but rightly foresees that it would still “Probably be a monster success”. The letter was sent from St. James Hotel in Philadelphia on 10th January 1954 illustrated above left (estimate: £5,000-6,000) and also features doodles of North African style buildings – possibly Dean‟s interpretation of the set, which was based in Tunisia. Positive reviews for his role as „Bachir‟, a pandering North African houseboy, led to Dean‟s early exit from the play (which had only opened two weeks earlier on 8 February 1954) and a move to Los Angeles. James Dean‟s first starring role in a Hollywood movie was as Cal Trask in East of Eden, for which filming began on 8th April 1954. East of Eden was released in March 1955, only six months before Dean‟s tragic car crash, earning him the first official posthumous Oscar nomination in history at the 1956 Academy Awards. The second letter on offer dates from 7th May 1954 illustrated above centre (estimate: £3,000-4,000) – just under a month into the filming for East of Eden. In the letter, addressed “Oh baby”, Dean angrily replies to a letter sent by Barbara about a swimsuit photo-shoot she had done, or was considering, telling her “boy that‟s sellin out cheap” and questioning her motives. The tone of his writing is very protective and caring, but also incredibly disapproving. One can only imagine what was contained in the letter from Barbara that he was replying to. The final letter to be sold in November illustrated above right (estimate: £5,000-6,000) reveals James Dean‟s teasing sense of humour, as it starts “Darling, I haven‟t written because I have fallen in love.” Reading that first line, it appears to be a break-up letter, however, it transpires that he is referring to his horse, „Cisco the kid‟ – “the new member of the family”, and he even proudly included a small photo of him (also included in the lot). Unhappy and homesick, Dean‟s mood sounds rather despondent – he talks about how lonely he is, tells her how much he hates it there, and lists all the things he misses. He also thanks her for “the nicest, sweetest letters in the world”, which helped him get over his own self-doubt, clearly showing the value in their friendship.
### High resolution images and further information available upon request http://www.christies.com/departments/popular-culture
Notes to Editors: Public Viewing: Saturday 19 November: Sunday 20 November: Monday 21 November: Tuesday 22 November: Auction:
11.00am - 5.00pm 11.00am - 5.00pm 9.00am - 7.30pm 9.00am – 5.00pm
Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Memorabilia Wednesday, 23 November 2011 at 12.00pm
Ecatalogue:
Available online from mid-October 2011 at www.christies.com/calendar
Christie’s South Kensington Open seven days a week, Christie‟s South Kensington is one of the busiest salerooms in the UK, annually holding over 100 sales and offering more than 20,000 lots. The recently refurbished saleroom facilities and exhibition spaces provide one of the most accessible, well lit and welcoming sales arenas in the world, consistently attracting over 200,000 visitors a year. Interiors sales dedicated to home furnishings are held three times a month alongside monthly Sunday sales of single-owner collections, and specialised sales for the avid collector are scheduled throughout the year according to category. Every lot is beautifully illustrated in a large scale magazine-style catalogue and in an online e-catalogue. Christie‟s South Kensington appeals to a worldwide audience – in 2010 bidders originated from over 50 countries, with around 20% of bidders taking part in auctions from the comfort of their own home or office, using Christie‟s unique online bidding facility, Christie‟s LIVE™. CHRISTIE’S SOUTH KENSINGTON 85 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3LD OPENING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Monday: 9.00am – 7.30pm Tuesday – Friday: 9.00am – 5.00pm Saturday & Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm WWW.CHRISTIES.COM Prices do not include buyers‟ premium
Contact:
Leonie Pitts
+44 (0)20 7752 3121
[email protected]
AN INSIGHT INTO THE MIND OF AN ICON:
Personal Handwritten Letters From JAMES DEAN to BARBARA GLENN To Be Sold at Auction for the First Time
South Kensington – A selection of personal handwritten letters by James Dean, which have never been offered for sale before, are to be sold at Christie‟s auction of Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Memorabilia in South Kensington on 23 November 2011. The letters are each addressed to Dean‟s on-off girlfriend of two years, Barbara Glenn. They provide candid accounts of his private life before becoming a star, sent from out-of-town tryouts for The Immoralist in Philadelphia and from behind the scenes of his first foray into Hollywood, the celebrated East of Eden. The emotional letters, which reveal the strains of Dean‟s work and their long distance relationship, are to be offered along with copies of unpublished private family photographs of the couple directly from the son of Barbara Glenn – filmmaker Keith Gordon.
Keith Gordon comments, “As I remember her stories, my mother was introduced to James Dean – whom she always referred to as 'Jimmy' – by their mutual close friend Martin Landau in the late 1940s/early 1950s in New York, where they were all young actors starting out and struggling together. She never discussed their romance in great detail, but I did know Jimmy was her first serious, grown-up relationship. It was apparently very intense and involved numerous break-ups and reconciliations, but she often remained his confidant even during some of the „off-again‟ times. Eventually my mother met my father Mark Gordon, an actor and director, and broke it off with Jimmy to go with my Dad. Jimmy actually gave her his blessing to leave – even he knew that what they had was too fraught with drama to ever be stable. Years later David Dalton tracked down my mother and interviewed her for his biography „James Dean-The Mutant King‟ – she is the first person thanked in the books acknowledgements. As far as I know that was the first time she spoke 'on the record' about their time together. I think she was happy with the way the book captured the complexities of their relationship – I found several copies, along with James Dean‟s letters to her and other memorabilia such as reviews and photographs tucked away safely in a drawer. I hope that a fan or collector can gain as much pleasure from owning these letters as my mother clearly did from receiving them, and as I did in learning more about my mother‟s history.” Neil Roberts, Head of Popular Culture says, “Christie‟s is honoured to be offering these unique letters for auction for the very first time, providing a tangible insight into the mind of the film star James Dean. The letters have been treasured for nearly half a century, and will be sold during the 80th anniversary of his birth. They reveal a private side of Dean‟s character far removed from his public persona – the young man who became a screen legend – a lonely, insecure, and caring person, dedicated to his craft.” During his short life, James Dean quickly made a name for himself on television and Broadway. As he rehearsed for an adaptation of André Gide's book The Immoralist – a performance that would be his last on Broadway and lead to several awards and calls from Hollywood – Dean wrote to Barbara Glenn. In the letter he criticizes the play, calling it “a piece of shit”, but rightly foresees that it would still “Probably be a monster success”. The letter was sent from St. James Hotel in Philadelphia on 10th January 1954 illustrated above left (estimate: £5,000-6,000) and also features doodles of North African style buildings – possibly Dean‟s interpretation of the set, which was based in Tunisia. Positive reviews for his role as „Bachir‟, a pandering North African houseboy, led to Dean‟s early exit from the play (which had only opened two weeks earlier on 8 February 1954) and a move to Los Angeles. James Dean‟s first starring role in a Hollywood movie was as Cal Trask in East of Eden, for which filming began on 8th April 1954. East of Eden was released in March 1955, only six months before Dean‟s tragic car crash, earning him the first official posthumous Oscar nomination in history at the 1956 Academy Awards. The second letter on offer dates from 7th May 1954 illustrated above centre (estimate: £3,000-4,000) – just under a month into the filming for East of Eden. In the letter, addressed “Oh baby”, Dean angrily replies to a letter sent by Barbara about a swimsuit photo-shoot she had done, or was considering, telling her “boy that‟s sellin out cheap” and questioning her motives. The tone of his writing is very protective and caring, but also incredibly disapproving. One can only imagine what was contained in the letter from Barbara that he was replying to. The final letter to be sold in November illustrated above right (estimate: £5,000-6,000) reveals James Dean‟s teasing sense of humour, as it starts “Darling, I haven‟t written because I have fallen in love.” Reading that first line, it appears to be a break-up letter, however, it transpires that he is referring to his horse, „Cisco the kid‟ – “the new member of the family”, and he even proudly included a small photo of him (also included in the lot). Unhappy and homesick, Dean‟s mood sounds rather despondent – he talks about how lonely he is, tells her how much he hates it there, and lists all the things he misses. He also thanks her for “the nicest, sweetest letters in the world”, which helped him get over his own self-doubt, clearly showing the value in their friendship.
### High resolution images and further information available upon request http://www.christies.com/departments/popular-culture
Notes to Editors: Public Viewing: Saturday 19 November: Sunday 20 November: Monday 21 November: Tuesday 22 November: Auction:
11.00am - 5.00pm 11.00am - 5.00pm 9.00am - 7.30pm 9.00am – 5.00pm
Popular Culture: Film and Entertainment Memorabilia Wednesday, 23 November 2011 at 12.00pm
Ecatalogue:
Available online from mid-October 2011 at www.christies.com/calendar
Christie’s South Kensington Open seven days a week, Christie‟s South Kensington is one of the busiest salerooms in the UK, annually holding over 100 sales and offering more than 20,000 lots. The recently refurbished saleroom facilities and exhibition spaces provide one of the most accessible, well lit and welcoming sales arenas in the world, consistently attracting over 200,000 visitors a year. Interiors sales dedicated to home furnishings are held three times a month alongside monthly Sunday sales of single-owner collections, and specialised sales for the avid collector are scheduled throughout the year according to category. Every lot is beautifully illustrated in a large scale magazine-style catalogue and in an online e-catalogue. Christie‟s South Kensington appeals to a worldwide audience – in 2010 bidders originated from over 50 countries, with around 20% of bidders taking part in auctions from the comfort of their own home or office, using Christie‟s unique online bidding facility, Christie‟s LIVE™. CHRISTIE’S SOUTH KENSINGTON 85 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3LD OPENING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Monday: 9.00am – 7.30pm Tuesday – Friday: 9.00am – 5.00pm Saturday & Sunday: 11.00am - 5.00pm WWW.CHRISTIES.COM Prices do not include buyers‟ premium
