tention to the story--a photo of James Dean. The story in the New York Times is in the middle of page 2 and also has a graphic--a photo of James Dean. The story in the Los Angeles Times is the featured story of the day, with a banner headline, a photo of Dean, and the story beginning on the right-hand column and continuing inside on page 2. The stories in New York and Houston each stand at about 2 column inches, while the Los Angeles story is 9 column inches in length. While all three papers used a photo of Dean, no two were alike. Two were studio shots, and the third--in the New York Times--was a photo of Dean as he appeared in East of Eden. The longest story, as noted, is the one in the Los Angeles Times, and the words selected for this story reflect the greater importance accorded the film industry and those who work in it in that paper as opposed to the other two. Dean is referred to here as "one of Hollywood's brightest new motion-picture stars," This may show a greater awareness of the quality of the work put in by Dean on the two films not yet released, or it may be based largely on his appearance in East of Eden. The fact that he had just finished working on Giant is noted and one of his costars, Elizabeth Taylor, is quoted. Rebel Without a Cause is also mentioned. This story also includes much more about Dean's life. It notes that he was born in Indiana and that he attended Santa Monica Junior College and later UCLA, where he majored in dramatics. His stage acting work in New York is also noted, along with awards he has received and some of the early television roles he had on programs like Studio One, You Are There, and Television Playhouse. The fact that the Houston Post places the story on the front page also derives from the latter fact, that Dean had starred in one released film and two unreleased films. His popularity does not seem to have been such at the time to rate a bigger play. While it is also true that at this early stag |
