James Dean played a lot of criminals in early television. From ex-cons to death row inmates, producers and directors seemed to find something in Dean that fit the role. In 1953, when he appeared in Rod Serling's A Long Time Till Dawn, Dean was beginning to hit his stride. He had come to New York from Indiana a few years before as a broke, out-of-work actor. By 1952, he had made a name for himself in live television and was now on the verge of film stardom.

A Long Time Till Dawn, which aired live on NBC on November 11, 1953, was the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the Kraft Television Theatre dramatic series. It had begun in 1947 as simple adaptations of recognized works and in 1949, the J Walter Thompson Agency (the advertising agency who controlled the program) decided to focus on classic literature. This gave way in 1952 to shows that were more character driven, and by 1953, the program had morphed into "slice of life" dramas, using adaptations of short stories and novels. The agency began scouting for original stories and toyed with the idea of hiring staff writers who were solely dedicated to the Kraft program.

Written by Rod Serling, A Long Time Till Dawn was produced and directed by Dick Dunlap, and starred James Dean as Joe Harris, a former convict who wants to go straight and become an auto mechanic, but his uncontrollable temper leads to tragedy. Also in the cast was veteran radio actor Ted Osborn, Naomi Riordan, Robert Simon, and Rudolph Weiss. A Long Time Till Dawn would be Dean's first starring role on television, a role that Rod Serling described as an attempt to create a realistic portrait of the tough, modern youth who weren't buying into what their parents were telling them. They were a precursor to the kids who fell into the drug and rock-n-roll culture of the sixties. Because the producers were working in television, they could create and broadcast these stories quickly, making them more up-to-date than films, which could take years to be produced and released. Serling would later say that Dean played his part brilliantly. "I can't imagine anyone playing that particular role better. [...] His behavior was very restrained and uncomfortable, but even then there was an excitement and intensity about him that he transmitted viscerally to the television audience."

Martin Landau, a friend of Dean's, was on the set watching rehearsals and later recalled the day of the broadcast. The actors had a final rehearsal and then took an hour break for dinner. Landau and Dean went to Jerry's Tavern and Dean tossed back three drinks. He was depressed and didn't feel that he had a firm grasp on his role. Landau was concerned about the drinking, since Dean had to be on the air in only an hour. According to Landau, Dean had a habit of chewing on his shirt collar when he was nervous. As he watched his friend chew his shirt, Landau suddenly said, "You do that all the time and it's good. I know! It's your mother's tit!" Dean stared at Landau for a moment, said, "I'll see ya'" and ran out of the restaurant. Some time later, Landau heard the Kraft theme music come over the television in the restaurant. "And there's Jimmy. And you know what he did? It was beautiful...he would put his collar in his mouth right before he got violent. [...] It was a brilliant dramatic move. I saw the people in the restaurant literally back away from the set. And, sure enough, he did get violent."

By Lorraine LoBianco

SOURCES:

Clemens Warrick, Karen James Dean: Dream As If You'll Live Forever
Dalton, David James Dean: The Mutant King: A Biography
http://ejones23.tripod.com/Filmography.html
Stempel, Tom Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television Writing
Von Schilling, Jim The Magic Window: American Television 1939-1953