James Dean: The Fast Lane

This tribute to Hollywood icon James Dean focuses on his television appearances, including a 1951 commercial for Pepsi filmed when he was 19. A few of his guest spots are so small, however, that compiling them fulfills more of a historical than artistic function. For instance, in an installment of Westinghouse Studio One, a hotel guest (played by John Forsythe) is served by bellhop Dean, who doesn't utter a single line. Also unremarkable is his appearance as the apostle John in the Christian anthology series Family Theater, but Dean makes more of an impact as a soldier facing court martial in Westinghouse's “Abraham Lincoln” and as Rod Steiger's laboratory colleague in Tales of Tomorrow's “The Evil Within.” Dean finally gets the lead in Campbell Soundstage's “Something for an Empty Briefcase,” Kraft Television Theater's “A Long Time Till Dawn” (written by Rod Serling), and General Electric Theater's “I'm a Fool,” with his Rebel Without a Cause co-star Natalie Wood. In these parts, Dean's larger-than-life charisma dukes it out with his stylized Method moves. Also featuring three other programs, the picture quality on this two-disc set is mostly fuzzy, which should come as little surprise due to the age of the TV material. DVD extras include Robert Altman's sympathetic 1957 documentary The James Dean Story and an unaired highway-safety PSA (shot just 13 days before Dean's fatal car crash). Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)