IMDb > Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Rebel Without a Cause
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 83 | slideshow) Videos (see all 4)
Rebel Without a Cause -- A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.
Rebel Without a Cause -- A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.

Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   42,985 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 14% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Stewart Stern (screenplay)
Irving Shulman (adaptation)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Rebel Without a Cause on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 October 1955 (USA) See more »
Genre:
Tagline:
Teenage terror torn from today's headlines See more »
Plot:
A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
Not perfect, but still extraordinary See more (251 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

James Dean ... Jim Stark

Natalie Wood ... Judy

Sal Mineo ... John 'Plato' Crawford

Jim Backus ... Frank Stark

Ann Doran ... Mrs. Carol Stark

Corey Allen ... Buzz Gunderson

William Hopper ... Judy's Father
Rochelle Hudson ... Judy's Mother

Dennis Hopper ... Goon

Edward Platt ... Ray Fremick
Steffi Sidney ... Mil
Marietta Canty ... Crawford Family Maid
Virginia Brissac ... Mrs. Stark - Jim's Grandmother
Beverly Long ... Helen

Ian Wolfe ... Dr. Minton
Frank Mazzola ... Crunch
Robert Foulk ... Gene
Jack Simmons ... Cookie
Tom Bernard ... Harry

Nick Adams ... Chick
Jack Grinnage ... Moose
Clifford Morris ... Cliff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Dorothy Abbott ... Nurse (uncredited)
David Alpert ... Police Officer (uncredited)
Jimmy Baird ... Beau (uncredited)
Paul Birch ... Police Chief (uncredited)
Harold Bostwick ... Minor Role (uncredited)
Paul Bryar ... Desk Sergeant #2 (uncredited)
John Close ... Police Officer (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton ... Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited)

Chuck Hicks ... Ambulance Attendant (uncredited)
Skipper Huerta ... Little Boy (uncredited)
Louise Lane ... Policewoman (uncredited)

Nelson Leigh ... Desk Sergeant #1 (uncredited)

David McMahon ... Crunch's Father (uncredited)
Edward McNally ... Approaching Officer (uncredited)
Peter Miller ... Hoodlum (uncredited)
Bruce Noonan ... Monitor Admonishing Plato (uncredited)
House Peters Jr. ... Officer at Police Station (uncredited)
Stephanie Pond-Smith ... Girl (uncredited)
Charles Postal ... Teacher (uncredited)
Nicholas Ray ... Man in Last Shot (uncredited)
Gus Schilling ... Attendant (uncredited)
Almira Sessions ... Old Lady Teacher (uncredited)
Bert Stevens ... Police Detective (uncredited)
Dick Wessel ... Planetarium Guide (uncredited)
Robert Williams ... Ed - Moose's Father (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Nicholas Ray 
 
Writing credits
Stewart Stern (screenplay)

Irving Shulman (adaptation)

Nicholas Ray (story)

Produced by
David Weisbart .... producer
 
Original Music by
Leonard Rosenman 
 
Cinematography by
Ernest Haller (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler  (as William Ziegler)
James Moore (uncredited)
 
Production Design by
Malcolm C. Bert (uncredited)
 
Art Direction by
Malcolm C. Bert  (as Malcolm Bert)
 
Set Decoration by
William Wallace 
 
Costume Design by
Moss Mabry (costumes designed by)
 
Makeup Department
Gordon Bau .... makeup supervisor
Tillie Starriett .... hairdresser (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Alvarado .... assistant director (as Don Page)
Robert Farfan .... assistant director
Gary Nelson .... second assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Stanley Jones .... sound
Carl Mahakian .... sound editor (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Rod Amateau .... stunt double (uncredited)
Paul Baxley .... stunts (uncredited)
Ron Burke .... stunts (uncredited)
Mushy Callahan .... stunts (uncredited)
Bill Hickman .... stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Floyd McCarty .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff .... costume jeweller (uncredited)
Marguerite Royce .... wardrobe: women (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Dennis Stock .... dialogue supervisor
Florence Granroth .... researcher: lecturer's speech (uncredited)
Douglas M. Kelly .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Frank Mazzola .... technical advisor (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production Companies
  • Warner Bros (presents) (A Warner Bros.-First National Picture)
DistributorsOther Companies
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (WarnerColor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Dolby Digital (DVD version)
Certification:
Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Norway:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (re-rating) (1976) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Not Rated (video rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1956) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1981) | Spain:T | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | USA:Approved (No. 17504) (original rating) | France:-16 | South Korea:15 | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | Peru:18 | Brazil:14 | Italy:T | USA:TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia:
The empty pool in which the characters sit and discuss their lives first appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950). The pool had been built specially for the earlier film, as a condition of renting the site from its owner, Mrs J. Paul Getty.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When Jim drives home to find Judy sitting on the brick wall, she is seen in the headlights of Jim's car. In the next shot, she is sitting on the wall right beside Jim's window.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
First police officer:Get up, get up. Mixed up in that beating on 12th street, huh?
Second police officer:No. Plain drunkenness.
See more »
Soundtrack:
Five O'Clock WhistleSee more »

FAQ

How did James Dean die?
Why were Jimbo, Plato, and Judy in the police station at the beginning of the movie?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
See more »
85 out of 126 people found the following review useful.
Not perfect, but still extraordinary, 17 July 2000
Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

I was quite impressed with _Rebel Without a Cause_. I expected it to be quite standard, having only gathered its reputation because of the tragedy surrounding James Deans' death. Fortunately, it stood up on its own quite well. Its superficial situations are somewhat dated, which was inevitable, but its themes remain potent after many decades.

The major theme is the burgeoning relationship between adults and their teenage children. All three of the main characters are at different stages in this process. Jim (James Dean) is surprisingly at the earliest stage of this. His mother is pretty distanced and unresponsive already, but he still seems to communicate well with his father (Jim Backus, who is amazing. His character's relationship with his wife also provides an interesting view into 1950s gender politics; in one scene, Backus is wearing a cooking apron, which is very obviously meant for a woman). Judy (Natalie Wood, whom I didn't even recognize here) is almost completely rejected by her father, who feels that her affection is out of place in her teenage years. Worst of all is Plato, both of whose parents have left him alone in the world. He tries desperately to make Jim and Judy his parents (although from this vantage point in time, Plato seems resoundingly sexually attracted to Jim, and he sees Judy as a threat to their relationship. Although the writer/director has denied that forever, no human being can watch it nowadays without that thought constantly crossing their mind).

The reason that I say this film is flawed lies in the actions of Plato near the end of the film. I felt his escalating insanity was kind of a cop-out. Instead of actually delving into Plato's true character and motives by having intelligent and realistic dialogue and actions, he is just made to go batty, wherein he spouts off his thoughts as if he were some eight year old or man-child. Plato may have been sycophantic throughout the film, but he was anything but a moron. His actions provide an easy way for the director/writer to answer all questions about his character, and then to facilitate an ending which is tragic, but more than a little contrived.

Despite what I feel is a cop-out ending, _Rebel Without a Cause remains a thoroughly powerful film. I liked it, and I'll never forget it. 9/10

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (251 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
shot length daniela-huber-ch
Please Explain... (SPOILERS) DCMovieyea
Does Dean Do an Exaggerated Backus Voice? sir-walt
What kind of psychological illness is Plato suffering from? sullenperfume
James Dean Icon? jacksonl-g
Flash forward 58 years KBiker
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Freeway Babel Thumbsucker Kings & Queen Pineapple Express
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.