September 30, 1955 (1977)

Director:

James Bridges

Writer:

James Bridges (writer)

Release Date:

6 January 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The day it all came apart...

Plot:

When Jimmy's idol, James Dean, dies on September 30, 1955, the small-town Arkansas college undergraduate goes berserk...

Plot Keywords:

James Dean | Fandom | 1950s | Number In Title

Cast

Richard Thomas	...	Jimmy J.
Susan Tyrrell	...	Melba Lou Turner
Deborah Benson	...	Charlotte
Lisa Blount	...	Billie Jean Turner
Tom Hulce	...	Hanley (as Thomas Hulce)
Dennis Quaid	...	Frank
Mary Kai Clark	...	Pat
Dennis Christopher	...	Eugene
Collin Wilcox Paxton	...	Jimmy J.'s Mother (as Collin Wilcox)
Ben Fuhrman	...	Coach
Michael Lovell Farris	...	Edgar (as Mike Farris)
Tom Bonner	...	Radio Announcer
Glen Irby	...	Band Director
Bryan Scott	...	Dickie
Bush Satterfield	...	Charlotte's Father

Also Known As:

24 Hours of the Rebel
9/30/55 (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Conway, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Though Tom Hulce's character, Hanley, owns and drives a car throughout the film, Tom hadn't yet gotten his own driver's license when he did this movie!

Movie Connections:

References Giant (1956)

One of the very few films to examine the power of movie stars

This autobiographical film is one of the rare American motion pictures to examine the effect that movie stars have on audiences, particularly young audiences yearning for role models during times of emotional isolation. Writer-director James Bridges ("The Paper Chase," "The China Syndrome") recalls his youth in Paris, Arkansas (called Conway here) to create a heartfelt work of escalating intensity as its impressionable hero, Jimmy J (Richard Thomas), leads his friends over the edge as they mourn James Dean. "September 30, 1955" integrates images, themes, and even the music (also by Leonard Rosenmann) from "East of Eden" and "Rebel Without a Cause," and adds resonances to both films. This little, unheralded picture needs to be seen -- as does Richard Thomas's utterly brave performance. The key to understanding this film is not to think of it as a "youth picture" but as a deconstruction of the movie star mythos.