General Electric Theater (TV Series) I'm a Fool (1954) User Reviews

Bragging Rights and Wrongs

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 1 August 2008]

In this short drama, James Dean takes on Sherwood Anderson's restless Ohio youth. Writer Anderson's "I'm a Fool" originally appeared in his collection "Horses and Men"; and, the author is known to have influenced John Steinbeck, who authored of "East of Eden". Mr. Dean completed the film version of writer Steinbeck's "Eden" over the summer (it was not yet released). Natalie Wood appears in this "Fool", cast as the young woman Dean falls in love with. Ms. Wood would soon start filming "Rebel Without a Cause"; so, this is almost a "try-out" for "Rebel". In a completely unrelated event, "Fool" was re-made for PBS, in 1976, with Ron Howard and Amy Irving; although, Ms. Irving appeared almost simultaneously in William Bast's biography "James Dean".

In "I'm a Fool", Dean plays "The Boy" aka "Walter Mathers" alongside Eddie Albert's on-screen narration of the same character. It's an interesting, but not altogether successful, juxtaposition. Although each performs well, Dean and Albert do not truly seem like the same character. The play is also "impressionistic" in technique; for example, you will see characters walking around partial and painted sets. This does, at times, distract from the story, which concerns the consequences of Dean's lying to impress Wood's "Lucy Wessen". Wood performs exceptionally well with Dean, and they look great together; this was not a commonly found feature with Dean's female TV co-stars. Wood was wisely signed to appear with Dean on the big screen.

Though rendered slightly inaccessible in its state and style, the story is a good one. Albert and Dean convey the tragedy of foolishness. Roy Glenn (as Burt) is terrific in his supporting role. When this teleplay was repeated, on November 18, 1956, then host Ronald Reagan appeared in a new introduction, which included him saying "those of us who worked with Jimmy Dean." It seems like a foolish enough claim to include in the script; but, Mr. Reagan did co-star with Dean, in another television drama.

****** I'm a Fool (11/14/54) Don Medford ~ James Dean, Eddie Albert, Natalie Wood, Roy Glenn

disappointing

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 26 September 2015]

TCM showed another 1954 episode of "GE Theater" with James Dean to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his death. My father died in 2007 on September 30, so it's a date that always sticks in my mind.

Based on a story by Sherwood Anderson, Eddie Albert narrates, and Dean plays his younger self. Natalie Wood is the young woman he meets and falls for.

After seeing Dean in several other TV teleplays, I have to say this is his least impressive. For one thing, he mumbles more and is harder to understand. He and Natalie Wood do well together, and she is lovely - it's not hard to see why she was cast in Rebel without a Cause.

The young man tells a lie to the woman he wants to impress, as he puts it, "passing myself off as a big swell." Then he watches her go off on the train, knowing it is the last time he will see her.

There is not much to this as far as story, and it comes off as dull. Doubt it would have been shown were it not for Dean.

"You better learn this Boy, you are what you are and they are what they are."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 30 September 2015]

Not a great episode as other reviewers have stated, but there are interesting elements to consider. For one, the black stable hand portrayed by Roy Glenn calls James Dean's character 'Boy', this during an era when the country was still grappling with discrimination and the disparaging term was still quite common when whites addressed blacks. Burt (Glenn) did it more than once too, but equally compelling was to see Dean call him on it and insist he not do it again. It all makes me curious to know how this was received by viewers when it first aired back in 1954.

The other thing that got my attention was the way the story was presented. As the show's narrator, Eddie Albert is the adult version of James Dean's 'Boy', reminiscing and castigating himself over his youthful indiscretions. I really don't understand what the big deal was about Dean's misrepresenting himself to the teenage Lucy (Natalie Wood) by building up his reputation with tall tales from back home. With today's social media he would have been right at home with millions of others. Why the adult represented by Albert beat himself up over it after twenty years is a bit incomprehensible.

Hosting this episode of General Electric Theater was Ronald Reagan, well before any political aspirations might have entered his mind, so that might be considered an added bonus watching the show today. For all intents and purposes though, you're better off catching Dean and Wood in "Rebel Without a Cause".

Had James Dean not been in this one, it would have been forgotten.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 1 September 2012]

This episode of "GE Theater" was shown shown twice--once in 1954 and once right after the death of James Dean. A new introduction was added indicating it was being re-shown for this very reason.

The story is unusual in that it's narrated by Eddie Albert (and he often walks about the set) AND a younger version of his character is played by James Dean. You see, Albert is reminiscing about an episode in his life he was not proud of---and you see it acted by by Dean. There are two major problems with this episode. First, Dean is pretty bad and tends to mumble and occasionally flub lines. While he was brilliant in his movies, he just looks uncomfortable here. Second, the story just isn't interesting. In fact, the only interesting thing is seen Dean as well as a young Natalie Wood. Rather dull and forgettable.

La fureur de vivre

[ulicknormanowen · 4 November 2020]

It's almost eerie to watch a grown-up James Dean tell the story of his drifter character's life .Natalie Wood looks older than a sixteen year old ingenue, the hero's lost love interest ;she considered her partner "a junior Marlon Brando"; the story in itself is not really absorbing ,but this short possesses strong appeal for fans of Dean and Wood who would become legendary in Ray's movie .