Okay, this is an odd addition to the Elvis tribute, but this is how this 50's-centric scrapbook starts. If you need further justification, Elvis was a fan of James Dean. When Elvis became an actor, he looked to Dean as a model. Many critics and fans hoped that Elvis might fill the void Dean left behind with his untimely death. Some of Elvis' first roles played him up as a rebel, but it didn't work out.
Dean was idolized by teen girls and emulated by teen boys like Elvis, but adults actually respected Dean for his acting ability. Elvis was just a sideshow act having an epileptic fit while singing some weird rock-a-Billy variant. While Elvis desired to be a serious actor, trying to pass him off as a clone of James Dean only worked to the extant that Elvis was trying to act like him. His attempt would have been laughed off-screen, except for his immense singing popularity and that Dean had passed away.
After Elvis got back from the Army, he finally had an appeal to adults. A bit more mature, his movie roles now went towards making him more family acceptable. Some critics thought Elvis could have been a good dramatic actor based on his earlier performances, but that might have been more wishful thinking for a substitute for the lost legacy of James Dean. I think Elvis needed to find his own acting style for parts, rather than trying to be someone else or being shoved into a mold by poor marketing. We'll never know.
Mom had several Elvis movies on VHS and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. The Rebel video was a Saturday night Jay's Picks showing and included Jay's commentary on the film. I watched it. Wow, is it an intensely depressing movie. Dean's performance is certainly iconic, but I wanted therapy afterward. Of the Elvis movies, my favorite was Elvis on Tour, the concert film. I transferred that one and a couple of others to a digital format to preserve them. (One thing I never found; I'm sure mom had recorded the Young Elvis TV show from the 90's.) See, this is still an Elvis post.
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