Live Fast, Die Young:
The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause
Rebel Without a Cause Production Timeline
Wednesday, March 30, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Jim (James Dean) and Plato (Sal Mineo) on planetarium balcony look at mansion; Buzz (Corey Allen) and gang come down driveway; Buzz punctures tire. Black and white.
Thursday, March 31, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Knife fight. Two cameras. Black and white.
Friday, April 1, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Arrival at planetarium; Kids exiting planetarium; Jim and Plato after fight. Black and white.
Saturday, April 2, 1955
Switch to Color. Santa Monica High School. Jim and kids entering school; Flag raising; Jim at trophy display; Kids getting into bus to go to planetarium; Jim talks to Judy (Natalie Wood).
Monday, April 4, 1955
Santa Monica High School. Jim steps on plaque on high school's front steps; Plato sees Jim while standing in front of his locker. Jim enters girl's rest room by mistake.
Tuesday, April 5, 1955
Santa Monica High School. Inserts of flag, clock, cannon; Buzz and Jim arriving in cars. Precinct station. Warner soundstage. Jim brought into the police station. Judy's crying scene. Jim plays with Mexican kids.
Wednesday, April 6, 1955
Precinct station. Warner soundstage. Jim talks to Plato; Jim's mother (Ann Doran), father (Jim Backus), grandmother (Virginia Brissac) arrive; Jim at shoeshine stand.
Thursday, April 7, 1955
Precinct station. Warner soundstage. Plato interviewed by policeman; Jim talks to Plato through glass; Jim's family outside Ray's office.
Friday, April 8, 1955
Precinct station. Warner soundstage. Jim at sergeant's desk; Jim finds Judy's compact; Insert of compact; Jim and parents argue.
Saturday, April 9, 1955
Precinct station. Warner soundstage. Jim looks through peephole at parents; Buzz's group enters station; Jim enters station after chickie run looking for Ray.
Monday, April 11, 1955 (Easter Monday)
Griffith Observatory. Jim drives up to planetarium; Jim enters planetarium and looks for seat. Corey Allen and Dennis Hopper disappear from set; shooting halted.
Tuesday, April 12, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Buzz, Judy, Goon look at Jim; Students watching show; Jim looks at projector, enters and exits theater.
Wednesday, April 13, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Lecturer, Jim and Plato in Planetarium; Buzz and gang exit and talk about Jim; Jim and Plato on balcony.
Thursday, April 14, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Pre-knife fight scenes without Jim. James Dean calls in sick.
Friday, April 14, 1955
Judy's Home Interior. Warner soundstage. Judy's family at the dinner table. Father slaps Judy.
Saturday, April 16, 1955
Getty Mansion. Plato fights with gang in pool.
Monday, April 18, 1955
Getty Mansion. Jim breaks into mansion; Crunch, Goon enter; Plato hides under the piano. Plato fights with gang in pool; Crunch is shot; Goon jumps off the diving board.
Tuesday, April 19, 1955
Getty Mansion. Crunch falls downstairs after being shot; Plato fights off gang with hose; Jim, Judy and Plato explore the garden.
Wednesday, April 20, 1955
Getty Mansion. Jim, Judy and Plato talk in the gazebo.
Thursday, April 21, 1955
Getty Mansion. Plato runs into living room and hides under piano, fires at Crunch; Jim and Judy begin love scene in the library.
Friday, April 22, 1955
Precinct Station. Warner soundstage. Jim in Ray's office. Jim hits desk. Dean injures hand. Judy's Home. Warner soundstage. Judy slams door, phone rings and father answers.
Saturday, April 23, 1955
Getty Mansion. Jim and Judy's love scene in the library; Crunch finds Plato in the gazebo; Plato fights off the gang at the pool.
Monday, April 25, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Buzz's gang jitterbugs around the Foucault pendulum (cut from film).
Tuesday, April 26, 1955
Jim's House, Lower Floor. Warner soundstage. Jim has breakfast with family.
Wednesday, April 27, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Re-shoots of the knife fight.
Thursday, April 28, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Re-shoots of the knife fight.
Friday, April 29, 1955
Jim's Home. Lower Floor. Warner soundstage. Jim hears father drop dinner tray Jim's Home. Upper Floor. Warner soundstage. Jim finds father in apron kneeling on the floor.
Saturday, April 30, 1955
Plato's House Exterior. Warner backlot. Gang attacks Plato at his house; Plato runs out of house. Plato's House Interior. Warner soundstage. Plato finds gun under the pillow.
Monday, May 2, 1955
Judy's Bedroom. Warner soundstage. Judy in bed. Jim's House Exterior. Warner backlot. Jim's father finds chicken hanging on door. Jim's Bedroom. Warner soundstage. Jim enters bedroom and collapses on chair.
Tuesday, May 3, 1955
Jim's House Interior. Warner soundstage. Jim and father talk as he picks up dinner tray; Jim and father talk in bedroom.
Wednesday, May 4, 1955
Jim's House Interior. Warner soundstage. Jim and parents argue at the bottom of the stairs; Jim on couch.
Thursday, May 5, 1955
Jim's House Interior. Warner soundstage. Jim grabs father and pulls across room; Jim kicks picture of grandmother.
Friday, May 6, 1955
Jim's House Interior. Warner soundstage. Jim sees mother coming down the stairs (shot with and without 180-degree turn); Jim and parents argue at the bottom of the stairs. Jim's House Exterior. Warner backlot Plato and Jim's father in Jim's backyard Moose's Car. Interior. Warner soundstage (process shot). Crunch , Moose and Goon in car. Judy's Backyard. Warner soundstage. Judy looks at moon.
Saturday, May 7, 1955
Edge of the Woods. Warner soundstage. Jim and Judy run through the woods to the Planetarium.
Monday, May 9, 1955
Jim and Judy's Backyard/Alley. Baldwin Hills. Jim and Judy talk before going to school; car with the gang pulls up.
Tuesday, May 10, 1955
The "24-Hour Day." Jim and Judy's Backyard/Alley. Baldwin Hills. Jim and Plato talk after the chickie run in front of Jim's garage. Lonely Street. Hollywood. Opening sequence (cut from film); Kids stomp man. Jim plays with monkey. Shooting stretches from 8:15 A.M. to 4:15 A.M.
Wednesday, May 11, 1955
Jim and Judy's Backyard/Alley. Baldwin Hills. Judy's father sings a song to her on the porch (cut from film), Jim, Judy, Plato drive up in Jim's car; Jim gives Judy her compact and says, "You want to see a monkey?"
Thursday, May 12, 1955
Jim and Judy's Backyard/Alley. Baldwin Hills. Judy sits on wall, Plato drives up on scooter, the two fathers talk, Moose's car, police car drive up alley.
Friday, May 13, 1955
Plateau. Warner Ranch. Jim drives up in his 1949 Mercury; Judy gives the signal to start the chickie run; Jim, Judy, Plato exit in Jim's car.
Saturday, May 14, 1955
Deserted Mansion Interior. Warner soundstage. Insert of red and blue socks. Plateau. Warner Ranch. Judy and Buzz at Buzz's car; close-ups of Judy giving the signal to start the chickie run; Jim and Buzz race past Judy in their cars; Jim and Buzz go to edge of cliff. 2 Cameras. Cars go over cliff; crowd runs to edge then to cars. 3 cameras.
Monday, May 16, 1955
Precinct Station. Warner soundstage. Jim talks to Ray in his office. Griffith Observatory. Night. Plato runs up to planetarium; Jim runs up to planetarium; Officer talks to Plato at the door of the planetarium; Jim talks to Ray; Jim's father talks to Ray; Plato's nanny arrives at planetarium.
Tuesday, May 17, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Plato runs out of planetarium; Jim talks to Ray; Jim and Judy hide in the bushes; police cars and taxi pull up. Bluff. Palos Verdes (second unit). Cars plunging off cliff at the chickie run.
Wednesday, May 18, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Plato enters planetarium; Jim and Judy enter planetarium; Plato runs up to dome; Plato is shot on roof of planetarium.
Thursday, May 19, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Ray talks to Jim; Jim yells "I got the bullets!"; Jim leans over Plato on stretcher; father leads Jim away.
Friday, May 20, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Jim and Plato talk inside planetarium; Plato fires at officer; Jim and Judy enter planetarium lobby.
Saturday, May 21, 1955
Plateau. Warner soundstage. Plato and Judy stand at Buzz's car; Buzz turns spotlight on Jim; Jim and Buzz back cars to starting point for chickie run; Plato watches chickie run, Jim and Buzz stand at the edge of the cliff; crowd looks over cliff after Buzz crashes; Jim jumps out of car.
Monday, May 23, 1955
Plateau. Warner soundstage.Jim and Buzz at the edge of the cliff; Jim and Judy at the edge of cliff; gang at the edge of the cliff; Jim leads Judy away; Jim's and Buzz's Cars. Warner soundstage (process shot). Buzz's sleeve gets caught on car door; Jim jumps out of car. Precinct Station. Warner backlot. Jim goes up steps to precinct station and encounters Moose, Goon, and Crunch; Ray's Car. Warner soundstage (process shot). Jim's parents ride to planetarium in Ray's car. Lonely Street. Warner soundstage. Buzz sits on fence.
Tuesday, May 24, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Plato runs out and is shot; Jim talks to Ray at the door of the planetarium; Jim grabs for Plato as he runs out of planetarium; Plato's body taken away; Jim kneels by Plato's side; Boom shot of everyone exiting as man (Nicholas Ray) walks up steps of planetarium.
Thursday, May 25, 1955
Griffith Observatory. Jim zips Plato's jacket as he lies on stretcher; Plato's nanny leans over his body. Buzz's Car. Warner soundstage (process shot). Buzz plunges into ocean at end of chickie run; Buzz and Jim in cars during chickie run. Police Car Interior. Warner soundstage (process shot). Police talk on radio. Jim and Judy's Backyard/alley. Warner soundstage. Jim gets out of car sits on grass alongside Judy; Jim turns off radio.
Friday, May 26, 1955
Jim and Judy's Backyard/alley. Warner soundstage. Jim in tree; Judy on wall; Jim sits by tree, talks to Judy; Planetarium. Warner soundstage. Jim introduces Judy to parents; Jim kneels at top of stairs; Plateau. Warner soundstage. Judy looks over cliff's edge; Buzz and Jim at edge of cliff; Deserted Mansion. Warner soundstage Close-up of Jim and Judy's love scene; Planetarium. Warner soundstage. Jim hands jacket to Plato, takes gun and removes clip; Buzz's Car. Warner soundstage (insert). Buzz's sleeve gets caught on door during chickie run. Production wraps at 2:45 A.M.
Credits: All information comes from the "Production Camera Progress Reports," Files on Rebel Without a Cause, Warner Bros. Archives, Cinema Television Library, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
