LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2008 April Music & Entertainment #688  / 

31339

James Dean's Screen-Worn Watch from East of Eden

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia / Movie - Memorabilia Start Price:43,750.00 USD Estimated At:60,000.00 - 90,000.00 USD
James Dean's Screen-Worn Watch from East of Eden
<B>James Dean's "Lucky" Screen-Worn Pocket Watch from <I>East of Eden</B></I>.</B></I> Heritage is proud to offer the lucky charm to which James Dean attributed his success. When Dean made his debut starring appearance on the movie screens of America in <I>East of Eden</B></I> he insisted on wearing his lucky pocket watch. Dean purchased the watch in late 1951, as a struggling young actor in New York. It was his first big purchase and he was proud of it -- he had his initials engraved on the cover of the watch, and carried it in his pocket for luck while working in TV and plays. Within two-and-a-half years Dean was spotted and called to Hollywood to meet the author of <I>East of Eden,</B></I> John Steinbeck.<BR><BR> Upon Dean's arrival in Los Angeles, he visited his estranged father. Afraid his son would lose his lucky watch, his father gave him his own gold watch chain. Dean wore the watch throughout the filming of <I>East of Eden</B></I> despite director Elia Kazan's protests. Not only did Dean attribute his success to the watch, but it linked him to his father. His insistence would finally cause Kazan to relent and allow him to wear the watch, though he held firm that Dean's engraved initials be covered in close-ups. Dean's performance in the film would earn him his first of two posthumous Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globes.<BR><BR> His lucky watch had worked -- Dean was a star. Dean gifted his lucky watch before his fatal car crash to a woman named Tillie Starriet, though he kept his father's chain. Dean bonded with Tillie from the beginning of his film career in L.A. Tillie, a Warner Bros. employee, was older than Dean and acted as surrogate mother for the young 23-year-old actor and was the only person Dean would allow to prepare his hair for <I>East of Eden</B></I> and <I>Rebel Without a Cause.</B></I> Her letter of authenticity attests to their closeness, including last seeing him the day Dean was killed.<BR><BR> Other young actors capitalized on Dean's rebel image, further pushing the groundswell of rebellion that boiled over from the '50s into the '60s. No one could have known then the extent to which this unique young man's persona would affect the progression of our modern culture. As John Lennon said: "Without James Dean, the Beatles would have never existed."<BR><BR> The time on Dean's watch is still set at 5:43, the time Dean lost his life in the tragic car crash. It was most likely set by Tillie Starriet in memory of Dean. Tillie cherished the watch until near the end of her life when, at age 76, she decided to pass it along for future generations. Over the years, Dean's family had wondered where the famous screen-worn watch had wound up; not until the present corporate owners of the watch contacted them, in 2001, were they made aware of its location.<BR><BR> This piece of timeless movie history brings with it an impeccable, well-documented provenance including a letter of authenticity from Tillie Starriet and formal procurement documentation from the present owner. The piece is presented in a stunning 49" x 62" display case, attached to a pair of pants similar to those he wore in <I>East of Eden,</B></I> and includes three breathtaking backlit images of Dean wearing his lucky watch. The gold-filled piece measures approximately 37mm in width and was manufactured by Standard Watch Co. (retailed in New York) which appears on the porcelain dial, with an Elgin movement, serial number 3071580. The back of the watch is detailed in a machined spiral pattern, with no markings or engraving.<BR><BR> Being as it was, so close and dear to Dean, this watch is as much an American cinematic and cultural treasure as one can find, the ultimate collectible of the 1950s. In overall Very Fine condition with minor scratches to case and eight hairline cracks to the dial. <I>Accompanied by LOA from Tillie Starriet, extensive provenance research, related correspondence records, additional photos of Dean wearing the watch, and formal procurement documentation from present owner.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Smal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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