I still say his best work was with sausage: "Rebel Without a Cause"

Wait ... James Dean and Jimmy Dean aren't the same person? Who knew?

(Just saw on IMDB that they're cousins, though. Now that's a surprise.)

Here's another movie I should have seen before this week -- both because it's rumored to be a classic and because we've had it from NetFlix for about a month. What can I say? There have been a lot of Star Trek reruns on lately, and I'll fight any man who says Bill Shatner isn't the interstellar James Dean.

Ah yes, Dean ... the ultimate live-fast, die-young movie star. I mean, making three good movies and then biting it in a car crash before two of them open? Forget River Phoenix dropping dead at The Viper Room ... this is the quintessential "who knows what could've been" case. Of course, all that wistfulness and idolatry has a price. I couldn't stand Dean even before I'd seen any of his movies, I was so sick of the posters and other paraphernalia.

Of course, that didn't last, and eventually I buckled down and watched the movie that (a) most identify with him and (b) has the best title. Seriously, doesn't it seem tailor-made for those '50s-era titles that screamed across the screen? Another thing about "Rebel Without a Cause": It came out four weeks after Dean's death. I can't imagine how creepy that was, or how big the crowds were.

Dean plays Jim Stark, an unruly/misunderstood kid starting a new school after getting into trouble with police. Nothing serious, just general teen bitterness about his family. Jim says he doesn't want trouble, but he nevertheless gets tangled up with a gang and a girl (Natalie Wood). Meanwhile, an even more confused and forlorn boy (Sal Mineo) yearns to be Jim's friend. But being a teenager in L.A. ain't easy, and let's say not everyone makes it to the final credits.

Now more than 50 years old, "Rebel" probably deserves credit for showing the world what it's like to be a troubled kid. "The Blackboard Jungle," also released in 1955, is another. Both movies are hopelessly dated now, with the knife fight and guys playing chicken in cars in "Rebel" more cute than thrilling. ("Hey, maybe after it's over they can meet Potsie and Ralph Malph for malts!") "Rebel" also suffers a bit in retrospect by having Jim Backus as Jim's dad. Oh, he's a fine actor, but since 99.9 percent of the world now knows him as either Mr. Magoo or Thurston Howell III, he's even less of an authority figure than meant to be. That's saying something considering how emasculated his character in "Rebel" is.

Offsetting these drawbacks, however, is Dean, who sure seemed to be the real deal. Not so much as a teenager; he was 24 when this was made, and I wasn't sure he was supposed to be a high school student until he actually showed up at school. (Wood and Mineo were more convincing.) But his attitude and balance of raw emotion and brooding silence worked pretty well, and suggest he could have been something great if given the chance. Among actors of his era, you can definitely see Brando, who was his idol. As for today's crop, I couldn't shake the comparison to Brad Pitt. His eyebrows also reminded me a bit of Colin Farrell, but remember, we're talking about people who can act.

So yeah, watching "Rebel" makes it hard to deny that Dean burned bright and faded too soon. It's too bad that people are left mainly with the image of that red jacket. Then again, had Dean lived and found himself schlepping around on "The Love Boat" or "Hollywood Squares," would there still be all those posters?