| Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Ed Graczyk |
| Characters | Juanita Sissy Mona Joe Sue Ellen Stella May Edna Louise Martha Alice Ann Clarissa Joanne |
| Date premiered | September 1976[1] |
| Place premiered | Players' Theater, Columbus, Ohio[1] |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Setting | A five-and-dime store in Texas, 1955 and 1975 |
| IBDB profile | |
Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is a 1976 play by Ed Graczyk, originally performed at the Players' Theater in Columbus, Ohio. The play revolves around a James Dean fan club that reunites at a Texas five-and-dime store.
In 1982, filmmaker Robert Altman directed both a Broadway version at the Martin Beck Theater[2] and a film adaptation of the same name. Altman's version of the play was not well-received with critics at the time.[3]:89
Contents |
In Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, an all-female fan club called the Disciples of James Dean meets at a Woolworths five-and-dime branch in McCarthy, Texas.[1] The group reunites in 1975 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Dean's death. (In 1955, the actor was filming Giant in Marfa, not far from where the store stands.)[2]
| Name | Character | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sudie Bond | Juanita | [2] |
| Cher | Sissy | |
| Sandy Dennis | Mona | |
| Mark Patton | Joe | |
| Gena Ramsel | Sue Ellen | |
| Kathy Bates | Stella May | |
| Marta Heflin | Edna Louise | |
| Ann Risley | Martha | |
| Dianne Turley Travis | Alice Ann | |
| Ruth Miller | Clarissa | |
| Karen Black | Joanne |
Ed Graczyk originally wrote and directed Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean for the Players' Theater in Columbus, Ohio, which also produced it.[1] At the time of the Ohio production, he said of its development:
| “ | The inspiration for Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean came many years ago during my five year association with the Midland Community Theatre in west Texas. While I was there I had the opportunity to visit Marfa, the site used by Warner Bros. in filming Giant. The only remaining evidence of the film was the facade of the mansion [that] Reata[nb 1] used to film the on-location scenes, now crumbling and supported by six telephone poles. It was the memory of that site, the pace of the people and the vivid recollection of the '50s idol James Dean on the youth of the period that resulted in the writing of this play.[4] | ” |
Jimmy Dean had a short run in New York City in 1980.[5] Early that same decade, while turning his attention from Hollywood to the stage, filmmaker Robert Altman acquired the rights to Graczyk's work.[3]:89 While securing options on another two works—The Hold-Up by Marsha Norman and The Diviners by Jim Leonard—he negotiated to direct Jimmy Dean on Broadway,[6]:126 with the intention to film it as a theatrical release.[nb 2] He also spent US$850,000 of his own money bringing it to Broadway.[3]:90[7]:26
During the casting process, Altman considered a role for Shelley Duvall, a star of his previous film Popeye. But, in his words, "the balance wasn't correct" this time around. Altman found out that pop singer Cher was in New York at the time, but he did not feel sure she would land a part. "If you're really serious," he advised her, "read for it." Thanks to his encouragement, she landed the part of the waitress Sissy—her first major role on stage.[6]:129–130[7]:26 Another of the performers, Karen Black, previously appeared in Altman's 1975 film Nashville.[7]:26
The first Broadway preview of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean took place on February 8, 1982.[7] Between February 18 and April 4, 1982, it ran for 52 performances at the Martin Beck Theater,[8] before closing at author Graczyk's request.[6]:129 Some time later, Altman directed a film adaptation of the same name, which went on to win the Best Film Award at the Chicago International Film Festival.[9]
The Broadway version of Jimmy Dean was not well-received with critics.[3]:89 The New York Times' Frank Rich commented that "Neither the gimmicky plot nor its cliched participants are credible."[2] John Simon of New York Magazine wrote, "Although the play becomes a little less boring in the second act, it is too little too late, and at the cost of some whopping improbabilities. Hit-and-miss directorial bravura and an expensive production are not enough to justify so much ado."[10]