Part-1, The Stuff of Legend James Dean's Final Ride (My Book&App "In Love With James Dean")

On February 15, 2009, all three of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers who dealt with James Dean on the day of his death-Officer Otie Hunter, who ticketed Dean for speeding, and Officers Ernie Tripke and Ronald Nelson, who investigated the fatal crash-participated and shared their memories of that fateful day in an SCVTV documentary titled The Stuff of Legend: James Dean's Final Ride, by Local film historian E.J. Stephens, co-produced by the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society.
Those who don't understand English, here's a written version.
deadwrite.wordpress.com/tag/j...

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

I have an eerie story to add to this well done little documentary -- something that has stayed with me and I expect always will. I lived in Paso Robles for a few years in the 1990's and have driven and negotiated the Hwy 41/46 intersection many times. What's more I never liked it. You have two highways converging in the middle of nowhere with vehicles traveling at high speeds and, at least at that time, little warning in the way of signage and equipment. All it takes is a slight lapse in attention at the wrong instant to create tragedy as in James Dean's case. The incident I encountered happened in either June or July, 1992 in EXACTLY the same place as the crash involving Mr. Dean. Not only was the crash site at the very spot, the accident itself was UNCANNILY like what is described at the end of this video. The differences are that in the awful scene my friend and I came upon it was the person in the position of Donald Turnupseed who was killed and lying there motionless on the road. He (a young man whose name I remember from the newspaper being Ryan Johnson from Porterville) was driving a motorcycle, parts of which were strewn all over the highway. We pulled over along with a few other vehicles. No law enforcement or medical personnel had arrived yet. The oncoming car, traveling west on 46 like James Dean was, made contact with the motorcycle seemingly in exactly the same manner as the collision between Dean and Turnupseed. The driver was a young woman who was sitting on the side of the road in obvious shock and grief with her face in her hands. I believe I heard her say, perhaps to herself, something like, "... he just turned ... I was going through ..." or words to that effect. My heart went out to her, and of course to the young man, clearly dead (zero movement). Hauntingly, my friend and I, journeying from Paso to Los Angeles area, had stopped in tiny Cholame (just uproad) and viewed the James Dean Memorial there literally a minute or two before driving up on what I have described. As I've said, it's an experience and visual one does not forget. Please drive safely, everyone, and God bless.

[@djangorheinhardt]

Very nice post with lovely sentiments .Our lives are a privilege not just a passing right ,and we should look after our selves and our loved ones .Take care everyone .

[@pinkrose5796]

If he had left a minute or so later from any of the spots he stopped at, he may not have been in an accident. Amazing how just a few seconds or minute can make the difference between life and death.

[@iceberg220]

Also, if he hadn't been pulled over for speeding he would've been way ahead, past the fatal intersection, when Turnupseed made the turn; every step of the way, all the stops he made placed him precisely, at that fatal moment; I guess, when it's your time to go, there's no escape

[@thedbcooperforum]

you can make that claim for anything, if he wasn't speeding he would of never been pulled over, if he didn't stop here, or there, or woke up late etc..

[@kathleendobens6648]

Really true story of a mans last days. Great documentary. He was a human being not just an actor.

[@ag4allgood]

Ironic that Dean made that public safety commercial about not speeding & the life you save might be his. Also Alec Guiness upon seeing " The Little Bastard " aka Porsche 550 saying he didn't like the car & if he drove it he'd be dead in a week ! Getting stopped for speeding by the Police Officer on the way. 3 strikes & your out in baseball.

[@flyingbob297]

He was a cool dude.

[@wolfpak8228]

Interesting interview with the officer

[@lukeallan8876]

If a man can bridge the gap between life & death. I mean if a man can live on after he's dead. Then maybe he was a great man. James dean words like it was written in stone. He's dead yet he's more popular today: than he ever was . R.I.P. James 💙 Dean ❤

[@vazz22]

This video mentions Santa Clarita, near Magic Mountain (Santa Clarita is where Paul Walker died also in a Porsche)

[@kathleendobens6648]

That's really interesting. Need for speed isn't safe your putting your life in danger.

[@SanDiegoHotRod]

Very cool the CHP guys were still around then. Hard to trust their memory when they say Jimmy's friends were towing his trailer with a pickup truck when we have photos of the station wagon towing his trailer. Have never seen a photo of the CHP at the scene with Jimmy. The CHP arrived 30 minutes after the crash and the ambulance was only a mile away at the Cholame garage where it was kept. I don't think the ambulance driver put Jimmy in the ambulance with his head covered if he was still alive. Take a look at my videos and see what you think.

[@chasam1234]

SanDiegoHotRod I’ve seen it agree 100%. Poor guy .. catastrophic impact !

[@rickker20]

If the cop does not stop him James would not have died.

[@fire1937]

Rick F cant fault a man for doing his job. If James wasn’t speeding he wouldn’t have gotten pulled over. If he hadn’t made so many stops on his trip that day he would’ve been ahead of the accident, if the car was ready the day before and he was able to brake the engine in and used the trailer.. we can go on and on. Sometimes your card just gets punched.

[@avtomatkalashnikova9388]

This is what we called life is life and death is death. When the time was coming, no matter what happens we plan or we can pull back time and create time at the scenario it will always ended with the same result.

[@spactick]

'if' he didn't buy the car he wouldn't have been there. 'if' he had taken the bus instead of driving that car he would have survived. 'if' he didn't get into acting he wouldn't have been on that road in California. the 'if's' can go on forever Rick F. Drivers back then (50's 60's) weren't exactly high end drivers and didn't have the experience of high speed driving on the turnpikes.

[@spactick]

exactamento Jeffy, the HP was doing his righteous duty giving him a ticket. He should have arrested him so that he could have spent the night in the 'cooler' contemplating his upcoming flicks

[@jamesalt7433]

If the cop Had detained James Dean for 10 more seconds he would not have died

[@neo-YoutubeStoleMyHandle]

It's...Hollyweird...

[@jetknight5051]

In my opinion the highway was deigned wrong. .for cars going left and the other side going straight it's a head on collision waiting to happen like it did. ... it should been designed with a over pass ramp or even a stop sign with a night flashing light. . something better then it was. ..

[@RustyX2010]

It was a road that was hardly used so I guess they didn't care how cars moved on it. Not like today where they have it all planned out on how traffic moves

[@johnhuber354]

Agreed.

[@jamest681]

The other vehicle was at fault for making a left turn in front of James Deans car which was going straight. But it was just a bad decision to be driving a small silver race car on regular roads. The car was made of aluminum and any impact would have been bad. Bad set of circumstances which led to Jimmy driving his race car at that time. He should have been sitting safely in the station wagon driving to the race with the car on the truck.

[@jacquelinescott3254]

I agree

[@jacquelinescott3254]

I agree with you I wish he drove in the other car it would have been safer.

[@windstorm1000]

The issue was that he wanted to put some miles on the car before the race and get a better feeling for it. A practical race decision but a very poor one for road safety obviously. It cost him his life and deprived us of further talent.

[@chasam1234]

Looked at from JD point.. he’s on top the world .. a seven picture contract worth $2m at the time .. a fortune back then . Gets his Car wow lets go .. who’d have done otherwise really ..destiny was waiting ifs and buts add up to zip . Unfortunately no airbags or rollbar and exposed from mid torso in that car .. his head was exactly in line with the headlight of the other car impact at possibly 80 plus mph !!! poor guy instantly killed his injuries were catastrophic the left side of his face took the hit .. injuries so bad they kept the casket closed at the funeral...not even today would you survive that impact . He had it in shitloads whatever it is ..it’s exclusively given by the big man . Comparable to Senna and Lee for such tragic loss. RIP JD 😘

[@frankgraham1996]

This is correct. That 550 spider was not built for a highway with two way traffic. The " FRIENDS" that surrounded Dean that day were not his friends. A real friend would have not let him drive the car to Salinas. I suspect some of his friends were jealous of Dean's success. Then again, Dean did what he wanted to do and did not like to be told what to do by anyone.

[@ldavis5734]

To think a quick pull of a headlight knob may have saved his life.

[@vice4134]

BS! Donald Turnupseed knew James Dean's car was in the way.

[@chasam1234]

His left side impacted on the Fords left side headlight

[@johniedebt6522]

Especially if you going run/get used to your car on public highway? They done forensic restudy of the crime scene which found James Dean was not speeding he's doing 55 or 60 the other car 55, if Google's telling you the truth?

[@wildswan66]

Gig Young, the actor who interviews James Dean, killed his wife and commited suicide in the late 70s.

[@nathanbell4292]

Woah 😯

[@Dnez44901]

Seriously?!

[@spactick]

gosh gee whiz, thanks so much for sharing that delightful bit of information on this totally upbeat story

[@carolynbrown3379]

😳

[@kathleendobens6648]

That's crazy

[@jonnyroy2008]

Why doesn't anybody ever talk about testimony of Cliff Horde (and his son), Tom Frederick, and John Robert White??? All were involved moments before the accident. Seconds before the fatal crash, Dean overtook and passed, at high speed, John Robert White's car (both were travelling west). And in the same manuever of passing White's car Dean ran Cliff Horde's car (travelling east) off the road and into a fence. Horde said he had to do this to avoid hitting Dean head-on in Horde's east-bound lane. Dean then pulled back into the west-bound lane and crashed with Turnupseed. There's also testimony from Tom Frederick who was just passing Turnupseed on the right, and at the time of the accident!

[@stephaniehachey4467]

James Dean was so handsome 😍

[@johnfair62]

If the cop didn't pull him over, Dean would not have been in the exact spot at that exact time. Fate had it written out for him.

[@andrewholt9332]

James Dean 1955 - Porsche spyder 550 - he wa stopped for speeding in a 55 mph limit, he was been Followed by a 1955 Ford County Squire Station wagon pulling a trailer ! Also just watched KZbin video - James Dean's Spyder...Found? SEE 22 seconds says Serial number of car 550-0055

[@jamest681]

Very Sad to see that opening interview with James Dean. 13 days later he killed by a driver left turning him.

[@touchyu2]

Dean’s 550 Porsche Spyder was stolen from a car trailer in the parking lot of a CA hotel and never seen again to this day. Who had or has it was never found out. Odd bacause the car had a very rare and valuable Porsche 4-cam engine that was new and a known engine number as well as the transmission number. It is surprising those major parts never resurfaced after some 68 years? There were only a few hundred of those engine ever built and nearly all still exist as they are worth abt $150,000+/-!

[@stevemccoy8138]

That intersection is not safe, people are still getting killed there.

[@stevep4574]

I thought they changed it?

[@stevemccoy8138]

@@stevep4574 It was slightly changed years ago, but is still very dangerous,due to the amount of traffic.

[@dennisschell5543]

Wasn't a pickup pulling the trailer, it was a '55 Ford Country Squire station wagon...

[@antoniograncino3506]

Righto. Good eye, mate

[@touchyu2]

I would guess this was produced by the Santa CLARA county as Salinas is in Santa Clara county and the race at the Airport where I flown in & out of numerous times had a plane hangered there.

[@edescastro2066]

Essas histórias é bom ouvir com legenda ..pena que nao aprendi inglês.

[@chasam1234]

You can read the autoposy report on line …..not pleasant at all ..remember that car had no roll bars...ouch

[@kathleendobens6648]

What's a roll bar?

[@chasam1234]

@@kathleendobens6648 modern cars have a anti toll system that should offer protection in the event the car flips ...in JD car only had breaks ...apparently his left side of his face took the brunt of the impact from the colliding with the the headlight on the left side of the ford clearly has the Porsche flipped JD had no protection from impact with the ground massive jaw fractures hopefully the initial impact was enough... violent death .. RIP

[@vice4134]

James Dean LIED that he'd never speed on the highway. LOL Of course, he'd speed on the highway! Jeez! But that's not the reason why he died. It was Donald Turnupseed's fault, making an impatient turn which he had no right of way.

[@nestorvilla3605]

Vice: When did James say that he had never sped on the freeway? James Dean wasn't speeding when the crash happened and of course was the other car fault, when it's going to turn left you must yield to the other car, that's what Donald Turnupseed didn't do, that was vehicular manslaughter, because Turnupseed said: "I didn't see him" then that's your fault, with those words Turnupseed blamed himself

[@vice4134]

@@nestorvilla3605, Didn't you see what James Dean said in that automotive safety commercial that he'd never sped on the highway??? Of course, we know that's BS. However, that's not the point. If you didn't watch that commercial, I'd suggest that you watch it first.

[@vice4134]

@@nestorvilla3605, As for the accident, of course it's Donald Turnupseed's fault. No doubt at all.

[@vice4134]

@@nestorvilla3605, As for speeding at the time of accident, it was said that JD sped up to get around Donald Turnupseed's vehicle, hoping he would stop, but that didn't happen. Assuming that came from JD's mechanic... did you know that his mechanic rode with him?

[@nestorvilla3605]

@@vice4134 : That isn't a commercial because it does not trade or sell, it's is a civic campaign, although I only remember the last thing that James Dean said "the life you save could be mine"

[@wolfpak8228]

Some times talk is just that

[@antoniograncino3506]

11:04 The young blond man in dark T-shirt and jeans standing with his hands in his pockets. is Donald Turnupseed.

[@djangorheinhardt]

No, that man is a Mr Dooley who was a witness to the the crash driving his own vehicle.He gave evidence at the inquest , of what he saw , several days later .

[@johnrawlins6147]

What about the two blokes who said dean wasn't driving

[@johniedebt6522]

I think it should be added that, restudy on the accident report proved that Dean's car 55-60mph🤔 dude's car 55mph. Pretty safe, seems a tad bit dangerous to me

[@pl5624]

106/107 mph....legend has up to 130 mph in the spyder.

[@georgechambless2719]

He was talking about the Porsche Speedster he had at the time. That was the white convertible. He didn't get the Spyder until a few days after filming the PSA. Speedsters would go 100-110 depending on the gearing, but the Spyders had the type 547 quad-cam engine which was much more powerful.

[@kathleendobens6648]

Why why why ? It's so sad.

[@Scorp308]

Where's Part 2?

[@sportsmediaamerica]

Eerie PSA!

[@TheMartinick]

Johnny Depp’s demeanor reminds me of Jimmy.

[@sonnyharrelson3897]

I will say this if no one will, Turnupseed may have been the car that caused the death but the person I believe was the reason was that cop that pulled him over for speeding, If that cop would not have pulled Dean over Dean would have been well pass the point where the crash happened when Turnupseed made his turn. Think about it, Yes Dean was speedcing, Yes he should have known better But that time spent on the side of the road getting that ticket was where death made its stamp on Dean. Just saying

[@Wixom2200]

Good pint. The ticket had pros and cons. Pushing that car to fast. Porsches get people killed. Too fast.

[@luisvaldes1568]

James Dean was still alive after the accident. First time I heard that. They where there.

[@lisag18]

Yes. He suffered

[@johnhuber354]

I Didn’t know He was Alive after The Accident Either.

[@crazy4277]

😎👍

[@orvil9223]

How does this guy say he was still breathing a half an hour after the accident when the guy following Turnupseed checked for a pulse immediately and said Dean didn't have one?

[@touchyu2]

65 years memories fade

[@saad9137191]

I saw the road he crashed in For my experience if u on the road and another road intersect to it with a car in the zone slow dawn and be alert until the other car go .., if there is no car in-site go 300km/hr its ok 👌

[@lebensbornguardianazis3907]

O carro 🚘s/parabrisa.no dia acidente😔

[@kirstinetermansen3227]

I would like to try travel with cattle

[@kerrycorum5756]

Your grammar some graphics remind me of hieroglyphs. Volume off, interesting.

[@neo-YoutubeStoleMyHandle]

According to Dean, it's ok to speed on the highways as long as you don't get caught...

[@wolfpak8228]

Bad driving habits have consequences

[@thenormalguy3765]

IT WAS THE FORD fault and the conductor of the ford dont see him beceaue the sun ?

[@kirstinetermansen3227]

Dont drive on alkohol

[@zorroalphonso4354]

James Dean left Blackwell's Corner at 5:30pm. He crashed in Cholame at 5:45pm. That means he covered almost 30 miles in 15 minutes!! Do the math. That is an AVERAGE speed of 120 mph! It is flat leaving Blackwell's but it is a long winding UPHILL drive over the hills to Cholame. If he just filled up with gas and had two grown men in the Porsche Spyder there is no way he was going uphill fully loaded at 120mph. But on the downhill side with a long straight away ahead of him in a car with a top speed of around 140 mph then 120 mph would be no problem! He had just told Bruce Kessler at Blackwell's he already had it over 120 mph on the trip up north. Mr. and Mrs. White testified they were doing around 65 mph when the Spyder blew past them like they were standing still just before the crash. Donald Turnupseed in the 1950 Ford had just overtaken some cars on his trip heading east. The Y intersection and Hwy. 41 is just a slight veer to the left with no stop signs or lights and no reason for Turnupseed to slow down much to make the turn. WORST case scenario: The Ford was doing 70 mph when it turned in front of Dean. The Spyder was doing top speed of 140 mph at the bottom of a long straight hill.

[@vinny4411]

Zorro Alphonso Dean was going around 65 at the time of impact Turnupseed about 55

[@johnstewart6366]

Turnipseed should have been charged with colliding, and failure to yield right-of-way, with both citations indicating that these violations led to a collision involving a fatality.

[@windstorm1000]

@@vinny4411 no. Look at the math and the time.

[@johnnersinger9771]

@@vinny4411 dean probably braked from 120 to 65 before impact

[@susangavaghan]

James Dean came across as a tortured and misunderstood soul; an outsider looking for a place to fit in and be valued and loved. The fact that this man, a talented, successful and handsome actor went to watch bullfights doesn't quite fit with this persona. Bullfighting is not a fight at all, but the ritual torture killing of a frightened creature by a group of thugs.Bulls are tortured 2 days prior to the fight. They are kept in a dark boxes for 2 day to disorientate them; vaseline is smeared in their eyes to half blind them, they are fed laxatives and salt water to dehydrate them, pins are stuck in their genitals and their bones are broken. When they enter the ring they think their ordeal is over and they are running to freedom - instead face a jeering crowd, baying for their blood. Men on horseback named picadors plunge spears into their neck muscles to weaken them. Then men plunge baderillas (brightly coloures spears) into them. The matador kills the bull at the end by stabbing him in the neck - the bull vomits blood. The dead bull is dragged away by horses. Horses enter the bullrings pouring with sweat and trembling with fear. They are blindfolded, cotton wool is stuffed in their ears and noses and their vocal chords are cut so they are unable to scream in pain if they are gored. They are deprived of all their senses. Horses are often gored by the bull; their are times when their intestines fall out of their stomachs and hang around their legs. Their intestines are crudely stitched back in. Horses in bullrings are old and have come to the end of their working lives; their reward for serving man faithfully and uncomplainingly is to end their days in the bullring. Bulls are not aggressive creatures and only fight back because they have been tortured. I believe that any person who can take pleasure in watching such groteque cruelty must have something seriously mentally wrong with them. It is ironic that Mr Dean died a horrific death in the car accident, his body broken and bloody. An end similar to that of the bulls he watched getting killed. Dean did not die immedately so would no doubt have suffered before he did die. I can't say that I feel sorry for this man. Donald Turnupseed did not intentionally kill Dean - the bulls are intentionally tortured and killed by matadors. I believe in the afterlife Dean came face to face with the bulls he watched being tortured and killed and came face to face with the pain he caused.

[@karenforbes2272]

susangavaghan - Thank you for enlightening me on this subject I always felt horrible for the bulls and this explains a lot.

[@CarlosCastillo-mw1zu]

Lmao save it for English 101.” How do bulks and James dean relate and differ”

[@lindajenkins8901]

WHAT

[@Dnez44901]

Why you keep posting this?! Nobody cares! How did he cause this for the bulls?? Ignorant.

[@sharonzimmerman5558]

Susangavaghan.... since you seem to feel the need to repeat this same post on so many tribute sites, I will continue to reply, simply because James Dean isn't here to defend himself and your post is way too harsh considering this is a person you never knew, nor do you know anything about. Please do some research about Dean before posting things like this.