Uncovered Video: Ronald Reagan and James Dean Star in 1954 Live Broadcast

The Atlantic: Today, it's an astonishing, even eerie, scene: the icon of modern American conservatism, whose rise to political prominence was galvanized by the cultural rebellion of the 1960s, fighting off an attack-at-gunpoint by the quintessential modern American rebel. But when "The Dark, Dark Hours" episode of General Electric Theater aired live from Hollywood on December 12, 1954, Ronald Reagan and James Dean were just two actors yet to find the roles that would define them.

No one has seen this episode in the decades since; the kinescope has been locked away, until now. My friend Wayne Federman, a writer for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, unearthed the broadcast, condensing it from its original 23 minutes (without commercials) into the six-minute version you see below. (Federman is planning a retrospective of Reagan's television career for next year's Reagan centennial.)

April 20, 2010 at 3:34 pm - The Atlantic
Dateline: Los Angeles, CA
sage   April 20th, 2010 - 3:44 pm

KILL HIM RONNIE!!

missy   April 20th, 2010 - 3:50 pm

Thank you for posting this. :)

I miss both of them so much.

martin   April 20th, 2010 - 4:04 pm

I am not sure what is up with the headline “Ronald Reagan and James Dean Star in 1954 Live Broadcast”… I am pretty sure both those guys aren’t live, they’re dead.

BTW- Criminals really dressed well in 1954. And I would love a robe like Ronnie’s

netster007x   April 20th, 2010 - 4:08 pm

Man Reagan is good!

hando72   April 20th, 2010 - 4:12 pm

Awesome find! REAGAN–now more than ever!!!!!

Guest   April 20th, 2010 - 4:14 pm

Thanks for the memories. Wonderful.
There are some others available online at
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22General%20Electric%20Theater%22

Neo-Progressivism is about 50 years old. In those short 5 decades GE (and America in general), went from wonderful shows such as these to the idiotic PMSNBC fakir, Jonathan Leibowitz
Once GE was a pro-American company, and Americans sat down and watched the G.E. Theater.
Now they watch porn and anti-American drivel. What happened?

God Bless America, Ronald Reagan and the rest of the old crowd. I bet they are a tad saddened by what’s happening down here. But there is always hope, Mr. President, always hope for the return of that Shining City on the Hill.

wilmac   April 20th, 2010 - 4:41 pm

it was surprising to see reagen involved with GE.,considering what they own n support now.,they own msnbc, cnbc, well nbc and all its leftest agenda, crony capitalism at its best..,so ya that part was a little troubling. but seeing the ole America, young an innocent n full of life,,does tug at the ole heart strings. thanks… ps i dont hold any ge stock.,an neither should you.

zacal   April 20th, 2010 - 4:44 pm

THEY WERE GREAT TOGETHER! JAMES DEAN LIVES!!!

all hype   April 20th, 2010 - 4:51 pm

A bad president and a even worse actor.

JUGH;DOBGN   April 20th, 2010 - 4:57 pm

Wow, Ronnie Regan before he went all senile in the ’80’s

Kenia Bravo   April 20th, 2010 - 4:59 pm

That was really very good. I wish I could have watched the entire thing (feels like this was cut). I had no idea Dean Martin (who I only saw in Rebel Without A Cause) was such a good actor.

Rhetorical Doc   April 20th, 2010 - 5:22 pm

What a great video! Wish Reagan were here now to save us from the new punk in town, the one in the WH,

minkxy   April 20th, 2010 - 5:27 pm

Thank you! Excellent !

Reagan was the best prez of 20th century

Synching   April 20th, 2010 - 5:34 pm

If you were lower middle class in the 80’s, Regan kinda blew

Whatwhatwhat   April 20th, 2010 - 6:35 pm

He’s dead. Let him be.

sage   April 20th, 2010 - 6:59 pm

Synching is a turd, I guess he dreams of the days when Carter was fisting the lower middle out of every penny they had, grow a brain turd you dont know what youre talking about.

NothingButTheTruth   April 20th, 2010 - 7:12 pm

Awesome find, thanks for the memories.

Kevin   April 20th, 2010 - 7:17 pm

James Dean was already typecast as the Rebel Without a cause, a desperado. He plays it here.

XKarenX   April 20th, 2010 - 7:51 pm

A very cool, intense 6 min. Anyone know the name of the cuh-razy, be-bopping dead guy? I couldn’t recognize him. It wasn’t Sidney Pollack was it? BTW, who knew James Dean could dance!

Alan   April 20th, 2010 - 8:27 pm

looks like the gun is in single action mode.
Breath on it and it goes off……….

bigScrotum   April 20th, 2010 - 9:22 pm

Nice, but Bedtime for Bonzo was the crowning height of his acting and intellectual skills.

BB   April 20th, 2010 - 10:03 pm

How’s that “War on Drugs” working out?

the devil himself   April 20th, 2010 - 10:13 pm

Now who said RR didnt have talent. I knew he could talk, walk and breath and where is his clown uniform?
His Alzheimer’s was evident then and this quasi actor was voted in by idiots for two terms.

His acting is indictative of the autroicious governing style that spawned hugh budget deficits.

Cerebral void, bungle headed bush and RR must have both graduated from the same U and shared the same class of ‘near total decimation of America 101′.

Mike in Seattle   April 20th, 2010 - 10:24 pm

For a couple seconds there, it felt like Ron came back and was slapping obama around.

JoeTulsa   April 20th, 2010 - 10:31 pm

I tried to imagine Rahm Immanuel in the James Dean role.

Rocky   April 20th, 2010 - 10:32 pm

@ all hype……..Your mother was a far better performer, ask anyone.

chuckmyd   April 20th, 2010 - 11:17 pm

Gipper, we could sure use you now.

hypocrites   April 20th, 2010 - 11:17 pm

No wonder we suffered for eight yrs under the dumb Repubs.

One can see how easily the drones are led by the nose and controlled by puppeteers on the air waves and TV media hacks if they accept that trite as legitimate acting.

They will settle for anything. Be afraid, America, be very afraid.

happy   April 20th, 2010 - 11:36 pm

Loved seeing this. God Bless them both. And Thank you.

Calvin&Hobbes   April 20th, 2010 - 11:37 pm

Ronald Reagan was the greatest American President in my lifetime.

Reagan was a real man; not a metrosexual Community Organizer from Chicagoland.

Calvin&Hobbes   April 20th, 2010 - 11:42 pm

Ronald Reagan was the Greatest President in my lifetime.

Ronald Reagan was a real man; not some metrosexual community organizer from Chicagoland.

hypocrites   April 21st, 2010 - 12:56 am

i would also like to add that I make love to goats, but then they never call me back.

Q   April 21st, 2010 - 1:28 am

Wow! Back in the day, the doctor could hold shop right there in his house. I also found it amazing while the guy was on the table dying, his friend was dancing like nothing bad happened. And the friend was the bad guy! Wow, have we changed. I rather go back.

BTW, all those who mock Reagan, what have you done?

hypocrites   April 21st, 2010 - 8:03 am

@ hypocrites II

@ Q–I can tell you what I haven’t done–saddled our country with a gazillion budget deficit.

Goes to show there’s not a lick’s worth of difference in that ultra talented RR and ultra cerebral void-bush

testicular man   April 21st, 2010 - 8:57 am

A classic example of James Dean playing the punk Obama, who uses the presidency like a gun. It takes a man like Reagan to put the cowardly Obama is in place!

Ki   April 21st, 2010 - 1:45 pm

Dead or crazy, he still had more class and honor than you little pups.

entertainmentbuff   April 21st, 2010 - 8:48 pm

I hope GE/WhoeverOwnsThemNow going to offer the whole GE Theater collection on DVD???????

itsjustme   April 21st, 2010 - 9:43 pm

Thank you for posting this, I appreciate it! I miss them both, especially President Reagan.

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