A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  8f, 1m

Ed Graczyk

When a group of fans called the “Disciples of James Dean” gather for their 20th reunion in a small-town dime store in West Texas, congenial reminiscences, mingled with flashbacks, lead to passionate confrontations.

Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    8f, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

In a small-town dime store in West Texas, the “Disciples of James Dean” gather for their 20th reunion. Now middle-aged women, they were teenagers when Dean filmed Giant two decades ago in nearby Marfa. One of them, an extra in the film, has a child whom she says was conceived with Dean during the shoot. The ladies’ congenial reminiscences mingle with flashbacks to their youth; then the arrival of a stunning-but-familiar stranger sets off a series of confrontations that smash their delusions and expose bitter disappointments.

History
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean was first produced by Players Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, in September 1976. The production was directed by the author. The play then made its professional premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 1977, directed by Fred Chappell, starring Dana Ivey and Fannie Flagg. The Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on February 18, 1982, and was directed by renowned filmmaker Robert Altman, starring Cher, Kathy Bates, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period 1970s
  • Setting

    A nickel-and-dime in a small West Texas town. September 1975 and 1955.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“A work of amazing dramatic power... ingenious, shocking... The best play I have seen in years.” – Gannett Newspapers

“Full of homespun humor [and]... surefire comic gems.” – New York Post

“A challenging piece of theatre.” – The London Standard

“Captures convincingly the atmosphere of the 1950s.” – WWD

“A work of amazing dramatic power... ingenious, shocking... funny, brimming with pathos, wise and full of wonder at the sometimes sinister tricks of life. The best play I have seen in years.” – Gannett Newspapers

Licensing & Materials

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Authors

Ed Graczyk

Ed Graczyk

Ed Graczyk is probably best known as the author of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. The play was produced on Broadway in 1982, directed by Robert Altman with a cast that included Sandy Dennis, Cher, Karen Black and Kathy Bates. It has been translated into ei ...

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