History Trivia / RebelWithoutACause

* The movie pushed the 1949-50 Mercury from just another used car into one of the most popular customizing platforms of the mid/late '50s.

* TheRedStapler: T-shirt sales soared after Creator/JamesDean wore one in this film.

* WordOfGay: Plato is supposed to be gay (his actor Sal Mineo was bisexual), but the censors at the time wouldn't let them say it, so it's only implied. Creator/NicholasRay ([[BiTheWay himself a bisexual]]) confirmed that Plato was gay in later interviews. He and Creator/JamesDean told Creator/SalMineo to "look at Jim like Natalie does".

* CastTheExpert: One of the gang members is Frank Mazzola, a real life teen gang member. Creator/NicholasRay hired him as a research consultant. As a result of his exposure in the film industry, Mazzola became interested in film-making and later found fame as a film editor.

** ''Rebel'' was originally supposed to be in black-and-white. The decision to shoot the film in color meant less pay for extras which, is why there were few of them in the knife fight scene.

** Rod Cameron, Creator/WalterMatthau and [[Series/PerryMason Raymond Burr]] were considered for Jim's father.
** James Whitmore, Peter Gray, Richard Crane, [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman George Reeves]] and Walter Reed were considered for the role of Ray Framek.
** In 2010, a 'New York Times' article about Creator/NicholasRay's widow Susan said she had in her archives an original, unused treatment for "Rebel" in which the ending was very different: Plato was going to shoot Jim and then blow himself up with a grenade. But another Times report in 2011, says the archive contains a Ray storyboard which shows it's Plato himself who is shot from the top of the planetarium. (A treatment is a preliminary synopsis of the story for a proposed movie that either gets written before the script is started [as in this case] or afterward so that executives at a potential producer's or investor's company won't have to read the whole script.)

* RevisedEnding: An alternative ending was shot in which Plato falls from the tower of the planetarium.

* RetroactiveRecognition: A young Creator/DennisHopper plays a gang member named Goon.

* CastTheExpert: One of the gang members is Frank Mazzola, a real life teen gang member. Nicholas Ray hired him as a research consultant. As a result of his exposure in the film industry, Mazzola became interested in film-making and later found fame as a film editor.
* CreatorCameo: Creator/NicholasRay is the doctor who appears at the end.

* ActorAllusion: In one scene, Jim Stark mutters at his father (played by Jim Backus) in a WesternAnimation/MrMagoo-like voice. (Backus being, of course, the voice of Magoo.)

* CastTheExpert: One of the gang members if Frank Mazzola, a real life teen gang member. Nicholas Ray hired him as a research consultant. As a result of his exposure in the film industry, Mazzola became interested in film-making and later found fame as a film editor.

* RealitySubtext: Creator/NicholasRay's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Creator/GloriaGrahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his 13 year old son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIncest, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''. Despite his father's attempts to rehabilitate their relationship, Anthony Ray ''married'' Gloria Grahame in 1958 and had two children with her. Grahame also had a child with Nick Ray. RealityIsUnrealistic folks. [[/note]].

* ThrowItIn: The part where Jim and Judy find Plato wearing one blue sock and one red sock was not scripted. Sal Mineo actually put them on that way by mistake.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: ''Rebel'' was originally supposed to be in black-and-white. The decision to shoot the film in color meant less pay for extras which, is why there were few of them in the knife fight scene.
** Creator/MarlonBrando did a screen test for the part of Jim in 1947, when Warner Bros. first considered making a film based on the nonfiction book. Nothing came of it, however, and when production finally got underway with a re-written script a few years later, Brando (who by that point was likely seen as too old and too much a "name" star for the role) was never considered.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[Series/GetSmart The Chief]] is the juvenile officer.
** [[Series/GilligansIsland Thurston Howell III]] is Jim's dad.

* RealitySubtext: Ray's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Creator/GloriaGrahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his 13 year old son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIncest, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''. Despite his father's attempts to rehabilitate their relationship, Anthony Ray ''married'' Gloria Grahame in 1958 and had two children with her. Grahame also had a child with Nick Ray. RealityIsUnrealistic folks. [[/note]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: A young Creator/DennisHopper plays a gang member named Noon.

** James Dean played Cal [[SignificantAnagram Trask]] in ''Film/EastOfEden''.

* TheDanza: James Dean plays James "Jim" Stark.
* DawsonCasting: Mineo and Wood are the right age; Dean is 24 and looks it, enough that his romances with the other two feel a bit {{squick}}y.

* RomanceOnTheSet: The film's set was kind of legendary for all kinds of wild stories. Dennis Hopper and Natalie Wood were engaged in a relationship, yet Natalie Wood also hooked up with director Nicholas Ray, who also engaged in a relationship with Sal Mineo.

* WordOfGay: Plato is supposed to be gay (his actor Sal Mineo was bisexual), but the censors at the time wouldn't let them say it, so it's only implied. Creator/NicholasRay ([[BiTheWay himself a bisexual]]) confirmed that Plato was gay in later interviews. He and James Dean told Sal Mineo to "look at Jim like Natalie does".

* RealitySubtext: Ray's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Gloria Grahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his 13 year old son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIncest, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''. Despite his father's attempts to rehabilitate their relationship, Anthony Ray ''married'' Gloria Grahame in 1958 and had two children with her. Grahame also had a child with Nick Ray. RealityIsUnrealistic folks. [[/note]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: Keep an eye out for an eighteen-year-old Creator/DennisHopper.
** And Ray Fremick is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief]].
*** Don't forget Frank Stark is [[Series/GilligansIsland Thurston Howell III]].

* RealitySubtext: Ray's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Gloria Grahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIncest, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''. Despite his father's attempts to rehabilitate their relationship, Anthony Ray ''married'' Gloria Grahame in 1958 and had two children with her. Grahame also had a child with Nick Ray. RealityIsUnrealistic folks. [[/note]].

* RealitySubtext: Ray's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Gloria Grahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIncest, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''[[/note]].

* RealitySubtext: Ray's interest in generation gap came out of a spectacular personal trauma. He had been married twice before and had a son from his first marriage and had a terrible second marriage with actress Gloria Grahame. Then one day, he arrived home and found out that Gloria Grahame [[OedipalComplex was engaged in an affair with his son]] from his first marriage. Ray [[BrainBleach understandably flipped out]] and after the inevitable divorce, Ray felt guilty about the entire stiuation and a lot of the themes of the film (the ParentalIntext, sexual confusion, generation gap) came from his attempt to come to terms with his own failure as a father.[[note]]His son Anthony Ray became a character actor, and appeared most notably in Creator/JohnCassavetes' ''Shadows''[[/note]].

* WordOfGay: Plato is supposed to be gay, but the censors at the time wouldn't let them say it, so it's only implied.

** Creator/MarlonBrando did a screen test for the part of Jim in 1947, when Warner Bros. first considered adapting the novel as a film. Nothing came of it, however, and when production finally got underway with a re-written script a few years later, Brando (who by that point was likely seen as too old and too much a "name" star for the role) was never considered.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Keep an eye out for an eighteen-year-old Dennis Hopper.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: ''Rebel'' was originally supposed to be in black-and-white. The decision to shoot the film in color meant less pay for extras which is why there were few extras in the knife fight scene.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: ''Rebel'' was originally supposed to be black & white. The decision to shoot the film in color meant less pay for extras which is why there were few extras in the knife fight scene.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: ''Rebel'' was supposed to be black & white. The decision to shoot the film in color meant less pay for extras which is why there were few extras in the knife fight scene.

** Creator/MarlonBrando did a screen test for the part of Jim in 1947, when Warners was first attempting to adapt the novel as a film. Nothing came of it, however, and Brando was never considered for the film after the script was rewritten and production got underway a few years later.

** Creator/MarlonBrando did a screen test for the part of Jim in 1947, when Warners was first attempting to adapt the novel as a film.
Nothing came of it, however, and Brando was never considered for the film after the script was rewritten and production got underway a few years later.

** MarlonBrando did a screen test for the part of Jim in the 1940s. The script was later rewritten and Brando was not offered the part, with JamesDean cast instead.