The planetarium has been a staple in cinema for more than 50 years appearing in movies like The Terminator, Transformers, The Rocketeer, and Midnight Madness. But, it is best known as the backdrop of the most memorable scenes in Rebel Without A Cause.
The classic 1955 film stars James Dean as a troubled teen who is bullied during a field trip, leading to the most famous knife fight ever to grace the big screen.
The scene was so famous that the Griffith Park Observatory has placed a bronze bust of James Dean on the main lawn. Under the bust there is also a plaque commemorating the making of the movie.
What was surprising to us as we took several obligatory photos of the bust was the number of people who stopped to the read the plaque and commented that they never saw the movie or, worse, never heard of Dean.
Above is a clip of one of those famous RWAC scenes. If you’ve never paid a visit to Griffith Observatory, definitely add it to your On Location Vacation Bucket List and, if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Rebel With A Cause first.
Its funny because I was just thinking about it the other day. How many teens now prob wouldnt even know James Deans movies but as someone who loved film, i was very interested in him as a teen. We have to remember a lot of people may not be born here or their parents weren’t so they might not have been exposed to all american films just like some young Americans might not know who Iris Chacon is if you can imagine that. It is akways good to expand our horizons and learn about things outside our interests and culture.