James Dean's switchblade...

[sicboy13]

http://www.profilesinhistory.com/items/ ... cause.html

this may be old news, but I found this whilst a googling.... auction for Dean's switch from Rebel without a Cause... not sure if it sold or what... nice pics tho. THere are a couple more pics at the bottom of the page on the above link...

[BTB0923]

Sweet, its an Astor. That'd be a pretty valuable knife even if it hadn't been used in such a famous movie. Thanks for sharing.

[sicboy13]

got 20 g's I can borrow?

[redeye]

This has been discussed before i am not sure if it was on this forum or another but the auction says the knife is 13 inches long right? the knife dean used was only 11 inches long . it may have very well been in the movie but I dont believe it was the one that dean carried too bad someone sharpened it on a curb too. and the springs are shot if ya look at the button you can see it is sitting low in the hole from a broken spring and the description says the kickspring is broken too . Its is a cool old knife but it aint hard to engrave a number onna backspring .there are plenty of people out there who will fake stuff like this just to make a buck so as they said on the Brady Bunch "CAVEAT EMPTOR" or let the bueyr beware.

[exumer2687]

The knife in Rebel without a Cause was an 11, that is not the knife.

[natcherly]

The knife in Rebel without a Cause was an 11, that is not the knife.

I emailed the auctioneer to point this out, but he dismissed it saying it was a matter of perspective. That plus the "Letter of Authenticity" gotten from some prop guy.

[JerrBear]

the knife dean used was only 11 inches long.

[Claudester]

That knife is nothing like the knife I saw on the auction site in 2006. Here is a post from a couple of years ago but whatever.


Re: rebel without a cause

Postby Claudester on Tue Feb 05, 2008 6:02 pm
Two years ago a gentleman bought a 9" button open/close with grayish dark horn from me on the knife auction. Through several phone calls he told me he was selling the switchblade used by James Dean in Rebel without a cause. He was selling it through a auction site in Hollywood because he needed the money because of illness and the knife I had up for sale looked the closest to the knife he had to sell and this one would replace the original in a showcase at his home. I went to the online website on the date he told me it would be up for aution and it was already gone. I called the auction site and a person told me it was already sold for more than $12,000.00. TRUE STORY.

[Jeff]

There were threads on SD forum about this knife. It was a 13" for sale and a picture of James Dean holding a 9" ( and another w/ an 11" knife.)................. Weird. I guess he claimed the angle of the photo made the 13" he had for sale look like an 8" leverlock in one pic he had, and an 11" stiletto in the other pic.
Claudester, that was probably your knife the guy in your story sold for $12 G hahahaha (just kidding)

[chopper561]

I've been watching that guy's show and I'm surprised he's trying to pass that off as Dean's knife. I saw that thing 6 months ago and it's obviously not any of the ones from the movie. Makes me wonder about the other stuff he's selling for hundreds of thousands.

[catavengercaptain]

Could they have used more than one switchblade in the movie? I heard that in the Dirty Harry movies both 6 inch & 8 inch .44 mag. revolvers were used.

[Jeff]

Could they have used more than one switchblade in the movie? I heard that in the Dirty Harry movies both 6 inch & 8 inch .44 mag. revolvers were used.

Movie prop "switch ups" in the same scene is very common. Also you need more than one knife for a motion picture in case something happens to it. Many times switch ups seem to be used for visual appeal to an audience. See the Movie Switchblades thread and you'll understand. It has close ups of Rizzutos that magically turn in to Natos. turn in to manual folders, turn into butterfly knives, all in the same scene.
But Chopper is right, the knife doesn't even resemble anything in the movie clips the seller supplies and you would guess that for the asking price it would.
It looks more like the knife in a picture I've seen w/ James Dean in front of his dressing room with a switchblade stuck in the door with the James Dean tag pinned by it I think an 11" Brazillian horn picklock Italian stiletto ( It may have been a 13" but thats a seperate story altogether....).
But there is just not even close to any proof offered from the seller and he seems to have very evasive replies.

[chopper561]

Hey Jeff, I was told that pic at the dressing room door was photo shopped. The knife was added in.

[Jeff]

Hey Jeff, I was told that pic at the dressing room door was photo shopped. The knife was added in.

I heard the same thing, but wasn't too sure. I believe it though.
Bill DeShivs said there was a real search for the knife (knives) at one tme but it was a dead end and the real knife (knives) are gone or MIA or unrecognized most likely.
I'm more inclined to believe this. Or that some rock star bought it a long time ago and forgot about it in a drunk and stoned haze.