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- "Teenage terror torn from today's headlines." - "Warner Bros'. challenging drama of today's juvenile violence!" - "... and they both come from 'good' families!" - "To belong... and be loved." - "Jim Stark... a kid from a 'good' family - what makes him tick... like a bomb?" "The overnight sensation of 'East of Eden' becomes the star of the year!" - "Warner Bros. pull all the force of the screen into a challenging drama of today's juvenile violence!" - "The bad boy from a good family." - "Warner Bros. again lights the motion picture screens of the world with the dramatic force AND fire of James Dean, the DYNAMIC star of 'East of Eden', in a story that DARINGLY meets the challenge... of today's most VITAL controversy! - 'REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE'. POWERFUL, so powerful... its story will etch deep in your memory! SENSITIVE, so sensitive... its performance will throb deep in your heart! James Dean, Natalie Wood, Jim Backus, Ann Doran, Sal Mineo... in 'Rebel Without A Cause'. Entertainment of UNFORGETTABLE emotional impact!"
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The movie was originally to be shot in black and white, and some scenes had already been filmed that way, when the studio decided, for reasons of prestige, that all films in CinemaScope must be in color.
Director Nicholas Ray researched L.A. gangs by riding around with them for several nights.
For the knife fight between Jim (James Dean) and Buzz (Corey Allen), the actors used real switchblades and protected themselves by wearing chainmail under their vests.
Actor Frank Mazzola (left, "Crunch") had actually been a member of Hollywood street gang, and taught Dean (right) how to fight with real switchable knife.
James Dean broke his knuckle during the police station scene where he physically vent his rage on a precinct desk.
"Jim Stark" is named after Dean and Dean's character "Trask" in East of Eden (1955).
Originally based on a non-fiction work by Dr. Robert M. Lindner, about the hypno-analysis of a young criminal. The studio optioned the work because of the title, but had no idea what to do with it. Lindner later wrote a short story about youth gangs (which was the "chicken" sequence in the movie); that story was then bought and a script developed around it.
In the final scene where the camera pulls away from the observatory, director Nicholas Ray is the person walking toward the building (possible director's trademark for it is rumored he appeared in all of his movies). 
Originally in the beginning of the movie, there was a gang beating up a father, who drops a toy on the sidewalk. The studio thought it was too violent, so it was cut. Jim Stark can be seen playing with the toy after he finds it on the ground during the opening credits.
All three leading actors, James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood, all died under tragic circumstances. James Dean was killed in a car crash a month before the film was released in 1955 at the age of 24. Sal Mineo was murdered in the parking garage of his apartment in 1976 at the age of 37. Natalie Wood was drowned under mysterious circumstances in 1981 at the age of 43.
James Dean had malaria during filming.
T-shirt sales soared after James Dean was seen to wear one in this film.
Former child star Natalie Wood was first considered too naive and wholesome for the role of Judy. She quickly took up smoking and began changing her looks to show Nicholas Ray and others that she was mature enough.
Jim Stark was actually first intended to be more of a nerd, wearing a brown jacket and glasses. But when Warner Bros. told director Nicholas Ray to re-shoot in color, Ray, as well as costumer Moss Mabry, wanted Dean to wear red.
The empty pool in which the characters sit and discuss their lives in one scene is the same pool that was specially built for Sunset Blvd. (1950). The mansion was originally belonged to J. Paul Getty and was rented at $200 a day for the filming. Now, torn down, the building was originally stood on Wishire Blvd. and Crenshaw Ave.
Debbie Reynolds, Jayne Mansfield, Pat Crowley (1954's "Star of Tomorrow"), Kathryn Grant (soon to marry Bing Crosby and retire from the screen), and Margaret O'Brien were tested for the role of Judy. Carroll Baker (right) almost got the role, but eventually lost it to a 16-year-old Natalie Wood, who had a love affair with director Nicholas Ray.
Warner Bros. bought the movie rights to the book in 1946, and Marlon Brando (left) was originally cast for the lead role (some say Tab Hunter). But there were problems with the script, and the production of Rebel, was terminated.
There are a lot of scenes indicating Plato's hidden homosexuality in the movie. In one scene when his phone book was taken away, only boys' names could be found. Despite the character, actor Sal Mineo himself was also a famous gay figure in Hollywood who was quite open and honest to his own sexuality.
This movie was submitted to the National Film Preservation Board (Library of Congress) in 1990.
This film cost $600,000 in production.
Jim originally parodies Mr. Magoo (Jim Backus' animated character) in the pool scene. Warner Bros. asked him to change it to Bugs Bunny instead, who, unlike Mr. Magoo, was a Warner Bros. character.
The entire story of Rebel only covers a 24-hour period, beginning at midnight when Jim is caught drunk on the street, and ending 24 hours later when Plato is shot dead.
This film is often categorized as "cursed" due to the early and tragic deaths of many of its major stars. Besides its three ill-fated leading stars, Nick Adams (right), who played the part of Goon in the picture, was died of a drug overdose in 1968 at the age of 37.
Much of this film was shot on location in and around the Los Angeles area. Some of the most famous filming locations include Santa Monica High School (right), the Hollywood jail, and the Griffith Park Observatory and Planetarium.
In honor of the Rebel star, the city of Los Angeles erected a bust of James Dean at the filming location of Griffith Park Observatory.