East of Eden
By the time he was nominated for Best Actor in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of the second half of John Steinbeck’s novel, James Dean was dead and buried. This was the only one of his starring vehicles to be released while he was alive. Reportedly Steinbeck felt the movie was as good or better than the book. Great use of early CinemaScope.
About Larry Cohen
The prolific writer-producer-director Larry Cohen began his career in television creating hit shows like Branded and The Invaders. His feature career took off with the killer baby trio of It’s Alive and two sequels. Among his movie credits are Q – The Winged Serpent, Full Moon High, The Private Life of J. Edgar Hoover, Return to Salem’s Lot, Hell Up in Harlem and the screenplays for Phone Booth and Cellular. He also wrote and directed the Masters of Horror episode, Pick Me Up. Larry passed away on March 23, 2019.