He was banned by Warner Brothers...
from getting in a car or on a motorcycle...
while he was doing this film.
So the minute the film was over....
He finished two, three weeks ahead
of everybody else.

He told us he was taking his fast car
and going across the country.

So we were all...
in the theater watching the day's rushes...
the dailies...
and suddenly, the lights went up.
George Stevens was on the phone...
and I'll never forget the look on his face.
He turned absolutely white,
as if all the blood drained out of him.

There was electricity in the room.
You just knew
something dreadful had happened.

Of course, my first thought was
that it was George Stevens, Jr...

because of all the airplanes
he had to get into.

George took a couple of deep breaths.
There was not a sound
in the projection room.

After a while, he said...
in a very level voice:
"Jimmy Dean has just died
in an automobile accident. "

That's all he said.
We all sat there, stunned.

Nobody cried, nobody shouted.
I don't think we were able to move.
Nobody was able to move.

I can't remember how the evening ended.
I know for certain we didn't watch
any more rushes.

We all sat there for a long time...
and then we silently filed out of the room.
When Jimmy Dean died, we got word.
We were all in the projection room
watching dailies.

Somebody came running in,
and said, "Jimmy just got killed. "

And George left.