Warren Beath's Interview with Bill Hickman "James Dean died in my arms"

Bill Hickman was at the wheel of James Deans Ford wagon on September 30, 1955. He is pictured in the Sanford Roth photos taken at Competition Motors, and he was ticketed at the same time Dean was ticketed for speeding. He came upon the accident immediately afterward. I spoke to Bill Hickman in 1983, three years before he died. Bill Hickmans movie credits can be found at http://imdb.com/name/nm0382707/ He knew James Dean through Jane Deacy, and Deans interest in cars and racing.

WB Were you with James Dean the night before hewas killed?

BH Jimmy was just a great guy. We practiced in thecar Thursday night.

WB Do you recall how you got to Competition Motors the next morning?

BH I drove with Jimmy in the Ford wagon. That was a bad day.

WB You remember stopping at Blackwells Corner?

BH And I told him, there, Watch out for the people making a left turn Turnupseed probably didnt see him, you know. Jimmy said, Dont worry, Big Bastard. He called me Big Bastard and I called him Little Bastard, thats what that meant, the name of the car.

WB You were close friends?

BH Oh yeah, Jimmy was just a great guy. Jimmy died in my arms, you know.

WB He did?

BH We were about two or three minutes behind him. I pulled him out of the car, and he was in my arms when he died, h is head fell over. I heard the air coming out of his lungs the last time. Didnt sleep for five or six nights after that, just the sound of the air coming out of his lungs.

WB And Sanford Roth?

BH I couldnt believe it, he was standin there taking pictures. YOU SONOFABITCH, HELP ME, COME HERE, HELP ME! I was yelling. I couldn't believe it.

WB You followed the ambulance to the hospital?

BH Then the ambulance got hit. There was a police car behind the car that hit the ambulance. Yes, and then to the funeral home.

WB Did you ever see the body?

BH I saw him again after he was cleaned up, they let me in. He wasnt beat up that bad. His forehead was pushed in and he had several bad cuts. I really couldnt believe he was dead. I had seen my father die, and Id been in the service. But it really got to me.

WB Why do you think the photos Roth took of Jimmy in the car havent surfaced?

BH I think Roth got paid off by insurance. Von Neumann was afraid of a lawsuit, he brought the car back to LA under a tarpaulin. I think Von Neumann had a piece of the action of the Volkswagen distributor ship in LA.