Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

“Could you just, um, turn God off for tonight and have yourself a good time?”

– Cher as Sissy in COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME

On the 30th of September 1975, The Disciples of James Dean, a James Dean fan club from McCarthy, Texas, hold a reunion for the 20th anniversary of the star’s death. The club has long been disbanded, but swore years ago that they would reunite on that day at their old club house – a five-and-dime store run by the religious Juanita – in order to celebrate their idol. Three members of the fan club still live in McCarthy: the Christen fundamentalist Juanita (Sudie Bond), the feisty Sissy (Cher) who also works in the store, and Mona (Sandy Dennis), who claims to have been an extra in James Dean’s final film GIANT and believes she has a son with the star. Together with Joe, the only male club member, The Disciples of James Dean often gathered to sing and pass the time in the dead-end town. When a mysterious woman (Karen Black) enters the store unexpectedly, her presence triggers a moment of reflection on their complex lives and the unmasking of long-time secrets.

It wasn’t until Cher was approaching 40 that she finally got the chance to prove herself as an actress. When Robert Altman cast her in the Broadway play COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN, she paused her Las Vegas tour to perform in the production. Film director Altman had just come off a series of box office failures and wanted to focus on the stage. When he cast Cher, the play received a lot of press attention, but the reviews were scathing and the show was pulled after just two months. Altman quickly decided to film the play with the original theater cast, and on a small budget, they created a film that was positively received and launched Cher’s acting career. Cher praises Altman as the director who saw her talent and gave her the opportunity to prove herself at a time when she wasn’t being taken seriously. Regarding this, she said: “I could never imagine working with anyone better. Altman always makes me feel like I can do whatever it is he wants me to do. He figures out how to be with you and then goes to you in that way. He approaches every actor differently. There’s not one of us who doesn’t love him.”