# Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
**Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean** is a play by Ed Graczyk about a reunion of a [James Dean](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-dean) fan club in a small Texas town, which [Robert Altman](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-altman) directed both on Broadway in 1982 and as a feature film later the same year, with the same leading cast of [Sandy Dennis](https://www.edgepedia.org/sandy-dennis), Cher, Karen Black, and Kathy Bates.[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean) • [2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-4163) The story takes place on September 30, 1975, the twentieth anniversary of James Dean's death, inside a Woolworth's five-and-dime in the fictional town of McCarthy, Texas, and alternates between that day and 1955, when Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean came to nearby Marfa to film *Giant*.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writer | Ed Graczyk, who wrote both the play and the film screenplay[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) |
| First productions | Players Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, September 1976, directed by the author; professional premiere at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, February 1977, directed by Fred Chappell, starring Dana Ivey and Fannie Flagg[4](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2291/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean) |
| Broadway run | Martin Beck Theatre, February 18 to April 4, 1982; 12 previews, 52 performances; directed by Robert Altman[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-4163) |
| Film release | November 12, 1982; 109 minutes; rated PG; shot in 16mm and converted to 35mm[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) |
| Film budget and schedule | $800,000 estimated budget, ultimately $900,000; shooting ran 19 days against an intended 12 (the New York Times reported 17 days)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) |
| Principal cast | Sandy Dennis (Mona), Cher (Sissy), Karen Black (Joanne), Sudie Bond (Juanita), Kathy Bates (Stella Mae), Marta Heflin (Edna Louise), Mark Patton (Joe)[1](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean) |
| Recognition | Gold Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, reported November 24, 1982[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The Disciples of James Dean, a fan club formed in 1955, meet on the twentieth anniversary of the actor's death in the five-and-dime where they once gathered, now run by Juanita (Sudie Bond), a devoutly religious owner whose waitress Sissy (Cher) arrives late for her shift.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) The members arrive one by one: Stella Mae ([Kathy Bates](https://www.edgepedia.org/kathy-bates)), now a country-clubbing gold digger; the shy, pregnant Edna Louise (Marta Heflin), expecting her seventh child; and finally Mona (Sandy Dennis), the club's president, who has raised a son she says was fathered by James Dean when she worked as an extra on *Giant*.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) • [5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/19/jimmy-dean-stay-the-course/f5162a0c-0186-47e1-aa92-ae589aa1933b/)
The last arrival is Joanne ([Karen Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/karen-black)), a striking stranger who drives in from California and is not surprised when nobody recognizes her at first.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-1982) Her arrival sets off confrontations that break through the group's delusions and expose long-hidden disappointments.[4](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2291/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean) The revelation, which reviewers have noted lands differently for modern audiences, is that Joanne is Joe, the shop hand of the 1955 flashbacks, who has returned as a woman.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_back_to_the_5_and_dime_jimmy_dean_jimmy_dean) In 1955, Joe was beaten in front of half the town after Mona persuaded him to lie to his mother so the group could drive to Marfa to see James Dean.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) • [8](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/65618)
## Stage history
Graczyk first staged the play at the Players Theatre in [Columbus, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-ohio), in September 1976, directing it himself. The professional premiere followed at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in February 1977, directed by Fred Chappell with [Dana Ivey](https://www.edgepedia.org/dana-ivey) and [Fannie Flagg](https://www.edgepedia.org/fannie-flagg).[4](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2291/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean)
**Broadway, 1982.** Altman, already known for films such as *M*A*S*H* and *Nashville*, made the play his first Broadway production.[9](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/robert%20altman%20-%20american%20outsider/2021/06/03/come-back-to-the-5-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean/) It opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on February 18, 1982, after 12 previews, and closed on April 4 after 52 performances, produced by Dan Fisher, Joseph Clapsaddle, Joel Brykman, and Jack Lawrence.[2](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-4163) The production received poor notices; Altman later described it as an out-of-town success that took a critical drubbing on Broadway, and the episode prompted a falling out with Graczyk.[9](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/robert%20altman%20-%20american%20outsider/2021/06/03/come-back-to-the-5-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean/) For Cher, the show was her Broadway debut, which a 1991 Los Angeles Times review called disastrous.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-06-ca-808-story.html)
## The film
Altman filmed the Broadway production with its original cast before the April 4, 1982 closing date, performing it on the Phoenix Stage in Los Angeles.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) Although early reports suggested a cable television release through Viacom Enterprises, Altman insisted on shooting in 16mm film in anticipation of a theatrical release, and the film was later converted to 35mm.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) The production was a Sandcastle 5 production presented by [Mark Goodson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-goodson) in association with Viacom Enterprises, produced by Scott Bushnell with Giraud Chester as executive producer, photographed by Pierre Mignot, and edited by Jason Rosenfield.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) Cinecom International Films distributed it, expecting to spend at least $40,000 on the New York release, and about half the budget had already been recouped through a television presale with Showtime.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) The film opened in New York and Los Angeles on November 12, 1982, after screenings at international festivals including Montreal and Venice.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) • [11](https://archivio.unita.news/assets/main/1982/08/31/page_005.pdf)
**The two-way mirror set.** Altman kept David Gropman's stage set, which consisted of two identical dime stores, one a mirror image of the other, separated by a two-way mirror.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-1982) The front store plays the 1975 present and the reversed store behind the glass plays 1955; at times the glass is reflective and at times transparent, so a foreground image can dissolve into a background flashback without optical effects, simply by shooting through the mirror.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-1982) Altman said the impulse to film the play came from watching from backstage: "there were things on those actresses' faces which the audience couldn't see."[9](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/robert%20altman%20-%20american%20outsider/2021/06/03/come-back-to-the-5-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean/) He also had the middle-aged cast play their teenaged selves in the flashbacks, often in their present-day costumes, a choice some critics found confusing.[8](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/65618)
## Reception
The film fared better than the stage production. [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s contemporaneous account noted that despite lackluster reviews, many critics agreed the movie improved on the unsuccessful Broadway production, and it won the gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN) Roger Ebert, the [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize)-winning critic of the *Chicago Sun-Times*, called it a mixture of the bizarre and the banal and praised Altman's visual inventiveness and the performances, singling out Cher's performance as a revelation after years of playing "Cher" on television.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-1982) Rita Kempley of *The Washington Post* called the film fascinating and a success despite its flaws, while finding the flashbacks tiresome because the 1955 and 1975 scenes are hard to tell apart.[5](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/19/jimmy-dean-stay-the-course/f5162a0c-0186-47e1-aa92-ae589aa1933b/) [Pauline Kael](https://www.edgepedia.org/pauline-kael) of *The New Yorker* wrote that Altman's artifice became one with the film's themes of illusion and deception.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_back_to_the_5_and_dime_jimmy_dean_jimmy_dean) On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an 89% Tomatometer from 9 critics and an 81% audience score.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_back_to_the_5_and_dime_jimmy_dean_jimmy_dean)
## Legacy
The film marked the start of Altman's low-budget, essentially filmed-play period after the commercial failure of *[Popeye](https://www.edgepedia.org/popeye-film)* (1980); he followed it with *Streamers* (1983) and *Secret Honor* (1984) in the same mode.[8](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/65618) It also gave Cher her first substantial dramatic film role, which she followed with *Silkwood* (1983) and *Mask* (1985).[12](https://cinephilia.com.au/show_movie.php?movieid=3089) The portrayal of Joanne has drawn renewed attention as an early instance of trans representation in American cinema; a 2026 Autostraddle review called the character's deeply human treatment a welcome surprise among trans representation in 20th-century film.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_back_to_the_5_and_dime_jimmy_dean_jimmy_dean) The UCLA Film & Television Archive presented a restored version in 2011, and Eureka released a Blu-ray in 2017 from a 2012 restoration funded by the Texas Film Commission-era TFF, with interviews with editor Jason Rosenfield and production designer David Gropman.[13](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/robert-altman-honored/) • [14](https://www.on-magazine.co.uk/arts/film-reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-bluray/) Amateur and regional troupes continue to revive the play, which the licensing publisher Concord Theatricals notes offers an ensemble cast, a strong leading role for a woman, and roles for trans actors.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-06-ca-808-story.html) • [4](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2291/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean)
## References
1. [Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Paramount Pictures](https://www.paramountpictures.com/movies/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean)
2. [Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Broadway production, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-4163)
3. [Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56747-COME-BACKTOTHE5DIMEJIMMYDEANJIMMYDEAN)
4. [Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Concord Theatricals](https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2291/come-back-to-the-5-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean)
5. [Rita Kempley, "'Jimmy Dean': Stay the Course," The Washington Post, November 18, 1982](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/11/19/jimmy-dean-stay-the-course/f5162a0c-0186-47e1-aa92-ae589aa1933b/)
6. [Roger Ebert, "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean," Chicago Sun-Times, 1982](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean-1982)
7. [Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/come_back_to_the_5_and_dime_jimmy_dean_jimmy_dean)
8. [Justin Remer, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Blu-ray review, DVD Talk, December 6, 2014](https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/65618)
9. [BFI Southbank programme notes, Robert Altman: American Outsider, 2021](https://bfidatadigipres.github.io/robert%20altman%20-%20american%20outsider/2021/06/03/come-back-to-the-5-and-dime-jimmy-dean-jimmy-dean/)
10. ["STAGE REVIEW: Schlocky Goods From '5 & Dime'," Los Angeles Times, November 6, 1991](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-06-ca-808-story.html)
11. [l'Unità, August 31, 1982, page 5](https://archivio.unita.news/assets/main/1982/08/31/page_005.pdf)
12. [Bernard Hemingway, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean review, Cinephilia](https://cinephilia.com.au/show_movie.php?movieid=3089)
13. [Robert Altman Honored, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/articles/robert-altman-honored/)
14. [Sarah Morgan, Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982) Blu-ray review, On Magazine, 2017](https://www.on-magazine.co.uk/arts/film-reviews/come-back-to-the-five-and-dime-jimmy-dean-bluray/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of the 1980s › Comedy-dramas of the 1980s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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