Trivia

During the run of his TV show, Dean was offered 40% ownership of Jim Henson's Muppets Inc., but he declined because that he felt he didn't have anything to do with Henson's work and it was unfair to profit from the puppeteer's labor. It was a decision of conscience Dean never regretted making.

Was working at the Desert Inn hotel when he was cast as Willard Whyte in Les diamants sont éternels (1971). Whyte was clearly modeled after Howard Hughes, who owned the Desert Inn and was therefore, by extension, Dean's employer at the time.

Founded the Jimmy Dean Breakfast Foods (sausage, bacon, sandwiches, etc.) and Sausage Company in 1969 - out of his Texas hometown, Plainview - and sold it to the Sara Lee Corporation 15 years later, in 1984. Twenty years after that, in 2004, Dean was dismissed by Sara Lee as product spokesman for his own sausage brand. The Chicago-based food products firm retains the rights to Dean's name and likeness. Even years after he passed away, his image and voice are still used in commercials for Jimmy Dean Sausage products.

In 1963, he became Johnny Carson's first guest host on "The Tonight Show".

When his "Big Bad John" was first released, it ended with the words "at the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man". It was changed on later releases to "at the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man".

One of his stranger "talents" was being able to fold his own ear into a neat little ball, which would then pop out on its own after several seconds. He demonstrated this "talent" on his TV show.

Best known for his million-selling 1961 hit "Big Bad John"; the song topped both Billboard magazine's country and Hot 100 charts. On the Billboard country charts, Dean had one other No. 1 hit: 1965's "The First Thing Every Morning and the Last Thing Every Night". Other major country hits in his career included "P.T. 109" (1962, based on the World War II sinking of John F. Kennedy's torpedo boat) and the million-selling ode of thanks to his mother, "I.O.U." (1976).

Release of his autobiography, "Jimmy Dean's Own Story: Thirty Years of Sausage, Fifty Years of Ham" by Jimmy and his wife, 'Donna Meade' Dean. (2004)

Several trivia and source books, including Billboard's Top Forty Book, mistakenly gave his birth name as Seth Ward. Actually, Seth Ward is the tiny unincorporated community outside Plainview where Dean was born.

Professional wrestler William Desmond Goodman wrestled under the name "Big Bad John" after the popularity of Jimmy Dean's hit song. He is best remembered for doing the "rubber legs" routine after being struck by his opponent.

His last theatrical feature film appearance would be top billing in "Big Bad John" (1990), which was inspired by his big crossover hit song.

Lived in Varina, Virginia...just outside of Richmond. (October 2004)

Born on the same date as Eddie Fisher.

Jimmy Dean had the strange talent of being to fold his ear into a neat little ball, which would then pop out on its own after several seconds. He a demonstrated this "talent" at least once on his TV show.

Dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to join the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II.

Served in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Bolling Air Base in Washington, D.C.