James Dean's Ghost

Before Marfa, Texas became famous as a mecca for modern art buffs and high-desert hipsters, it was best known as the location for the shoot of the classic '56 film Giant, starring Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. Strangely, despite the fact that we've been to Marfa--and even stayed...

By Noah W. Bailey

September 30, 2010

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Before Marfa, Texas became famous as a mecca for modern art buffs and high-desert hipsters, it was best known as the location for the shoot of the classic '56 film Giant, starring Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. Strangely, despite the fact that we've been to Marfa--and even stayed in the room at the Hotel Paisano where James Dean slept during the shoot--we've never seen the film, even though we've known about it since we were little kids singing along to the Robert Earl Keen/Lyle Lovett classic "This Old Porch" ("This old porch is the Palace walk-in/on the main street of Texas/ That's never seen or heard the day/of G and R and Xs/ With that '62 poster/ That's almost faded down/ And a screen without a picture/ since Giant came to town.") We'll have to remedy that before we head to the Texas Theatre, where this Thursday they'll present an encore presentation of Return to Giant, a documentary on the film's shoot narrated by Don Henley and directed by Kirby Warnock, whose family has deep roots in West Texas. See it 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the historic Texas Theatre, 241 W. Jefferson St. Admission is $8. Visit oakclifffoundation.org.
Thu., Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., 2010

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