If you’ve just joined us, this is the 3rd installment of a series about vintage motor courts. You can read about my fascination with them in Part 1 and the memories of Susan (Sue) Cunningham whose father built the San Jacinto Courts in Marfa, Texas in Part 2.
1955 was a year of excitement for the folks in Marfa, Texas. Hollywood descended on the small town and set up shop with the filming of Giant, a blockbuster movie that starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Chill Wills, Carroll Baker, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo, Rod Taylor and a host of others.
Sue Cunningham and her best friend, June, got a front row seat to the filming since they’d been serving meals to the propmen and other crew at the San Jacinto Courts. When they went on location to each day’s shoot, Sue recalls that tape similar to today’s police tape was strung around the “scene” area to keep curious onlookers at bay, but when she and June arrived, the film crew would wave them in and let them watch from inside the trucks where the lighting was regulated – literally on top of the shooting. Here are some of her random memories of that summer.
Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson during filming
“The famous scene with James Dean where the wildcat oil well shot oil sky high was shot just west of our motel. Although I never met him, every morning James Dean would drive past the motel going a hundred miles an hour. At least it seemed like it as he waved on his way to the day’s shooting.”
The “wildcat” in the movie Giant
“The ranch house in the movie was one of the more interesting things about the movie. It was a façade of only the front of the house with a porch and the lawn in front. There it was, just rising up, out in the middle of nowhere.”
The house with only a false front
“The railroad across from the San Jacinto Courts was the location of the railroad scene in the movie – we had a lot of fun watching that.”
Shooting at the Railway station
“Another day, a cemetery scene was shot in the nearby town of Valentine, so after I finished my work at the motel, I drove out there. I was hurrying along the path to where the action was and looked up. I stood face to face with Rock Hudson. Of course everyone thought he was the handsomest man ever, and he was right there in front of me. My heart just stopped. About then someone hollered that I’d parked my car in the wrong place and would have to move it. So much for almost getting to talk to Rock Hudson. I did get my picture made with Chill Wills, though. He was really nice as were most of the actors. I remember Mercedes McCambridge being especially sweet.”
Chill Wills and Sue
The filming lasted two months and Giant, of course, was a huge hit at the box office. The people of Marfa are proud of the summer of 1955. Today Marfa is a well-known arts community with many galleries and specialty shops and has been the location for other Hollywood films.
Liz Taylor on the set
The porch of the Benedict house
On the set – the marching band
Sue’s family eventually moved away. Her father sold the San Jacinto Courts, and later the name was changed to the Stardust Motel, but Sue was unsure what prompted the name change. Today, the motel has been demolished and all that remains is a patch of pavement and the sign with the new name – a monument to days gone by. One could almost think that, if the sign could talk, it would have its own stories to tell.
Photo Credit: Gypsy-Woman Photography via Smug Mug
Questions for you: Have you seen the movie Giant? Do you remember any of these scenes? I can’t wait to watch it again with new eyes.
My deepest gratitude to Sue Cunningham for sharing her memories. Stories are meant to be shared, I think, to help ground us in the past, to give meaning to our lives, and help us remember that which is important – family, a solid work ethic, and even a bit of frivolity now and then. Thanks for journeying with me.
Photos provided by Susan Cunningham from her private collection and used with her permission. Permission to copy is not granted.