"I
know that land ain't worth much. But then someday, I just might up and
put my own fence around her and call her Little Reata." -James Dean as
Jett Rink, Giant
There it is, Jett Rink’s ‘Little Reata’. Well, what’s left of it.
The
Ballroom of the Hotel Paisano, where cast & crew would watch their
dailies. There are scuff marks all over the wood floor, perhaps one or
two of them belong to James Dean...
When my husband took me to Marfa, Texas to celebrate our 5th
Wedding Anniversary, I thought I would be most excited about staying at
the Hotel Paisano. This beautifully restored 1930′s hotel is where the
cast (including James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson) stayed
during the filming of the 1956 movie Giant. Staying there was a dream
come true, I’m a big fan of old movies and an even bigger James Dean
fan, so it was pretty surreal. Our room was only 2 doors down from where
he stayed. It was amazing.
But the feeling I got when we drove up on Little Reata was
unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Sounds silly, but just
knowing he had been there gives you sort of a rush. Yes, he was there at
the hotel too, but his moments at Little Reata were captured on film in
one of my favorite movies, so it seemed even more special.
Little Reata is located a few miles outside of Marfa on
private property, surrounded by a barbed wire fence. I noticed a place
where the fence was up a good two feet off the ground, and it’s apparent
that some pretty die hard Dean fans have crawled underneath there. Had I
been a bit braver I might have tried!
What little is left of it is the good stuff. The entryway, and the iconic windmill.
Yes, the windmill still stands.
I wonder how much longer Jett Rink's windmill will stand up to the harsh desert weather
Can’t you just see Jimmy sitting up there?
No? Let me help you…
I really wanted to climb it, but unfortunately I don’t think it could even withstand a sneeze.
So there it is, in all that’s left of it’s glory.
Little Reata
It was hard to walk away from there, into the waiting vehicle
parked next to the highway. But alas, we had another location to find.
We had discovered Little Reata, now it was time to hunt out Reata Ranch.
My husband was a great sport. He is not the old movie/James
Dean fan that I am, but he was the one who suggested we go to Marfa. He
even let me play the Giant theme song as we drove out of town to find
the old movie sets.
Stop laughing. It was a miraculous moment for me… =)
Sadly, seeing what remains of Reata Ranch was not so
miraculous. The ranch house seen on film was only a facade made of wood
and plaster used only for exterior scenes. Today it’s a skeleton of what
it once was. It is also located on private property, and very hard to
see from the highway. We actually missed it the first time and had to
turn around and go back. We finally found it, but the picture is not
impressive. (There are some great pictures online from very close up, if
you feel like searching.)
Can you believe it? It actually made me really sad. I can’t believe that used to look like this:
After a few hours of scouring the desert landscape for old
movie sets, it was time to head home. As we were leaving the hotel, we
noticed the door to James Dean’s room was open. I snapped this photo
from the stair way:
James Dean's room, 223
We had a wonderful time and a great anniversary, I won’t ever forget the time we stayed two doors down from Jimmy!
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