Giant effort to make it in movies

By David Maurer

Published: May 11, 2008

One of the benefits of making a classic film like “Giant” is that it can be reintroduced in movie theaters every generation or so.

The Academy Award-winning movie starring James Dean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor was first released on Nov. 24, 1956. When it hit the local Paramount Theater screen for its second go-around in early April 1971, it created quite a stir all over again.

The first part of the picture had been shot here in Albemarle County, and it had generated a huge amount of excitement among local citizens. When it returned to town, Jane Cowles, a reporter for The Daily Progress, interviewed some area folks who had been involved in its making, including the wife of Haywood Nelms Jr. She and her husband had owned Belmont estate, where much of the local filming occurred.

Location, location

“Three places were being considered as the location for the movie,” Mrs. Nelms told the reporter. “It boiled down to their wanting our place, I think, primarily because of the nearby railroad tracks.”

Belmont is near the Keswick railroad station. The film begins with Bick Benedict, played by Hudson, arriving there.

Benedict had made the trip from his home in Texas to buy a horse named War of Winds. During his stay, he meets and courts his future bride, played by Taylor.

George Stevens was the director, and he had a lot of help. On the first day of shooting, May 31, 1955, nearly 100 cameramen, technicians, production assistants and actors descended on Belmont at first light.

Mrs. Nelms said either she or her husband had to be present during the entire filming. Even thought filming activities started at 6 or 7 every morning and lasted into the evening, she said it was never an inconvenience.

Set to please

“They only used one room in the house for dressing and makeup,” Mrs. Nelms said. “The interior shots of the estate had been completed in a Hollywood set.

“The rooms in the movie are nothing like the interior of Belmont. You’d really have to have very large rooms in order to get in all the lighting and camera equipment.”

“Giant” was based on the 1952 novel by Edna Ferber. The screen version of her sweeping saga of family intrigue, wealth, jealousy and racism took 3 hours and 21 minute to tell.

Stevens won an Oscar for directing, and the film was nominated for nine other Academy Awards, including best art direction-set decoration. He had chosen Belmont because of its architectural splendor and the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

The mansion had never

looked better, having been freshly painted. Problem was, the script called for a building with a rundown appearance, so it was time for some Hollywood magic.

The four gleaming white columns at the front of the house were sprayed with dirty water to achieve an aged effect. Making the mansion look rundown was easy. Running down spectators proved a little more difficult.

“The people in Charlottesville were so excited about the film and the first day you couldn’t move for all of them,” Mrs. Nelms said. “It was just too crowded to work — really like a circus.

“We had to put up ‘no trespassing’ signs to limit those on location.”

Police were stationed at different locations around the estate and they were soon busy chasing after trespassers. People described at the time as “several dozen hardy souls” clambered over fences and sprinted across fields to get a glimpse of the violet-eyed Taylor.

For a while it must have looked like a Keystone Kop caper was being filmed instead of a serious movie.

Ethel Moore was one of the lucky folks who didn’t have to dodge the cops.

Moore had a front row seat to all the filming that went on in the area, thanks to her brother, Grover Vandevender. He had been a former Farmington hunt master and was asked to furnish the hunting hounds, horses and additional riders.

“Everyone was bubbling over with curiosity, but there just wasn’t enough room for them,” Moore said. “They caught young people coming through the fields trying to see the filming.

“But I don’t blame them. It was the first time I had seen a movie being made, too.”

Moore had praise for both Taylor and Hudson, whom she described as “just perfect.” But her greatest praise was for Valley Keene, who served as Taylor’s riding double in the movie.

“In the film, she [Keene] wore a derby and black riding outfit,” Moore said. “And can she ride. No one in Albemarle County can ride like she can.

“She rode sidesaddle every day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s a shame her name wasn’t mentioned in the film. She did all the work.”

In fairness, Moore’s brother shouldered a bunch of it as well and was instrumental in the fox hunt scene. Vandevender was no stranger to filmmaking, having ridden in the 1946 film “The Virginian.”

During the filming of “Giant” the horseman was up at 5 a.m. and out in the stables feeding and watering 15 horses. But the most difficult work came when he had to coordinate the speed of the fox hunting group with that of the train bringing Hudson to the station.

“The train always had to be in the background with us in the foreground or vice versa,” Vandevender said. “They sent me on my horse to run the course, which they timed.

“Then the railroad engineer on the train was to run at the same speed. It was an old steam engine train and the smoke that came out of the stack had to be a certain color.

“If it was too dark or if our timing was off, we’d have to run it all over again.”

Leonard Maltin, respected film historian and critic, considers Hudson’s performance in “Giant” to be his best. He thinks it comes close to being Taylor’s best as well.

But the star that stood out in the memories of most area residents connected with the filming was a horse named Beauty. He was owned and trained by Ralph McCutcheon of California and portrayed War of Winds.

“During a break, the owner would sit down and ask the horse if he was tired,” Mrs. Nelms said. “With that the horse would put his head down in the man’s lap and relax.

“George Stevens said that if all actors and actresses were as easy to manage as Beauty, then it would take no time to shoot ‘Giant.’ ”