Warners steps up to honor ‘Giant’

Fifty years ago, the West Texas town of Marfa, with its wide-open landscape and mountains on the horizon, became the setting for “Giant,” a Hollywood classic about a wealthy Texas cattle-raising family featuring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.

To mark the golden anniversary, Warner Bros. shipped a print for a benefit today to raise money for the Marfa Public Library. Since the town’s Palace theater closed about 30 years ago, a projection truck will beam the movie to an inflatable screen for an audience of 500 people. For their $50, attendees will get a custom-made lawn chair carrying the film logo.

“Every day we have people who come through who are curious about ‘Giant,’ ” says Joe Duncan, 46, who now owns Marfa’s Paisano Hotel, which was the film crew’s home in 1955.