Giant

A noted authority on all things Texas, Graham turns his attention to film with this authoritative tale of 'Big Texas Oil' and the epic movie Giant . . . A delightful work of film/cultural history for movie fans. --Kirkus Reviews Don Graham digs into Giant like a wildcatter drilling for oil...He provides colorful tales with minimal Texas exaggeration and a plethora of facts and anecdotes...a book that will satisfy fans of the film. --Philadelphia Enquirer One of the joys of reading Graham is his ability to tell a complete tale, a scene from life, and cap it with a laconic statement of a theme. --Texas Observer A lively study of a book and movie that helped define the image of Texas in the last century. --Dallas News A compelling, behind-the-camera look at one of the 1950s' most unusual--and successful mainstream Hollywood productions...so thorough it should have come with its own stage directions. --Houston Chronicle An entertaining case study...Graham makes the most of the toil and trouble behind Giant, bringing to life an era of filmmaking that's gone with the West Texas wind. -Associated Press Splendid...A sharp, insightful look at a legendary film. --Booklist (starred review) A solid historical context...opening the pages of this book is like breaking into a time capsule. --Washington Post Lively . . . deeply researched and efficiently paced. --Publishers Weekly Don Graham is a masterful storyteller . . . Just as Giant the movie was the talk of the town back in 1956, I know Don's lively narrative will be the talk of the town today. He captures West Texas and the big screen stars perfectly. --Mrs. Laura Bush Don Graham, long a keen student of Texas literature, has given us a brilliant study of a classic American film. --Larry McMurtry, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Last Kind Words Saloon Don Graham goes far behind the scenes to deftly capture the fragile egos and sexual misadventures of the legendary cast, the extraordinary determination of Stevens, and the reaction of Texans who warily embraced a cinematic self-portrait they found both troubling and irresistible. --Glenn Frankel, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Searchers and High Noon Graham breathes new life into the gripping story behind one of mid-century America's great epics, retold with invaluable insight drawn from the wells of cultural history, Hollywood dish and Texan lore. --Noah Isenberg, Los Angeles Times bestselling author of We'll Always Have Casablanca Some films are so vital they become part of American history. Giant is one of them. Don Graham shows us how a volatile mix of some of Hollywood's biggest, most troubled, personalities -- Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, the doomed James Dean -- came together under the brilliant direction of George Stevens to create an epic that rivals Texas in size, scope, and sheer impact. With insight and wit, Graham gives us a highly entertaining saga of how movies are made and why they become iconic. --Nancy Schoenberger, author of the critically acclaimed Dangerous Muse: The Life of Lady Caroline Blackwood and the upcoming Wayne and Ford: The Films, the Friendship, and the Forging of an American Hero Giant is a page-turning tale of giant talents and egos toiling in a remote Texas location with the legendary director George Stevens to create a classic in American film. Especially Dean is poignantly portrayed as a tortured young man whose career and life flamed out much too soon. Essential reading for every fan of the silver screen. --Tom Clavin, New York Times bestselling author of Dodge City You've seen the movie, of course? If not, you'll rush to get the Blu-ray when you're a few pages into Don Graham's riveting book that tells the story of 'Giant' from start to finish. That story involves half of Hollywood, and not only the stars -- Elizabeth Taylor, RockHudson, James Dean -- but those other superstars considered for the roles: Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Grace Kelly, Clark Gable, and many others. This brilliant chronicle will grab you like a thriller. --Sam Staggs, author of All About All About Eve