What Was the Name of the Ranch in the Movie Giant?

In the 1956 movie Giant, a large percentage of the plot centers around the family known as the Benedicts, who live in Texas on their family ranch. The name of this ranch was the Reata. In the film, the ranch acts as the central location, the grounding point, so to speak, of all of the action.

The general plot of the film follows a novel by Edna Ferber, and centers on Bick Benedict, the head of the rich Texas ranching family. Bick marries a socialite from the east coast and brings her back to Reata. Leslie, Bick’s new wife, is quite beautiful and she, along with Bick’s money, catch the attention (and envy) of Jett Rink, the family handyman.

Bick’s sister is killed, and leaves Jett a piece of the ranch land in her will; the land contains oil. Over the next few years Jett becomes very rich; he names his small plot of land within the Reata property “Little Reata.”

A rivalry develops between Jett and the Benedicts, which affects everyone involved, including the children of Bick and Leslie. At the close of the film, Jett has become a pathetic person – his desire for revenge drove him to such dishonorable actions that he became a shell of himself focused only on money.

Completion of the Movie Giant

Perhaps the film’s biggest claim to fame is the fact that James Dean, who played Jett Rink, was killed in a car accident before its release. The film was not technically completed, and some voice-overs had to be done by another actor to fill in for the parts that Dean could not complete.

Now you know the name of the ranch and the important background behind the movie Giant.