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kodak.com
presents
Actress Jane Withers
Photographs from "Giant"
January 25, 2001
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Sandyau:
What was it like working with Elizabeth Taylor in “Giant”?
Jane Withers:
I had always been a great fan of hers and without a doubt is the most beautiful lady I've seen in my entire life. For her age and I don't care if she's 190, she will always be magnificently beautiful. The picture showing now -- that’s us laughing up a storm. It was during a very tedious scene in the film, one of the most important scenes in the film when Jimmy has just struck oil and has come to visit Rock and
Elizabeth to tell them that he had struck oil. He is covered in oil, and he gets into a fight with Rock and none of this was planned. Mr. Stevens set the staging -- where we would stand -- and the scene would just flow and we'd go with it whatever happened. Of course, when Jimmy first hit Rock in the stomach and he fell back in the arms of Monte Hale, Sheb Wooly, and Charles Watts. Then as part of the film, then Rock hit Jimmy and he fell back toward Elizabeth, and I was terrified from where we were standing. I was terrified that she was going to be engulfed in this fight. I grabbed her around the waist, and there's quite a lot of me, and pulled her back just in time or Jimmy would have fallen on her. We were talking about that, that's what this photo is about and why I'm laughing so, she said, "My dear, who needs bodyguards when you're around?"
It was not too far in the film when that scene was shot. We'd been working a couple months, but not too far into the film at that point, and I don't know, that just kind of bonded the two of us from that moment on. We spent more time sharing thoughts together. Not a lot, because we didn't have a lot of time. Everyone was in certain scenes, and she was in most all the scenes, and it was so unbelievably hot, so the minute she finished a scene, she wouldn't take much time to sit around and chat as we're doing now. She would go to her dressing room where it had AC. I love that picture of the two of us. I was so glad that our "Giant" photographer got that, and it means a lot to me. She was a lovely lady and very professional. If she mixed her lines, she would frown in a delicious way and make it fun. I didn't get to know her very well until she became very ill with back problems on the film, so she was out of the film for a while, and we all flew back to LA while she was so sick. It was hard to shoot without her.
I took her some roses from my garden and drew a little picture for her. I sent her a teddy bear to make her smile and ease her pain. I sent her some quotes from books that I'd enjoyed while in pain. I delivered it to the door and no one answered until finally I was to leave. I didn't want the flowers to wilt. A head poked out and it was Michael Wilding and said, "Jane? For heaven's sake don't leave; I'll be right down.” He insisted that I stay for dinner and he was cooking that night. It was the maid's night out and he was cooking. “Please stay and let's get to know each other better,” he said. So I stayed. It was the most fun evening I'd had in a long time. I had an opportunity to share thoughts with both of them. He was devoted and dedicated to her and a lovely person. I thought it was a blessing for her. They seemed very happy together at that time. I was grateful for that. It's wonderful when people can find one another and share that together. She seemed to be feeling better and loved my gifts, and we had a really great conversation. I have not seen very much of her at all in the last few years. Her 60th birthday party at Disneyland, I was invited; I don't gush over people if I know they're surrounded by folks all the time. If they come up to me, that's fine, and I'll share thoughts, but otherwise I try to stay in the background, but she asked my husband where I was. He didn't stay in the background. I guess she saw him first and he directed her to me. She wanted to see me and asked him to get me. That's the last time I saw her, on her 60th birthday.
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