Comments on: Classic Thanksgiving scene in 'Giant'

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I got a kick out of this for a very different reason. I’ve known for years that “Giant” was filmed next door (and I mean literally next door), but I’ve never gotten around to watching it. As soon as I saw the mountains in that opening bit, I knew for sure that it was filmed right here. :)

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Using logic with children- doesn’t work. Reading a letter to them doesn’t work either. Ironic, the children are crying about a slain turkey while wearing an Indian headdress.

By: Neuron

Neuron — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

At first I thought I was gonna hear ET screaming about “little no neck monsters!” but that’s in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What! No gravy!?! I’m telling PETA on you!

By: voicegy

voicegy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

No amount of robotics, at least in my lifetime, could ever replace the ever-efficient and compliant
manservant.

By: voicegy

voicegy — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

No amount of robotics, at least in my lifetime, could ever replace the ever-efficient and compliant
manservant.

By: jimbuck

jimbuck — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My 5yo: “Dad, why don’t you eat meat?”
My 9yo: “How would *you* like it if someone shot your best friend and ate her?”

—-

No, my best friend is not a cow. It’ll be interesting to see if any of my kids decide to be vegetarians.

By: Prospero761

Prospero761 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

When she was a child, a friend of mine had very mean grandmother. After a trip to a farm/petting zoo where she fell in love with a lamb, my friend was helping grandma wash the dinner dishes. Grandma turned to my friend and said “You liked that little lamb, eh?” When my friend smiled and nodded, grandma said “Well, that’s what we just had for dinner!”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My favourite American Thanksgiving scene in a movie is still the one the summer camp play from Addams Family Values.

By: krylon

krylon — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

What it doesn’t tell me: be nice to animals
What it does tell me: get sterilized

By: igpajo

igpajo — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Never tell a kid where his food comes from!

By: CalperniaAddams

CalperniaAddams — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

From a filmmaking point of view, it’s interesting how the pace of these scenes feels sloooow compared to modern movies and TV. I like the slower pace, it lets you look around at the grass, the fence, the walls of the house, the people’s clothes, the racial inequalities… all kinds of things.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Children are usually upset when they figure out that what they are eating was once alive. Its only through conditioning that we are taught that its OK to eat animals. Do you remember when you figured that out? Does any of your friends or family?

By: Susan Oliver

Susan Oliver — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Everything else aside – animals, racial injustice, patriotic flagwaving – when the youngest starts absolutely blubbering, literally overflowering with tears, my heart just breaks. What in the world did they do to that poor child actor to make her cry like that?

By: piminnowcheez

piminnowcheez — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve never seen that before, but that was awesome. The snot-dripping was a brilliant bit of acting from the youngest girl. I’ll bet you that audience focus-group testing makes putting that much child wailing into a movie now impossible.

I’m told by my parents that at a certain age I regularly ruined their dinner with conversations like this:

“What kind of aminal was this?”

“It was a cow.”

“The poor cow. The poor, poor cow…”

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The little boy actor in the scene is Dennis Hopper.

By: pretzellogic

pretzellogic — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

There was quite likely someone under the table pinching the girl’s leg…

By: phlavor

phlavor — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Damn. Why’s the turkey gotta be Mexican?

Although I was aware of it, I’ve never seen Giant. That scene was a hoot on many levels. My Mother told me a story of being the only one of her brothers and sisters to realize that the family rabbit did not escape and it was not chicken that they were having for dinner. She just had some vegetables that night.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Enhanced security screening.

By: Andrea James

Andrea James — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@anon: while Dennis Hopper was in the film, he played Jordan “Jordy” Benedict III, the reluctant heir. It was his breakout role, and he was 20 when it came out.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Actually, it’s not. Dennis Hopper was a (grown) young man when he was in Giant. Maybe you just mean that it’s his character as portrayed by a child actor.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

the way you said “getting angry”, I was thinking through the entire clip, “when does the whupping start?”

By: Andrea James

Andrea James — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

@anon15: “enjoy getting angry” was a reference to this caption by Mark. It’s a phrase I intend to use a lot from here out.

By: gwailo_joe

gwailo_joe — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I enjoy getting angry, but I found this clip amusing.

Kids: so emotional, so innocent. . .so dumb.

Nice house with fireplace and cow skull and a turkey all to myself? Heaven. Why so glum? Figure he’d relish the peace and quiet. . .

Happy Thanksgiving!

By: normd

normd — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I have to watch Giant again, it has been a few years.

I was struck by how moved the manservant was by the children’s demonstration. I started to wonder what was going through his mind. He appreciated their feelings for poor Pedro. And was probably sad to know that in a few years these kids would be completely out of touch with their capacity for such feelings.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is more of a vehicle for Elizabeth Taylor’s smokiness.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

That’s a condition of urban/suburban living in the western world. Rural and farming communities have a closer connection to the food they eat. Children around the world regularly and happily slaughter animals for food whenever possible.

And this clip tells me, “You’ve done the right thing not having children. And young Liz Taylor was so smoking hot.”

By: Gunn

Gunn — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Wow. The past really is another country.

By: big ryan

big ryan — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

when my little sister was very young she would ask what animal we were eating for dinner, and then be very happy and excited to eat the animal all the time talking about the animal. No one was pushing this behavior she just really liked eating animals, especially sea food, I’ve never seen a little kid love seafood so much. My younger brother was the opposite, he would cry if anyone mentioned the species of what we were eating.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Now stuff down your feelings children, along with the carcass of your late friend Pedro.

By: Nadreck

Nadreck — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

First rule of farming: Never give a name to something you’re going to eat.