Reno (1939 film)

Reno
Reno
Directed by	John Farrow
Screenplay by	John Twist
Story by	Ellis St. Joseph
Produced by	Robert Sisk
Starring	Richard Dix; Anita Louise; Gail Patrick
Cinematography	J. Roy Hunt
Edited by	Harry Marker
Music by	Roy Webb
Production; company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	December 1, 1939;
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Reno is a 1939 film directed by John Farrow and starring Richard Dix, Gail Patrick and Anita Louise.^[1]

Plot[]

After a woman gambling in his Reno casino loses money and sues him trying to get it back, Bill Shear suddenly recognizes her as his own daughter, Joanne, someone he has not seen since a long-ago divorce.

Shear remembers what brought him to Nevada in the first place. As a young attorney, then known as William Shayne, he represented silver miners. He met and married Jessie Gibbs and became a father, but when the silver went bust, leaving Reno on the brink of becoming a ghost town, it was he who created a new identity for Reno as a place where unhappily married individuals could get a quick, painless divorce.

Neglecting his own family due to his work, Bill ironically is left alone when Jessie obtains one of those easy divorces, taking their child and leaving him. He is also disbarred and must find another line of work, which is how he came to be in the casino business now. Joanne, moved by her father's story, abandons her lawsuit against him.

Cast[]

Richard Dix as William Shayne, aka Bill Shear
Gail Patrick as Jessie Gibbs
Anita Louise as Mrs. Joanne Ryder
Paul Cavanagh as John R. Banton
Laura Hope Crews as Mrs. Gardner
Louis Jean Heydt as Judge Jimmy Howard
Hobart Cavanaugh as Abe Compass
Charles Halton as Augustus Welch
Astrid Allwyn as Flora McKenzie
Joyce Compton as Bonnie Newcomb
Frank Faylen as J. Hezmer "Hezzy" Briggs
William Haade as George Fields

Production[]

The film was based on a story by Ellis St Joseph which RKO bought in December 1938. Robert Sisk was assigned to be the producer^[2]

By May 1939 John Twist was writing the script and Richard Dix to star. It was Dix's first film under a new long-term contract with RKO, where the actor had some of his greatest successes, notably Cimarron.^[3]

John Farrow was assigned to direct in July 1939.^[4] Filming started August 1939.^[5]

Reception[]

The New York Times said "from beginning to end it is compounded as the sheerest twaddle."^[6]

References[]

^ Richard Jewell and Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p. 134
^ "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN- HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. Dec 20, 1938 – via ProQuest.
^ DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL (May 11, 1939). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. ProQuest 103018499.
^ Schallert, E. (Jul 13, 1939). "DRAMA". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165035083.
^ DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL (Aug 15, 1939). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. ProQuest 103064890.
^ "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW". New York Times. Dec 21, 1939. p. 29.

External links[]

Reno at IMDb
Reno at the TCM Movie Database
Reno at AllMovie
Reno at the American Film Institute Catalog

[rko_story-1] Richard Jewell and Vernon Harbin, The RKO Story. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. p. 134

[2] "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN- HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. Dec 20, 1938 – via ProQuest.

[3] DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL (May 11, 1939). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. ProQuest 103018499.

[4] Schallert, E. (Jul 13, 1939). "DRAMA". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 165035083.

[5] DOUGLAS W CHURCHILL (Aug 15, 1939). "SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD". New York Times. ProQuest 103064890.

[6] "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW". New York Times. Dec 21, 1939. p. 29.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]