“Reno & the Romance of Divorce” (Trailer)

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Reno and the Romance of Divorce

Written/directed/produced by John Cork and Lisa van Eyssen

madeincloverland.com

Anticipated completion: 2012/2013

 

Word is getting out about Reno and the Romance of Divorce, the first major documentary about divorce in America. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Cork explains the seriousness of the subject:

“This documentary will not ‘glorify’ divorce. It will tell the story of how changing our divorce laws created a more equal society between men and women. It’s a great story.”

 

Where the project stands:

• Get fiscal sponsor – San Francisco Film Society  DONE!
• Get PBS sponsor station – KNPB (PBS) Reno  DONE!
• Get starter grant and match it – Nevada Humanities  DONE!
• Get initial funders (the more funders, the stronger the campaign) – DONE!
• Get medium and large foundation grants – NEXT!   

We are ready to make this documentary! Please join us!

Bill and Sandra McGee, Creative Consultants on the Project

 

“Reno and the Romance of Divorce” (Poster)

Written/directed/produced by John Cork and Lisa van Eyssen, Cloverland

William L. McGee and Sandra McGee, Consultants

Anticipated completion: 2012/2013   Click here to view the trailer

What’s in a name — RENO REPORTER

In 2003, I was deep into research for The Divorce Seekers at the Nevada State Library in Carson City when I came across  microfiche for Reno Reporter, a weekly tabloid published from 1947 to 1950. The tabloid carried a social column that covered the Reno divorce colony (as it was called) and was full of society names, fascinating divorce stories, and — well — gossip and speculation. 

It was a different time then and not all divorce stories were sad. Check out this item from 1947:

“Marcus Daly III, scion of a Montana copper family that long since has been out of the penny stage, filed suit to sever the martial knot.

His wife, Mrs. Florence Daly, was right on the scene and filed a cross complaint. Then she produced her resident witness, none other than husband Marcus, who swore he had seen her every day of their six week stay.

There was nothing unusual about this to the Dalys. Last July, they traded husbands and wives with friends in a double divorce and marriage proposition in Missoula Montana. (Reno Reporter, October 31, 1947)

“The Divorce Seekers” (View KOLO-TV Interview)

Ed Pearce (KOLO-TV, Reno) interviews former 1940s Nevada dude wrangler Bill McGee on the site of the famous Flying M E divorce ranch, Washoe Valley, Nevada. November 2004.

“Welcome to Reno” (View video clip)

Welcome to Reno: America’s Divorce Resort – This special featurette recaptures Reno’s glamorous divorce era of the 1930s and ’40s. Produced by Cloverland for 20th Century Fox, this bonus extra accompanies the re-release on DVD of the 1939 film Charlie Chan in Reno (Fox produced all the Charlie Chan films in the 1930s and ’40s). Former 1940s Nevada divorce ranch wrangler Bill McGee provides on-camera commentary along with others of the era. (The 4-DVD box set, The Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 4, includes Charlie Chan in Reno, three other Charlie Chan movies, plus many bonus extras. Available from Amazon.) [This video clip is 2 mins; total running time for the featurette is 15 mins.]

 

The Marlboro Men

Former Nevada divorce ranch wrangler, Bill McGee, on the Flying M E dude-divorce ranch, Washoe Valley, Nevada, 1949.

 

The 1949 image that inspired Chicago adman Leo Burnett in the makeover of the Marlboro man.

    

 

TAKE A LISTEN… KNPR, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

March 1, 2011 — Take a listen to this interview on KNPR, Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas. 

Tales from Reno’s Divorce Ranches features on-air guests author Bill McGee (former 1940s dude wrangler on Nevada’s Flying M E divorce ranch), author Marilu Norden (former divorce ranch guest at Pyramid Lake Ranch), Beth Ward (former owner of the Whitney Ranch in Reno) and Mella Harmon (Reno divorce historian).  Take a listen.

RENO DIVORCE JARGON, 1930s to 1960s

 In the heydays of the Reno “quickie divorce”, publicity about the Reno divorce  colony generated its own terminology. 

 Excerpted from Reno Divorce Glossary, THE DIVORCE SEEKERS: A Photo Memoir of a Nevada Dude Wrangler by William L. McGee and Sandra McGee.

 

 The Spare                    The euphemistic name for the man or woman a divorce seeker brought with them to Reno for six weeks. The divorce seeker provided accommodations for “the spare” and usually intended to marry them when the divorce was final. Another term for “the spare” was “the cousin”. “Spares” and “cousins” kept the divorce seekers company during the six week residency period.

Alimony Park          The park across the street from the Washoe County Courthouse.

Bridge of Sighs         The  Truckee River Bridge where divorcees were said to toss their wedding rings into the Truckee River.

Divorce                       From the Latin divortium, to turn different ways, to separate.

Divorcé                       A man divorced

Divorcée                    A woman divorced

Divorce Capital of the World            Reno, Nevada

Divorce Mecca            Reno

Divorce Mill                Reno

Divorce Trade             Reno

Divorce Ranch            A term used by the national media during the quickie divorce era for a dude ranch catering to divorce seekers, usually from the wealthy or upper-classes.

Divorcée Special         Any train bringing divorce seekers to Reno

Divorce seekers           Males or females coming to Reno for a six-week divorce.

Going Reno                 A term for divorce seekers on the loose in Reno.

Golden Age of Divorce   1930s – 1960s.  Also: Heyday of Divorce.

Graduation Day          The day a divorce seeker — or “graduate” as they were called — receives  their divorce decree.

I’m Going to Reno!    A popular phrase used by a wife or husband to announce to their spouse that they’re going to Reno for a divorce.

Quickie Divorce          A divorce granted after a six-week residency in Nevada.

“The Reno”                 A type of bra that both “separates and supports.” The idea is attributed to Ruth Lusch, a colorful Reno publicist in the late 1940s.

Reno Divorce Colony      The Reno social set composed of locals and visiting divorce seekers.

Reno-vation                A term coined by Walter Winchell for the change that despondent spouses went through in Reno. Also: “Reno-vated” and “Get Reno-vated.”

Separation Center of the West            Reno

Severance Stay            Six weeks in Reno

Sin City                       Reno

Six-weekers                 Divorce seekers

State of Easy Divorce             Nevada

The Cure                     Synonym for divorce.  Also: “To Take the Cure”.

The Separator              Washoe County Courthouse

The Women’s Exchange         Washoe County Courthouse

Widow’s Corner         The Corner Bar at the Riverside Hotel, located down the street from the Washoe County Courthouse, where the Reno divorce colony met.

RENO DIVORCE MOVIES – List-in-Progress

Here’s a list of fun Reno divorce movies we’ve viewed on DVD or  TCM.  Please leave a comment to add a movie to the list. 

From www.oldies.com

• Night Life in Reno (1931)
• Peach-o-Reno (1931)
• Merry Wives of Reno (1934)

 

From www.netflix.com

• The Women (1939)
• The Opposite Sex (1956)
• The Misfits (1961)
• Charlie Chan in Reno (1939)

 

Viewed on  Turner Classic Movies

• Reno (1939)

 

Movies we’re still hoping to view:

• Maisie Goes to Reno (1944)
• Vacation in Reno (1946)

“Mad Men” Season Opener — Betty Draper Gets a Reno Divorce

In anticipation of the fourth season opener of AMC’s acclaimed Mad Men, there was speculation on if we would see scenes with Betty Draper in Reno getting a divorce. This created some buzz about Reno’s glamorous divorce ranch era of the 1940s and ’50s. Check out Priya Jain’s illustrated story, Betty Goes Reno, at Washington Post.