Reno

"Reno" is a decent B movie about about the life and times of a Nevada divorce lawyer. We first meet William Shear as the proprietor of a Reno gambling casino. Strangely he is found to have a crooked roulette wheel. At his preliminary hearing, we learn his story and ultimately determine why this previously honest and respected casino owner resorted to cheating.

Shear was a Reno lawyer who made a good living litigating mining claims. He turned to representing women who wanted quickie divorces after the miners left. Because the movie industry's production code prevented favorable treatment of divorce, the institution of Nevada divorces is very negatively portrayed. Shear's clients are all greedy, unhappy people and most of them try to seduce Shear even though he is married. The divorce practice and Reno lifestyle take a serious toll on Shear's marriage and his client solicitation tactics get him into deep trouble.

The picture is worth watching as an interesting treatment of the problems of divorce and mining law practice in Reno in the early part of the century. Shear's character is well developed and the competition between Shear and an established Reno attorney is also interesting. The plot contrivances, however, are very creaky and the female roles are shallow and unengaging.

Lawyer Richard Dix comes out to Reno, Nevada, during the waning days of the silver-mining industry. When the mines close down, he becomes the first and most successful of the divorce industry.

Most of the movie concerns itself with his marriage to Gail Patrick, and its breakup due to the large number of attractive women getting divorces who seem to want to allow their husbands to divorce them for lack of faithfulness. Dix never quite falls, but he does neglect wife and child in his efforts to provide for them.

Dix remains one of RKO's true stars, but their efforts to vary his programmers -- this is one -- with an A picture every year or so had ended with the failure of 1935's TRANSATLANTIC TUNNEL. He could still give a magnificent, scenery-chewing performance when the chance came along, but the studio was more interested in the profits the cheaper programmers could produce.... until they used him up and let him go.

I am not sure exactly why, but I have always liked Richard Dix and try to see as many of his films as I can--even his B-movies and obscure films. Perhaps I like his movies because he was not all that handsome and didn't fit the Hollywood image of a leading man. Perhaps it was because although a rugged guy, he had a knack for being able to play vulnerable as well--such as in this film and "Ace of Aces". Whatever the exact reason, although he's practically forgotten today, I really like his films.

Here in "Reno", we have a moderately good movie and not a lot more--but Dix's performance manages to make it just a bit better. It begins in the present day and this part of the film is VERY hard to believe. It seems that he's accused of running a crooked gambling house but the entire rest of the film consists of Dix telling his life story and how THIS is the reason he arranged for one of his customers to lose. I could say a lot more but will suffice to say it's all been done to prevent this woman from making a mistake...the same sort of mistake Dix made decades earlier.

Well directed, a decent story and a nice amount of pathos and vulnerability make this a surprisingly good film--despite its relatively modest budget and scope.