Night Life in Reno (1931)A story of love, humor and drama against the background of America's "Biggest Little City." An (interrupted) indiscretion by John Wyatt with a floozy prompts his wife, June, to make a trip ... See full summary » Director:Raymond CannonWriter:Gloria Stiratt (story) |
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Title: Night Life in Reno (1931)
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Cast
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Virginia Valli | ... |
June Wyatt
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Jameson Thomas | ... |
John Wyatt
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Dorothy Christy | ... |
Gwen Maynard
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Arthur Housman | ... |
Roy Carlton
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Dixie Lee | ... |
Dorothy Pierce
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Clarence Wilson | ... |
Adrian Garrett
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Carmelita Geraghty | ... |
Rita Carlton
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Pat O'Malley | ... |
District Attorney
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
A story of love, humor and drama against the background of America's "Biggest Little City." An (interrupted) indiscretion by John Wyatt with a floozy prompts his wife, June, to make a trip to Reno, Nevada in order to get a quickie six-week-waiting-period divorce. John, penitent over his past actions (since he got caught), follows his wife to Reno and manages a reconciliation after a murder gives him a chance to prove his true devotion. Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
2 November 1931 (USA) See more »Company Credits
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This is an adult comedy for 1931. It hints at adultery, prostitution, and swinging (wife swapping). None of this subject matter could have been handled as openly three years later when the Hayes Moral Code started to be enforced.
Jameson Thomas is pretty good as the lead. He made this three years before playing gold-digger King Wesley, the rival to Clark Gable for Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night." Dixie Lee who married Bing Crosby and died tragically young at 42 has a small part as the woman who seduces Thomas away from his wife. She is quite radiant. She could have been another Jean Harlow perhaps with some breaks.
Clarence Wilson as a shady divorce lawyer named Garrett, Arthur Housman who specialized in playing drunks, as he does here, and Carmelita Garaughty, as a scorned women seeking revenge, liven up the movie with good performances.
It is interesting to see a Reno casino in a hotel circa 1931 and see the open prostitution and male and female sexual hunting going on there. Apparently women and men had to wait six weeks to finalize their divorce and they typically sort out new sexual adventures while waiting for the final decree. This is something I would not have known about except for this movie.
The direction was quite stagy with mostly long medium and full wide shots. It looks more like a 1921 film than 1931, possibly because of the sensitive new sound equipment which made camera moves difficult. Still, the interesting subject matter overcome this handicap to make the movie quite watchable and generally interesting.