Tag: Reno divorce

Classic Films · Dramas

The Misfits

LizLocke2 Comments
Image Credit: The Misfits, 1961

They had me at Thelma Ritter. I knew going into The Misfits (Disc/Download) that it would be the most depressing corner of Reno Divorce Month, but I pushed through for Thelma. A pure delight in every picture she graced, this character actress could make even the most difficult watch something to look forward to. She was the shining star who guided us home.

John Huston’s film about the decaying mythology of the west is a tough but important film. It was the last one for both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and knowing this fact makes every scene seem like a race against the clock. Those mythological creatures, the biggest box office stars of their day, just… gone. The sixties ushered in a period of revolution in cinema, where “dream factories” shuttered their doors and an actor or actress was only as popular as their last role. But then there was Thelma, like a bridge between worlds. She could exist in movies like All About Eve as well as Technicolor confections like Pillow Talk and A New Kind of Love without missing a beat. It made sense that she would be cast in the role of Isabelle Steers, the owner of a Reno boardinghouse, because Thelma was an actress who rolled with the times. Her character was there for the quickie marriages and quickie divorces, just as the actress was there for the rise and demise of the Hollywood studio system. A dependable presence in a world of fleeting dreams.

I love the scene where Thelma calls Nevada the “Leave It” state. As in, “Ya got money you want to gamble? Leave it here. You got a wife you want to get rid of? Get rid of her here. Extra Atom bomb you don’t need? Blow it up here. Nobody’s gonna mind in the slightest.” Taking inspiration from this quote, and the scent of sage as she and Marilyn are rolling through the desert, while watching The Misfits, I recommend drinking a “Leaf-it” State.

“Leaf-it” State

2 oz Blood Orange Juice

2-3 Fresh Sage Leaves

2 oz Bourbon

¾ oz Lime Juice

¾ oz Simple Syrup

1 Egg White

Muddle sage leaves with lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker. Add bourbon, blood orange juice, and egg white. Dry shake (without ice) for 30 seconds. Add ice to the shaker, and shake again until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a sage leaf.

“Leaf-It” State

I can’t let this post go by without mentioning Eli Wallach, my favorite scroodily-doo, who is equal parts sweet and horrible in this movie. Out of the three men Marilyn accompanies on a mustang-hunting expedition, he’s the one I kind of want to rope up and leave in the desert by the end. Montgomery Clift, I just want to hug, and Clark—well, I guess I’d want to ask why his character was sweet on Marilyn when Thelma was there the whole time. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

The Women

LizLocke2 Comments
Image credit: The Women, 1939

The d-i-v-o-r-c-e train chugs along this week with one of my all-time favorite classic film comedies, George Cukor’s The Women (Disc/Download)! Featuring an entirely female cast and adapted by screenwriters Anita Loos and Jane Murfin from Clare Boothe Luce’s play, this film is an incredibly clever take on the upper echelons of New York society. From the nail salon to the Reno boardinghouse, these ladies come with sharp claws, sharper tongues, and fabulous clothes. When “Gowns and Fashion Show by Adrian” appears in the opening credits, you know you’re in for a good time.

If you’re looking for a shining example of Golden Age star-power, look no further than The Women. The entire cast reads like a who’s who of the Max Factor appointment book. Frequent Cinema Sips readers know I love a soap opera, so naturally I adore this tale of unfaithful spouses and society gossip. Norma Shearer brings a tough elegance to the character of Mary, who finds herself at the center of a cheating scandal involving her husband and a perfume counter girl (Joan Crawford), but it’s the fast-talking Rosalind Russell who gets the great lines and even greater fashions. From a blouse covered in glittery eyes to headpieces that defy gravity, she’s the one to watch. Oddly, this black & white movie is interrupted by a long Technicolor fashion show sequence, which is jarring and fantastic all at the same time. I love the clothes, I just… don’t know what they’re doing there? I probably would have cut the scene in favor of more Reno time because Mary gains a terrific group of gal pals on the train to Nevada. I wanted more time with them, more lazy days on the ranch, more Marjorie Main as the salty boardinghouse owner- just more!

As Olga the loose-lipped manicurist will attest, Jungle Red is the color for nails. I decided to make a Spritz twist on the classic Jungle Bird cocktail because it’s appropriately named, appropriately colored, and good for those hot Reno days spent waiting for Buck Winston to call. While watching The Women, I recommend drinking a Jungle Cat.

Jungle Cat

1 ½ oz Campari

¾ oz Pineapple Gum Syrup

3 oz Sparkling Wine

1 oz Soda Water

Lime Slices

Combine Campari and pineapple syrup in a shaker without ice. Shake well to combine, then pour into a glass filled with ice. Top with sparkling wine and soda water, and garnish with lime slices.

I love that this movie includes several different reasons for the Reno Divorce because it shows how complicated marriages (and their dissolutions) can be. There’s the reluctant divorce, the resigned divorce, even the aborted divorce! But in the end, I don’t even care what happens to the men in their lives- I just want these women to get the good apartment, maybe get a new Adrian gown, and most of all, get revenge. Cheers!

Dramas

Desert Hearts

LizLocke2 Comments
Image credit: Desert Hearts, 1985

Most of the time, when weird, arcane laws are created, it’s done to disenfranchise an already vulnerable population. A notable exception, however, were the progressive Nevada divorce laws of the 20th century. Due to the state’s generous list of allowable grounds for the dissolution of a marriage, and a relatively short (six week) period in which a person had to live there to establish residency, an entire industry sprang up in Reno, NV to support the women coming west to seek their freedom. I love seeing the Reno divorce portrayed onscreen because it’s usually an opportunity to showcase a group of fantastic actresses who are so much more than accessories to their male costars. Throughout the month of July I’ll be highlighting some of my favorites, beginning with this week’s groundbreaking Desert Hearts (Disc/Download).

There are three things I love about the Reno divorce, and this movie has them all:

  1. A salty boardinghouse owner
  2. Desert vistas
  3. Women looking extremely comfortable in jeans

Seriously, it’s just so great to watch someone shake off a bad marriage, put on a pair of pants, and get back on the horse- literally! In this case, our main divorcée Vivian (Helen Shaver) finds herself attracted to free-spirited local Cay (the very sexy Patricia Charbonneau), and it’s a relationship that’s explored with tenderness and depth not often seen in movies of this era. Desert Hearts definitely has a Dirty Dancing “1950s in the 1980s” feel, however, the Patsy Cline tracks bring us back to the correct era. Although the movie is centered on Vivian’s growth, I find Cay to be the more interesting character because she doesn’t make apologies for who she is. She proudly claims her sexuality, in an era when not many women were brave enough to do so. Desert Hearts isn’t an “issue” movie, and it doesn’t pit these characters against society. It’s a lovely, intimate film about people and relationships, and how we define freedom.

One thing to keep in mind about these Reno boarding houses is that the liquor flows freely. It was tough to pick a spirit this week, but in the end I had to go with tequila. I can imagine coming in after a hot day of horseback riding to a cold cocktail and a Johnny Cash record. While watching Desert Hearts, I recommend drinking a Desert Bloom cocktail

Desert Bloom

2 oz Silver Tequila

2 oz Pomegranate Juice

3/4 oz Cointreau

3/4 oz Lime Juice

1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a tumbler filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a succulent.

If you’re looking for more stories of Reno divorces and strong, outspoken women, then definitely keep an eye on Cinema Sips this month, and pick up a copy of the new novel by Maureen Lee Lenker, It Happened One Fight, available 7/11! I love this romance set in the Golden Age of Hollywood for a lot of reasons, but especially for the way it uses those loosy-goosy Nevada laws to solve a problem that could have only been created by the movies. Cheers, and happy reading!