On-Screen Portrayals of Reno, Nevada, in Television and Film
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University of Nevada, Reno “Make the Biggest Little Mistake of Your Life” — On-Screen Portrayals of Reno, Nevada, in Television and Film Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography By Scott Speer Dr Paul F. Starrs/Thesis Advisor August 2013 i Abstract Reno, Nevada, is a subject seen and mentioned many times in film and television over the past century. On-screen depictions use ways to create a sense of place that often focus on specific aspects of a place and omit others. Due to the wide audience that Hollywood productions receive, how places are viewed in film and on television affects the overall public perception of that place. Reno, Nevada, has been portrayed as a center for divorce, gambling, and prostitution, as well as being the place to go if you’re washed-up, on the run, or are uneducated trailer trash. The pub- lic’s perception of Reno changes over time, and can easily be followed by examining the films and television that feature this self-described “big- gest little city in the world.” ii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................ i Table of Contents ............................................................................................. ii List of Figures .................................................................................................. v Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 3 Sense of Place .................................................................................................. 5 How film establishes place ...................................................................... 7 The Reno Arch ........................................................................................ 9 Choosing a Place as a Setting ............................................................... 11 History and Background ................................................................................ 14 Reno Divorce ........................................................................................ 14 Gambling .............................................................................................. 16 Reno Divorce Films ........................................................................................ 19 Reno (1939) .......................................................................................... 19 Night Life in Reno (1931) ....................................................................... 21 The Merry Wives of Reno (1934) ............................................................ 25 Story Conference (1934) ........................................................................ 28 iii Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) .................................................................. 29 The Women (1939) ................................................................................ 32 Romantic Nevada (1943) ....................................................................... 34 Maisie Goes to Reno (1944) ................................................................... 37 The Misfits (1961) ................................................................................. 40 Desert Hearts (1985) ............................................................................. 43 The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ...................................................... 45 Mad Men 3:13: Shut the Door, Have a Seat (2009) ................................. 46 Edie & Pen (1996) ................................................................................. 47 The Decline of Divorce and a Focus on Other Vices ........................................ 50 Prostitution in Reno .............................................................................. 50 California Split (1974) ........................................................................... 51 Love Ranch (2010) ................................................................................ 54 Reno as a Second-Rate City: A Sophisticated Sort of Down-and-Out .............. 57 Melvin and Howard (1980) .................................................................... 60 Sister Act (1992) ................................................................................... 61 The Muppets (2011) .............................................................................. 64 The Waterhole (2009) ............................................................................ 66 Pink Cadillac (1989) .............................................................................. 68 iv Fathers’ Day (1997) .............................................................................. 70 Blind Fury (1989) .................................................................................. 73 Hard Eight (1996) ................................................................................. 76 The Deep End (2001) ............................................................................. 79 El Cortez (2006) .................................................................................... 82 Reno Becomes the Butt of the Joke ................................................................ 86 Kingpin (1996) ...................................................................................... 88 Waking Up in Reno (2002) ..................................................................... 91 Arrested Development Season 3:1: Cabin Show (2005) .......................... 93 Reno 911! (2003–2009) ......................................................................... 96 Conclusions ................................................................................................. 100 References ................................................................................................... 102 v List of Figures Figure 1: Reno’s four arches ........................................................................... 11 Figure 2: Reno (1939) ..................................................................................... 20 Figure 3: Night Life in Reno (1931) .................................................................. 23 Figure 4: The Merry Wives of Reno (1934) ....................................................... 27 Figure 5: Story Conference (1934) ................................................................... 28 Figure 6: Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) ............................................................ 31 Figure 7: The Women (1939) ........................................................................... 33 Figure 8: Romantic Nevada (1943) .................................................................. 37 Figure 9: Maisie Goes to Reno (1944) .............................................................. 39 Figure 10: The Misfits (1961) .......................................................................... 41 Figure 11: Desert Hearts (1985) ...................................................................... 44 Figure 12: The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ............................................... 45 Figure 13: Mad Men (2009) ............................................................................. 47 Figure 14: Edie & Pen (1996) .......................................................................... 49 Figure 15: California Split (1974) .................................................................... 53 Figure 16: Love Ranch (2010) ......................................................................... 55 Figure 17: Melvin and Howard (1980) ............................................................. 61 vi Figure 18: Sister Act (1992) ............................................................................ 62 Figure 19: The Muppets (2011) ....................................................................... 65 Figure 20: The Waterhole (2009) ..................................................................... 67 Figure 21: Pink Cadillac (1989) ....................................................................... 70 Figure 22: Fathers’ Day (1997) ....................................................................... 72 Figure 23: Blind Fury (1989) ........................................................................... 75 Figure 24: Hard Eight (1996) .......................................................................... 77 Figure 25: The Deep End (2001) ..................................................................... 82 Figure 26: El Cortez (2006) ............................................................................. 83 Figure 27: Kingpin (1996) ............................................................................... 90 Figure 28: Waking Up in Reno (2002) .............................................................. 92 Figure 29: Arrested Development (2005) ......................................................... 94 Figure 30: Reno 911! (2006) ........................................................................... 98 1 Introduction For the public at large, film and television have a major effect on their perceptions of what any given place in the world is like. With over 57,000,000 square miles of dry land surface on earth (World Atlas 2013), most people will understandably never have an opportunity to see the globe. Film and television give the average person a shot at learning about places