The Washington times., 1938-02-09
BY PAUL CALICO


"Thanks for the memorie
whirrrrrr and then-"Thump-t,
Feet scrape on the dance floor
The little roulette ball makes its
dry sound spinning around the
rim of the wheel. The room is full
Of smoke and voices and laughter
Of women. Sometimes the voice
Of the keno announcer, brittly
metallic breaks through-"Num,
ber "a second row -"
"Wada, wada, wa-da decide
6o-do!"
HER FIRST GLIMPSE
Mrs. Failure on the second day
Of the six weeks cure orders an,
other drink, and moves down a lit.
tie at the bar to make room for
the big cowpuncher in the blue
overalls, high.heeled boots, black
shirt and black hat, and pictur-
esque range-rider's jacket of black
leather.trimmed with fur. She is
getting her first glimpse Of her
new home for six weeks-Reno,
New.
That is Reno at night. Drink
and forget. Dance and forget.
Gamble and forget. Live high, live
hearty, for tomorrow we are free;
tomorrow we choose a new mate.
Why be lonely? Why be bored?
Why sit in the chair by the win
dow and moon over what might
have been? Reno has 66 bars ana
cabarets, 20 gambling casinos, $40
slot machines.
RENO EXCITING
Reno has license, liquor. liberty
and love. See that lovely, refined
looking woman over there, sitting
at the blackjack table with the
young cowboy in checked shirt,
weather stained leather jacket and
10-gallon hat? That's her hus'
band. She once was the wife of a
university professor. She divorced
him, married the coWpuncher and
stayed on in Reno. She is wealthy
and they run a fine stable OF
horses. Anything can happen in
Reno.
Exciting Reno! Make your ex
penses for the six weeks in one
night at the roulette table. Or
blow your bankroll, attorneys fee
and all, and wire back to husband
for more. Six weeks of whoopee,
four minutes in court. The big
United plane touches earth in the
airport floodlights, and then wings
eastward with the misses who
were Mrs"
PLENTY OF CASINOS
Walk the streets of Reno, and
there they are, one practically next
to the other, the bars and gam
bling places-the Silver Dollar, the
Bank Club, the Palace Club, the
Waldorf Club, the swank Fortune
Club where the food is as good as
at "21," or the Stork Club in New
York, the gay Town House, and
on the outskirts the combination
roadhouse and gambling casino,
the tavern, where Herman from
Vienna presides over wonderful
food flown from California.
The clubs and casinos lie on
the main streets, next to the cloth
ing shops, drug stores, grocery
stores, etc.
The Bank Club is typical of one
kind of gambling joint. Upon
entering, you find yourself in a
huge room, jammed, mostly with
men in working clothes. A bar
runs along the side. Along the
other wall are three or four tables
with stud poker games running
with from five to six men play
ing with a green eye-shaded, shirt
sleeved dealer. Two faro games
are running. You will always see
a Chinese at one of the faro ta'
bles. The rest of the room is
taken up with roulette, craps. and
the inevitable blackjack. There
is a big wheel of the country fair
type that pays from 81 to 40-1
In the rear are blackboards with
the track results from around the
country, and keno and number
horse racing games.
It costs but 10 cents to play a
game, and here the women taking
the cure, sit by the scores. and
play, young ones, old ones,
mothers with their daughters,
newcomers to the Reno divorce
mill, old.timers taking their sec
ond or third treatment. The at.
mosphere is one of quiet and
breeding. No one ever seems to
get drunk. Reno wants no dis.
order.
It is only Mrs. Failure and her
sisters who live the sizzling high
pressure hot-Spot high-de-ho exist
ence that Reno has to offer.
(TOmOrrOw: EnvirOnS Of Reno,
the hideaways.)
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