Reunion in Reno

{{Short description|1951 film by Kurt Neumann}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Reunion in Reno | image = Reunion in Reno.jpg | caption = | director = [[Kurt Neumann (director)|Kurt Neumann]] | producer = [[Leonard Goldstein]] | writer = {{ubl|[[Lou Breslow]]|[[Hans Jacoby]]|[[William Sackheim]]|[[Brenda Weisberg]]|Shirley White}} | narrator = | starring = {{ubl|[[Mark Stevens (actor)|Mark Stevens]]|[[Peggy Dow]]|[[Gigi Perreau]]}} | music = [[Joseph Gershenson]] | cinematography = [[Maury Gertsman]] | editing = [[Virgil W. Vogel]] | studio = [[Universal Pictures]] | distributor = Universal Pictures | released = {{Film date|1951|10|6|[[Reno, Nevada]]|1951|10|19|Los Angeles|ref1=<ref name="premiere"/>|ref2=<ref name="scott"/>}} | runtime = 79 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''Reunion in Reno''''' is a 1951 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Kurt Neumann (director)|Kurt Neumann]] and starring [[Mark Stevens (actor)|Mark Stevens]], [[Peggy Dow]] and [[Gigi Perreau]]. The screenplay concerns a girl who hires an attorney to obtain a divorce from her parents. The film's sets were designed by the [[art director]]s [[Bernard Herzbrun]] and [[Nathan Juran]].

==Plot== Nine-year-old girl Maggie Linaker arrives in [[Reno, Nevada]] to find divorce lawyer Norman Drake, who is berated by stenographer Laura Carson for profiting from divorce rather than helping couples reconcile. Maggie explains that she would like to divorce her parents and offers Norman all of her money, $3.27. Norman and Laura are unable to persuade Maggie to disclose her parents' names or location. Norman finds Maggie's parents, Frederick Linaker and his pregnant wife Doris, who are shocked by what their daughter has done. Maggie was supposed to be on a bus trip to a Nevada summer camp.

At a mock trial in a judge's court, Maggie explains that she overheard her parents say that they cannot afford to raise two children. Doris reassures her that it was merely a worry, not a reason to leave. The Linakers return home and Norman and Laura think about marriage.

==Cast== * [[Mark Stevens (actor)|Mark Stevens]] as Norman Drake * [[Peggy Dow]] as Laura Carson * [[Gigi Perreau]] as Margaret "Maggie" Angeline Linaker * [[Frances Dee]] as Mrs. Doris Linaker * [[Leif Erickson (actor)|Leif Erickson]] as B. Frederick Linaker * [[Ray Collins (actor)|Ray Collins]] as Judge Thomas Kneeland * [[Fay Baker]] as Miss Pearson * [[Myrna Dell]] as Mrs. Virginia Mason * [[Dick Wessel]] as Taxi Driver * [[Sid Tomack]] as Serge Field * Stuart Morgan Dancers as Dancing Ensemble

== Release == The film's world premiere was held in [[Reno, Nevada]] on October 6, 1951, with the stars of the film in attendance. [[Jeff Chandler]] acted as master of ceremonies for the stage show before the screening. Other celebrities attending the premiere included [[Rock Hudson]] and [[Susan Cabot]].<ref name="premiere">{{Cite news |last=Hopper |first=Hedda |date=1951-10-11 |title=Charlton Heston Set for Billy Wilder Film |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=8, Part III}}</ref>

== Reception == In a contemporary review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', critic John L. Scott wrote: "This film story, wholesome and unpretentious, ... features a blend of light comedy and pathos and spotlights a talented 9-year-old child with winning ways, Gigi Perreau. The movie is the little girl's from beginning to end. ... Little Miss Perreau is an appealing child star and her performance avoids, for the most part, the 'cute' tricks usually associated with screen tots."<ref name="scott">{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=John L. |date=1951-10-20 |title=Gigi Perreau, 9, Wins Honors in Reno Story |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=7}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== * Quinlan, David. ''The Film Lover's Companion: An A to Z Guide to 2,000 Stars and the Movies They Made''. Carol Publishing Group, 1997.

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0043965}}

[[Category:1951 films]] [[Category:1951 comedy films]] [[Category:American comedy films]] [[Category:Films directed by Kurt Neumann]] [[Category:Films set in Nevada]] [[Category:Universal Pictures films]] [[Category:American black-and-white films]] [[Category:1951 English-language films]] [[Category:1951 American films]] [[Category:English-language comedy films]]