Monday, April 13th, 2009
Back in the days of vaudeville, Gypsy Rose Lee and her mom found themselves booked into a third rate theater specializing in the dubious art of stripping. This was comically dramatized in the 1962 film version where the young “Gypsy” is introduced to the inner sanctum of stripping by a trio of strippers, each insisting, in her own inimitable way, that to succeed “You Gotta Have A Gimmick.” “Gimmick” is yesterday’s word for today’s all-purpose “hook,” as in: if you want to guarantee stardom on the world stage “You Gotta Have a Hook.” But in vaudeville “hook” meant if you gave a lousy performance somebody from backstage would wield a big, long hook and reel you right off the proscenium. There went your rent money and your reputation in show business. Not so today. Have a great hook and you’re in the running for whatever the media demands.
(more…)
Tags: age, characters, divorce, divorce ranch, Divorce Ranches, Edith Wharton, gimmick, hook, Nevada, novel, plot, Reno, Reno-vated, Santa Fe, six week cure, survivor, vaudeville, Washoe County, writing
Posted in 1950s, Divorce Ranches, Entertainment, General, Latest Book, Mixed Media, Paintings | Comments Off on How to Write a Novel at 83 … or 13
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Ever since a certain Gladys Marie Moore swore to a judge she was seeking a divorce from her husband Owen because he was an alcoholic, a brute, and had abandoned her, she established Nevada as the place to unravel “the ties that bind”. She stayed just 16 days at the Campbell Ranch in Genoa, Nevada in February of 1920 and the judge, Frank Langen of the Douglas County District Court in nearby Minden, without knowing Mrs. Moore was really America’s Sweetheart Mary Pickford, one of the greats of the silent movie era, granted her a divorce. “Little Mary” left Reno for Oakland, California by train and one month later wed Douglas Fairbanks, another idol of the silver screen, with whom she’d been engaged in an affair for several years. So, the Campbell Ranch was really the first divorce ranch, one of a long line of dude ranches catering to the convenience and anonymity of people seeking a quicker way to end their marriages than waiting the much longer time required in most other states in the U.S.
(more…)
Tags: 1950s, Campbell Ranch, divorce ranch, Divorce Ranches, Gladys Marie Moore, Mary Pickford, Nevada, Reno, Unbridled
Posted in Divorce Ranches, General, Latest Book | Comments Off on Ramblings on Divorce Ranches
Sunday, June 29th, 2008
Welcome to the blog of Marilu Norden. Marilu Norden is an accomplished actress, professional artist and author. Her first marriage resulted in a stay at a divorce ranch in Reno, Nevada during the 1950’s and is the basis for her new novel, UNBRIDLED: A TALE OF A DIVORCE RANCH.
Keep checking back as Marilu will offer insights on divorce ranches, her latest book, inspirations for her paintings and much more!
Tags: divorce ranch, Divorce Ranches, Marilu Norden, Nevada, Reno, Unbridled
Posted in Divorce Ranches, General, Latest Book | Comments Off on Welcome to Marilu’s Blog!
