Maisie Goes to Reno

Overworked World War II riveter Maisie Ravier Ann Sothern becomes irritable and begins winking at people involuntarily, so the factory’s doctor prescribes a two-week vacation with pay to let her recharge. On the way to some rest, she runs into her friend and bandleader Tommy Cutter Chick Chandler, who pitches a two-week singing engagement in Reno and convinces her to head there for a change of pace.

At the bus station, Maisie crosses paths with Sergeant Bill Fullerton Tom Drake, who is desperate to stop his wealthy wife Gloria Fullerton Ava Gardner from divorcing him. When his leave is canceled because his unit is relocating, he asks Maisie to personally deliver a letter to Gloria, hoping to avert a separation that could end his marriage and future.

In Reno, a sly setup unfolds. Blackjack dealer Flip Hennahan John Hodiak knows where Gloria is staying and drives Maisie to a secluded resort. But Maisie is tricked into believing Gloria’s private secretary, Winifred “Wini” Ashbourne Marta Linden, is actually Gloria herself. Wini and Gloria’s business manager, Roger Pelham Paul Cavanagh, are pressing for the divorce for reasons never fully explained, and they hire the unscrupulous J. E. Clave Bernard Nedell to forge a letter that would convince Gloria that Bill never truly cared for her money, not love.

As Maisie tentatively explores a romance with Flip, she realizes she’s being manipulated and resolves to gather evidence to prove Gloria is being exploited. She manages to obtain a blotter that could reveal Clave’s forgery, but Clave discovers the trouble and the trio retrieves the evidence and burns it. Meanwhile, Flip starts to worry that Maisie is slipping into a breakdown, further complicating the situation.

A tense phone call from Bill pushes Maisie to act that night: she urges him to hurry to Reno before it’s too late. To complicate matters, she enlists hotel bellboy Jerry [Roland Dupree] to help stage a kidnapping of Gloria, hoping to draw Gloria and Bill back together. Maisie is caught in the act, but Flip convinces the police that she isn’t in her right mind, and she is released into Flip’s custody.

When Bill finally arrives, Maisie and he rush to the courthouse, where the estranged couple’s reunion is ultimately achieved and the tangled web of deceit begins to unwind. With Gloria reassured and the misunderstandings cleared up, the two are restored to their marriage, and the fraught Reno caper ends with everything settled and the couple back on track.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 11:55