Photographer to tell story of legendary Harolds Club

RENO - Sporting a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and sandals, Reno's Steve Ellison more resembles a surfer than Indiana Jones. But during the past year, Ellison, a professional portrait photographer, has dug up a treasure trove of artifacts from one of Reno's iconic businesses - Harolds Club - and plans to craft the best of it into a feature-length documentary.

"It's the story of Harolds Club and the Smith family that built and founded it," said Ellison, who has been working with longtime local historians Dwayne Kling and Neal Cobb on the project. "It's such a crazy story how (the Smith family) founded this club and the way they promoted it and, in doing so, they made Reno world-famous."

Harolds Club was founded on a shoestring in downtown Reno in 1934 and operated by Harold Smith, Raymond Smith and "Pappy" Smith for nearly 40 years. It was sold to Howard Hughes in 1970, then went through several owners before being closed in 1995 and razed in 1997.

Today, the club lives largely in the memories of dedicated former employees, Reno old-timers and history buffs. Harrah's Plaza now encompasses the site of what was once the largest and most successful casino in America.

"You go downtown to the site of Harolds Club, and there's not a plaque, not a sign," Ellison told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "No one even knows."

It's a story worth telling, and Cobb and Kling, both former Harolds Club employees, are thrilled Ellison has taken on the challenge.

"This guy is a go-getter," Cobb said of Ellison. "He's doing all of this on his own. I personally believe it's a great story to be told. The subject matter is out there, and he's doing a great job pulling it all together. I think when we see the final cut, this is going to be impressive."

In February 1935, 25-year-old Harold Smith borrowed $500 from his father to open a small gambling club in downtown Reno. Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931, and, combined with liberalized divorce laws, Reno was a great place for a young entrepreneur. The Smith family had been involved in the carnival business in California.

Harold was soon joined by his brother, Raymond A., but the business initially struggled. After a few months, the brothers were joined by their father, Raymond I. "Pappy" Smith, who became general manager and turned things around.

"Pappy Smith had a saying: 'If it's good for Reno, it's good for Harolds Club. If it's good for Harolds Club, it's good for Reno,'" Ellison said. "He didn't have any problems when he did his marketing to pump up Reno. He always thought, 'We'll get our fair share of the trade.' "

Harolds Club's biggest publicity coup was erecting more than 2,000 billboards at points around the country and the world - including war zones - reading "Harolds Club or Bust."

The club also introduced female dealers, put an emphasis on slot machines and even offered handouts to big losers. The building itself was a living tribute to the Old West with a Roaring Camp Museum, gun collection and a famous mural that graced the front of the casino.

The family emphasized community philanthropy - giving to local churches, schools and service groups - and treated employees like family. More than 40 years after the Smiths sold the casino, former employees known as the Harolds Club Pioneers still get together monthly and raise funds for local causes.

Ellison, a history buff and first-time filmmaker, became interested in making a documentary after reading Kling's book, "A Family Affair: Harolds Club and the Smiths Remembered," which was published by the University of Nevada Oral History program in 2003.

"I just thought this is really compelling stuff, and I think it's really important for people to know about," Ellison said. "I read the book, and then I read it again. Then I said, I'm just going to watch the documentary that somebody must have made on this club."

That is when he learned no such documentary had ever been made. So, working with Kling and Cobb, Ellison began collecting material, interviewing surviving Smith family members and former employees. He also located a treasure trove of photos of the club's interior in a cabinet inside CommRow, a development in the old Fitzgeralds hotel and casino in downtown Reno. The Fitzgerald Group was one of the owners of Harolds Club in the years after the Smith family sold it.

Ellison said he hopes the documentary will be aired on PBS. He also plans to make DVDs available for sale and to enter it in film festivals. He hopes to have the documentary finished by the end of the year or the early part of 2013.