Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliNative
original posted by ethereal_reality
Who honeymoons in Yuma?
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It's not that they were honeymooning in Yuma...they tied the knot in Yuma.
Due to the lack of marriage laws (
no three day waiting period..
no blood tests...) Yuma, Arizona was the marriage haven of the Southwest back in
the early 1930’s-1950’s. Lovebirds flocked in by plane, train or automobile for a quickie elopement.
below: Rev. Gillis'
"Mecca of Romance"
http://oncestarted.blogspot.com/2006...a-arizona.html
This was written on the back:
"This is a town where one can secure a marriage license immediately and they have several places like this where couples from all over the Southwest get married.
Many movie stars come here to marry. They have very large signs along the highway coming from Calif and just inside the city of Yuma to advertise the ease with which once can get married."
Backlog at a Yuma wedding chapel-
LOOK_magazine
Here's Rev. Coleman's money-maker.
http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/azroute80pc11.html
Rev. Coleman married 18,000 and buried 805 people, as he was also a local coroner.
...and the
famous Gretna Green.
Robert Florczak at
http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/wor.../gretna-35.jpg
Errol Flynn and Lili Damita were married here in 1935.
But in this view of Gretna Green the building looks entirely different! (yet the trellis looks the same)
ebay
above: This building looks like Gillis' place (in the first photograph above) so I'm confused.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliNative
Yuma has one attraction I wouldn't miss--Lute's casino.
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CaliNative, you'll be happy to know R.H. Lutes was the most prolific 'marrying judge'.
http://anselmarshall.blogspot.com/20...nd-40s_02.html
"R.H. Lutes presided at some 60,000 weddings at Lutes’ Gretna Wedding Chapel and was consummating about 150 weddings a week in those times.
He reportedly slept on the couch in his bathrobe and learned to sleep about 15 minutes at a time. Not only did the people flock in consistently but Lutes also
had his sons running to the railroad or bus station to pick up those eager to wed. The rush was constant as Gretna was open 24 hours a day during the war years."
http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/azroute80pc11.html
R.H. Lutes served as Justice of the Peace for 14 years. Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Bette Davis, Loretta Young, John Barrymore, Franchot Tone, and Victor Mature
were among some of the celebrities to elope at the Lutes family’s chapel. besides the speedier process, another reason to come to Yuma was to escape publicity.
ebay
"In 1956 the law passed in Arizona demanding a blood test in order to legally constitute a marriage. Many competitors stood no chance against this law.
However, Lutes saw this as an asset to his business as his son Bill studied biological sciences at the University of Arizona, and thus opened a serology lab.
With the help of Dr. Roy R. Knotts, a former physician at the Yuma Prison, Lutes chapel was a success. If by any chance the test came back positive for disease,
Knotts would simply give them a shot and send them on their way to the altar. The law stated that as long as you were receiving treatments you could get married."
lol..can you imagine!
sources:
http://yumanews.net/2014/05/19/lutes...tory-unveiled/
http://www.theerrolflynnblog.com/201...a-az-then-now/
There's still some confusion though. I'm not 100% convinced Lutes chapel was ever called Gretna Green.