Sheriff Johnny Reno

Dated, corny and laughable western,at times, that has US marshall Dana Andrews riding from Kansas to a small town where lives his old flame : Jane Russell. Along the way and heading to the town, he his shot by two brothers, and forced to defend himself, killing one of them. Dana Andrews after hearing him learns that they shot thinking he was after them . As he captures the survivor brother and attempting to save him. As the Marshal tries to protect an accused killer from lynching by some feared townsfolks who are set on his death . Later on, Marshall Dana Andrews and sheriff Lon Chaney Jr, on the trail of justice, hold the prisoner lockup , being besieged by the nasty citizens as the saloon owner : Tom Drake, Land baron : Jon Agar and Mayor Lyle Bettger.

Average Western with thrills, shootouts, and violent brawls at saloon between Dana Andrews and Lyle Bettger. Paramount made Western in low budget with a good but faded cast. Seventh of thirteen westerns producer Lyles movies made in the mid-Sixties, all of them realized in short budget and with similar tarnished stars of the 40s and 50s. Stars Dana Andrews as a sheriff who captures a fugitive insisting he is innocent, as he will have to protect him due to the whole town wants him hanged. He is accompanied by the always sex-pot Jane Russell as a mature Saloon woman, one-time girlfriend of the starring. Of interest for star-watching only, as here shows up known secondaries as the following ones : Lon Chaney , Lyle Bettger, John Agar, Tom Drake, Richard Arlen, Robert Lowery, among others

It contains a lousy cinematography in Techniscope by Harold Stine and atmospheric musical score by Jimmie Haskell. The motion picture was middlingly directed by R. G. Springsteen. This filmmaker made several Westerns since 1945 for Republic Pictures, as he was director of Red Ryder series. After that, he realized B Westerns as Cole Younger, Gunfighter, King of the wild stallions, Showdowm, He rides calm, Bullet for a badman, Taggart. Subsequently, he made for producer A. C. Lyles and delivered by Paramount Pictures , as follows : Black spurs, Apache uprising, Waco, Red Tomahawk, Hostile guns and Johnny Reno. Rating 4.5/10. So-so and very average oater.

How ironic if Tom Drake and his brother hadn't fired on U.S. Marshal Dana Andrews one of them wouldn't have wound up dead and we would have had no film called Johnny Reno.

Dana Andrews plays the title role and he's drawn into a nasty local situation when that ambush happens. He brings Drake back to town to stand trial, but finds the town in a strange mood. They literally genuflect when their Mayor Lyle Bettger gives an order. Bettger really did not want to see Drake again.

Drake's accused of killing the son of a nearby Kiowa chief. That in it self is strange, why is Bettger and the town all worried about the death of an Indian which Drake protests he never did? Turns out there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.

A.C. Lyles once again provides work for several players of the forties and fifties who unless they were doing television found work increasingly hard to get. Jane Russell reprises one of her tough as nails, heart of gold women she took out a patent on. Lon Chaney, Jr. plays the part of an over the hill sheriff, very similar to what he did in High Noon. He does show why Gary Cooper did not want him backing him up in that.

Lyle Bettger adds another to his collection of twisted psychos he did like no one else could in the fifties. Richard Arlen and John Agar have decent size roles in this as well.

Not a great western, but thank you A.C. for bringing all of this cast together.

Aside from a sappy intro and closing tune, this is a pretty good western, though the main theme is a bit familiar. After all, there must have been a thousand westerns that had a big, bad boss-man who basically ran a town and got his own way...only to meet up with honest man who could not be intimidated or bought. Fortunately, however, there were enough new elements to the familiar story to make it worth seeing.

The film begins with Dana Andrews happening upon a couple men running from the law in a nearby town. They assume Andrews is after them and begin firing. Andrews kills one and captures the other. Oddly, they thought he was after him but he just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. So, he takes the lone survivor to a nearby town for trial, but it soon becomes apparent that the town has no interest in a trial--they will hang the guy! Well, Andrews isn't about to let that happen and he gets the VERY reluctant Sheriff (Lon Chaney, Jr.) to help. There's way too much unsaid that he needs to investigate, but no one in the town seems to be talking--they all just want a good hanging and it's the local rich boss that seems to be behind everything.

Good acting and direction along with a few decent plot twists make this one worth your time. Not a great film but a very good one. And, like a typical A.C. Lyles production of the 1960s, it employs actors whose careers had seen better days--and makes good use of them.

Johnny Reno is directed by R.G. Springsteen and written by Steve Fisher and Andrew Craddock. It stars Dana Andrews, Jane Russell, Lyle Bettger, Lon Chaney Jr., John Agar and Tom Drake. A Technicolor/Techniscope production, with music by Jimmie Haskell (title tune song by Jerry Wallace) and cinematography by Harold Stine.

Andrews is Johnny Reno, a tough no nonsense U.S. Marshal who after arresting suspected Indian killer Joe Conners (Drake), takes him to the jail in Stone Junction in Kansas. But once there Johnny finds a hostile and corrupt town that want Conners lynched before trial. Why? Does this town have a secret? Is Conners really as innocent as he proclaims? Reno must stand alone against the town to find the truth.

Safe Western film making 101, Johnny Reno has just enough about it to keep it from stinker status. There's a fine cast involved, but they are either winding down their long careers or merely going through the motions. The direction is standard fare, with the action sequences constructed only adequately, and the musical score is at times more befitting a comedy serial episode.

Yet the premise, as simple as it is, plays out well for dramatic purpose. Reno is a two fisted hard bastard type of guy, and it's fun to watch him tackle the whole of Stone Junction, including, naturally, affairs of the heart by way of Russell's Nona Williams. The narrative has some observations on corruption, racism and vigilantism that are to be applauded, while the Techniscope photography around Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is most easy on the eye.

It is what it is, a Western in the late 60s trying to keep with the formula traditions of the "B" grade Oaters from the previous decade. It succeeds on that front for sure, where even though it has plenty of faults, it's a decent enough time waster for fans of the stars or those who like the said undemanding Westerns of the 50s. 6/10

Lyle Bettger is one of those stalwarts whose names probably mean nothing to most average filmgoers but who enjoy instant recognition on the screen…

Bettger was far better knows as a blond, blue-eyed villain given to exuding pathological hated... His good looks worked for him in every determined effort, even as a menacing villain with a snickering charm...

Dana Andrews plays Marshal Johnny Reno, who used to be one of the top gunfighters… He just arrived with a prisoner called Joe Conners (Tom Drake) considered by the citizens of Stone Junction as a little Indian-killer…

Of course the Mayor of the town Jess Yates (Buttger) assures the marshal that Conners will be given a fair trial and asked him to get out of the town fast…

In spite of hearing that the lynch mob will be out there and one way or another they'll get Conners, the tough marshal tells everybody that his prisoner is in his protective custody and anybody who wants to get to him is going to have to step over his dead body…

That day, the way it happened—before the Connors mess—Reno was riding to see somebody he once knew, Nona Williams (Jane Russell). He knew the woman years before when he was the righteous lawman in the town where she lived… He has been wearing a badge ever since… Nona made a mistake and he couldn't forgive her…

Lon Chaney Jr shows up as a sheriff who forgets that his job is law and order…

Filmed in Technicolor and Panavision, "Johnny Reno" remains a tedious little Western worth a matinée