dbdumonteil
This movie already looked like an anachronism when it was released in 1966;the stars are aging actors such as Dana Andrews ,Jane Russell,John Agar ,Lon Chaney Jr ....;the score is awful and does not sound western at all;the last song is MOR pop.The screenplay is not devoid of interest:it deals with responsibility (French title:" the whole town is guilty");and more than Dana Andrews ' sheriff and his old flame Russell ,Joe Conners is the most interesting character:a very restrained performance whereas John Drake could have turned on melodrama.He is a true loser in a way that Johnny and Nona are not.His sentences in a low voice go straight to the heart: "why my brother?he never did any harm to anyone" "I wish I was never born" "I've never had a chance in life" .The ideal scapegoat,he is the true hero of the final showdown,facing alone the whole bunch of villains.
Spikeopath
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
Nazi_Fighter_David
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 happenedbefore the Connors messReno 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
clive-38
JOHNNY RENO is just one of many second feature Westerns produced by A.C. Lyles at Paramount in the 1960's. These Westerns were of great interest to me when they were shown at our local cinema as they always had many veteran actors in supporting roles. For example take a look at the credits for "Johnny Reno" - Dana Andrews, Jane Russell, Lon Chaney Jr, John Agar, Lyle Bettger, Tom Drake, Richard Arlen, Robert Lowery, and (uncredited) DeForest Kelley. Quite an impressive cast for a second feature western!! I always used to sit up and pay attention when the words "An A.C. Lyles Production" came up on the screen as I knew this film was going to be rather special!! One of A.C.s best friends was James Cagney who only directed one film in his entire career - "Short Cut to Hell" (1957) which he did purely as a favour to A.C. to get him started as a producer. (It was a remake of the Alan Ladd film "This Gun for Hire"). Now in his 80's A.C. still has an office on the Paramount lot which he visits most days. A.C. can be seen regularly on the TV series "Biography" where he is often interviewed with his memories of the "Golden Days of Hollywood" and the many stars he knew personally from that era. Clive Roberts.
AD
