Johnny Reno (1966)

The townsfolk are set on lynching an accused killer held in the town lockup. But US Marshal Johnny Reno stands in their way.

Director:

R.G. Springsteen

Writers:

Andrew Craddock (story), Steve Fisher (screenplay),

Stars:

Dana Andrews, Jane Russell, Lon Chaney Jr.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dana Andrews	...	Johnny Reno
Jane Russell	...	Nona Williams
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Sheriff Hodges (as Lon Chaney)
John Agar	...	Ed Tomkins
Lyle Bettger	...	Jess Yates
Tom Drake	...	Joe Conners
Richard Arlen	...	Ned Duggan
Robert Lowery	...	Jake Reed
Tracy Olsen	...	Marie Yates
Regis Parton	...	Bartender (as Reg Parton)
Rodd Redwing	...	Indian Brave
Charles Horvath	...	Wooster
Dale Van Sickel	...	Ab Conners
Paul Daniel	...	Chief Little Bear
Chuck Hicks	...	Bellows

Storyline

One of the thirteen low-budget westerns produced by A.C. Lyles in the sixties. The premise is a simple one: Sheriff Johnny Reno is heading to a small town in order to see his one-time sweetheart Nona Williams. On the way, he is set upon by two brothers who think he is after them. Forced to shoot one, he captures the other Joe Conners and brings him into town. His prisoner insists he is innocent of the crime the whole town wants him hanged for, and after hearing his story, will Andrews believe him?

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Plot Keywords:

street shootout

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Taglines:

On the trail of justice.

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Genres:

Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

Sheriff Johnny Reno

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.C. Lyles Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 6.5 seconds

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Goofs

Obvious stunt doubles for Jess Yates and Johnny Reno during the saloon brawl.

User Reviews

AC Lyles makes last stand against TV......comes up short

Paramount was the last major studio to jump into television production in the late 1960's. Studio founder Adolph Zukor was against TV from the start, treating it as the enemy, therefore they never made series for the networks like the other studios did. Sure, they would rent out space to shows like Bonanza, but they insisted on making only features, and had AC Lyles make a series of low-budget westerns with aging stars to fill out the second half of a double bill.

Johnny Reno was the best of a bad lot, it's low budget origins more than obvious. Shot in Techniscope (cheaper than Panavision)and color, it has a surprisingly strong ending centered around racism and miscegenation.

Others in the series like Town Tamer and Hostile Guns are downright unwatchable. Shortly after this, the studio changed ownership and installed Robert Evans as production chief and in a few short years Paramount TV was one of the top suppliers of network shows. No more movies like this one were made. Anyway, many years later Lyles redeemed himself in my eyes by being an executive consultant on the "Deadwood" series on HBO, one of the best western series ever made. Thanks, AC