Rage at Dawn (1955)

A special agent from Chicago is sent out west to bring in the notorious Reno brothers.

Director:

Tim Whelan

Writers:

Horace McCoy (screenplay), Frank Gruber (story)

Stars:

Randolph Scott, Forrest Tucker, Mala Powers

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Randolph Scott	...	James Barlow
Forrest Tucker	...	Frank Reno
Mala Powers	...	Laura Reno
J. Carrol Naish	...	Simeon 'Sim' Reno
Edgar Buchanan	...	Judge
Myron Healey	...	John Reno
Howard Petrie	...	Lattimore - Prosecuting Attorney
Ray Teal	...	Sheriff of Seymour
William Forrest	...	William Peterson
Denver Pyle	...	Clint Reno
Trevor Bardette	...	Fisher
Kenneth Tobey	...	Monk Claxton

Storyline

Terrorizing 1866 Indiana, the Reno brothers gang uses the town of Seymour as a safe haven, paying off three crooked town officials. Sent in to clean up the gang is Peterson Detective Agency operative James Barlow, who poses as an outlaw to gain the confidence of the officials and the thick-headed brothers. Complicating matters are Barlow's feelings for the Reno sister, Laura, who reluctantly keeps house for the boys out of family loyalty. Events heat up and rage surfaces as Barlow sets up the gang in a dawn train robbery.

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Plot Keywords:

revisionist western | outlaw brothers | trapped outlaw | b western | low budget film | 

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Taglines:

SHOWDOWN AT SUNUP! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ten members of the Reno gang were lynched in three separate incidents in 1868. The first three were taken by vigilantes from a train. Three others were lynched at a later time. The last lynching, which included three Reno brothers, Frank, Sim, and Bill, actually claimed a fourth victim, gang member Charlie Anderson. Anderson and Frank Reno were technically in federal custody when they were lynched. This is believed to be the only time in U.S. history that a federal prisoner had ever been lynched by a mob before a trial.

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Goofs

Although the film is set in the Midwestern state of Indiana, the opening sequence shows a desert landscape and the kind of towering buttes found in the Southwest--e.g., Utah and Arizona--and not on the flat prairies of Indiana.

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Quotes

First Townswoman: [Looking at the corrupt politians walking down the street] There kind'd never be elected if the women folk could vote.
Second Townswoman: Yeah, but we'll get the vote one day.

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Connections

Featured in The Sierra Number 3 Locomotive: A Star Is Reborn (2012)

User Reviews

great cast and unusual locale.....

I am a great fan of westerns. Knowing the state of California quite well, I particularly like to identify locations used in films. As the primary California locations are the Alabama Hills in Inyo Co., Vasquez Rocks in LA Co., Red Rock Canyon in Kern Co. and various areas near Bishop, I was interested in the locale used here....just south of the present New Melones Reservoir in Calaveras Co. and the state park in Columbia... especially as they were supposed to be somewhere in southern Indiana. This movie had a very strong cast but a bit of a choppy plot. I would also add that neither the vegetation nor the rock outcroppings fit with Indiana, and for a western buff, will distract from an otherwise acceptable film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 June 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rage at Dawn

Filming Locations:

Honey Run Covered Bridge, Chico, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nat Holt Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1:37