Johnny Reno (1966)
5/10
Mediocre and short-budgeted oater produced by A. C. Lyles and regularly directed by R. G. Springsteen
27 March 2020
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.
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