Directed by RG Springsteen
Produced by A. C. Lyles
Screenplay by Steve Fisher
Story by Andrew Craddock & Steve Fisher
Director Of Photography: Harold E. Stine
Edited by Bernard Matis
Music Composed by Jimmie Haskell
Cast: Dana Andrews (Marshal Johnny Reno), Jane Russell (Nona Williams), Lon Chaney (Sheriff Hodges), John Agar (Ed Tomkins), Lyle Bettger (Mayor Jess Yates), Tom Drake (Joe Conners), Richard Arlen (Ned Duggan), Robert Lowery (Jake Reed), Tracy Olsen (Marie Yates), Reg Parton (Bartender)
It’s a shame A.C. Lyles’ Westerns of the mid-60s aren’t available on DVD or Blu-Ray. Near as I can tell, the only one to see a DVD release in the States is Johnny Reno (1966). While the Lyles pictures aren’t gonna make any AFI 100 list, the casts are terrific — work for older stars and good-sized parts for character actors, and they’re a good way to spend 80-something minutes on a Saturday morning. Which is exactly what I did with Johnny Reno.
Marshal Johnny Reno (Dana Andrews) is riding past Vasquez Rocks (looking great in Technicolor and Techniscope) on his way to Stone Junction, when he gets sucked into a conflict between the Conners brothers, the citizens of Stone Junction and Chief Little Bear.
And it turns out the local saloon is run by Reno’s old flame Nona (Jane Russell).
It’s obvious the fine people of Stone Junction (John Agar, Lyle Bettger, Lon Chaney, Richard Arlen) have a dirty, dirty secret — and feel the best way to handle it is to make sure certain people stop breathing. Reno throws a monkey wrench into their plans.
You can see the influence of spaghetti westerns in these Lyles pictures, from the camerawork to the bloodletting, but for the most part, they play like it’s 1956 again (which is fine by me). The script for Johnny Reno, by Andrew Craddock & Steve Fisher, does some rather interesting things within a fairly standard storyline. RG Springsteen’s direction is as solid as you’d expect.
Dana Andrews has plenty to do. Lon Chaney is quite good as a sheriff who eventually decides to get out from under the thumb of the town’s movers and shakers. Lyle Bettger gets to be a real slimeball.
Jane Russell, one of my favorite actresses, gets the prize here, though. Miss Russell is always terrific when she gets tough, and she’s plenty tough here. Plus, she gets into another bathtub on the Paramount lot.
Just like she did in Son Of Paleface (1952).
There’s a pretty good shootout in the last reel, after the town’s secret is spilled, with everyone concerned blasting away in the middle of town. I would’ve like for Jane Russell to do some shootin’, but it was not to be. And while you knew an hour earlier that Andrews and Russell would get back together at the end, it’s nicely written and works just fine.
The DVD of Johnny Reno has been out for quite a while, and it’s a pretty solid presentation. The color is excellent and the widescreen image is bright and sharp. (Blu-Rays of things like Ghost And Mr. Chicken and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly show how good Technicolor/Techniscope can look in high definition.)
While Kino Lorber’s release of the Gordon Kay – Audie Murphy Westerns on Blu-Ray urges a reappraisal of those often-dismissed pictures, the Lyles Westerns remain what they always were: low-budget Westerns made to fill out double bills for Paramount — allowing Lyles to give work to his friends, some real pros. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I urge you to give Johnny Reno another look if you come across the DVD.
You can’t go wrong with the others, either, but promise me you won’t watch ’em if you can’t see them widescreen!
50 Westerns From The 50s.