Johnny Reno (Western) {Chaney, Agar, Andrews} { [1966]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060564/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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?

User Review

Aside from a sappy intro and closing tune, this is a pretty good western, though the main theme is a bit familiar. After all, there must have been a thousand westerns that had a big, bad boss-man who basically ran a town and got his own way...only to meet up with honest man who could not be intimidated or bought. Fortunately, however, there were enough new elements to the familiar story to make it worth seeing.

The film begins with Dana Andrews happening upon a couple men running from the law in a nearby town. They assume Andrews is after them and begin firing. Andrews kills one and captures the other. Oddly, they thought he was after him but he just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. So, he takes the lone survivor to a nearby town for trial, but it soon becomes apparent that the town has no interest in a trial--they will hang the guy! Well, Andrews isn't about to let that happen and he gets the VERY reluctant Sheriff (Lon Chaney, Jr.) to help. There's way too much unsaid that he needs to investigate, but no one in the town seems to be talking--they all just want a good hanging and it's the local rich boss that seems to be behind everything.

Good acting and direction along with a few decent plot twists make this one worth your time. Not a great film but a very good one. And, like a typical A.C. Lyles production of the 1960s, it employs actors whose careers had seen better days--and makes good use of them.