_**Decent ‘second feature’ mid-60’s Western with Dana Andrews and Jane Russell**_

A Federal marshal (Dana Andrews) rides into Stone Junction with a prisoner (Tom Drake) whom the mayor wants lynched (Lyle Bettger), but he discerns that the mayor’s minions are too gung ho and his captive may be innocent. Jane Russell plays his romantic interest while Lon Chaney Jr. is on hand as the sheriff.

“Johnny Reno” (1966) is an A. C. Lyles Western, who produced over a dozen ‘B’ Westerns in the mid-60s, which all featured past-their-prime actors and shot in 10-14 days. The teams Lyles gathered always knew what they were doing and did it competently and efficiently, albeit with little artistic merit and just a notch above a TV movie. His Westerns worked well enough if you’re in the mood for traditional town-bound Western with maybe a couple scenes shot in the nearby wilderness of Southern Cal.

Speaking of locations, while the events take place in Kansas, the sites clearly look like the Southwest. If you can ignore this glaring issue, the story is relatively absorbing and moves right along. Someone complained about the marshal’s hat, but I didn’t see the problem. It’s not like James Caan’s amusing hat in the contemporaneous “El Dorado.” Men wore different hats in the Old West according to personal taste and Dana’s marshal looks fine.

Jane of course stands out on the feminine front, 25 years after her debut in the infamous “The Outlaw” (which was shot at the end of 1940 and beginning of 1941). She was 44 during shooting, but still in fine shape. Meanwhile brunette Tracy Olsen as the mayor’s winsome daughter is worth a mention.

The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot at Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, and Vasquez Rocks, which is located in the high country just north of the city, east of Santa Clarita.

GRADE: B-/C+