BROWNE, Reno

(1921–1991)

   Born Josephine Ruth Clarke, Reno Browne (sometimes credited as Reno Blair) appeared in 13 budget Westerns for Monogram. She was usually associated with Whip Wilson, but she also appeared with Johnny Mack Brown and Jimmy Wakeley. She was an expert rider and claimed to have done all her own stunts. Her horse was Major. Usually she played pants roles, carried a gun, and maintained her independence as a woman. Atypical Browne film is Fence Riders (1950) in which she played an independent woman, who is at home in the West, owns a ranch, and does not need a man to save the ranch for her. During her film career, Browne also starred in her own radio series and comic book series; she was a cowgirl personality who also performed in a few films. She was married to Lash LaRue for a while and also toured with her own music group, Reno Browne and her Buckaroos, which evolved into Bill Haley and the Saddlemen (later the Comets).