Along Came Jones

Melody Jones is a quiet, ordinary cowhand who cannot use his gun properly. He rides into a town with his friend. Because the initials on his saddle match those of the famous outlaw Monte Jarrad, the townspeople take him for Jarrad. Everyone is afraid and everyone gets out of his way. Jones is caught between enjoying this and its being dangerous. Then he meets Cherry, Jarrad's girl, and gives up on leaving. Gary Cooper produced the film himself; it is the only time in his career he did that. The part also makes fun of his known mould: Cooper, who played the silent and capable western man for years, plays the incapable one here and cannot shoot straight. The screenplay is Nunnally Johnson's. Loretta Young plays Cherry and Dan Duryea the real outlaw. Stuart Heisler directed. Ninety minutes, and the mould is not the western but a parody of it.