“Tall and skinny, mean tempered and extra fast with gun. Travels with half-wit uncle called Uncle Roscoe something.”Along Came Jones is a very mild Western comedy that seems to forget it’s supposed to be a comedy toward the end. Melody Jones (Gary Cooper) is an aimless cowboy mistaken for outlaw Monte Jarrad (Dan Duryea). As a result, the law, corrupt officials, and outlaws are after Melody and the $40,000 Jarrad has hidden after a fatal Wells Fargo stage robbery. Cherry de Longpre (Loretta Young), ostensibly Jarrad’s girlfriend, tries to protect Melody, finding herself falling for a big galoot along the way. “It ain’t no disgrace to be saved by a woman.”Most of the humor comes from the efforts of Cooper, who also produced the film, to spoof his image. Melody would rather sing than sling a gun. In fact, when he tries to use his weapon, that’s what he does, slinging it into the dirt because of his clumsiness. On the other hand, Cherry is a crack shot. The film seems to be examining gender roles, though not in an especially self-conscious way. All this is rather innocuous until matters turn surprisingly dark toward the end. Along Came Jones is slow and talky, with most of the outdoor scenes shot on sets with an overreliance on rear projection, though cinematographer Milton Krasner creates some occasionally lovely b&w images. The best thing about the film is the charm of the stars. Cooper seems to be having a good time, especially when he’s singing, and Young, usually too prim and proper, has a sex appeal going on that I don’t recall in any of her other films. There’s nothing quite like a smart, spunky, sexy gal who knows how to use a rifle. Annie Oakley, eat your heart out.Duryea, as always, excels as the rather intense outlaw, though some might complain that Jarrad’s meanness is a tad out of place in a comedy. Duryea usually plays villains with a grin and a laugh, but he’s all down and dirty here. William Demarest is also very good as Melody’s sidekick, constantly exasperated by his pal’s clumsiness and obstinacy. There are two odd things about the film. The opening credits identify it as Nunnally Johnson’s Along Came Jones although Johnson serves only as the screenwriter, adapting a novel by Alan Le May, also the source of The Searchers. I don’t recall a screenwriter not also acting as director or producer getting such a credit. The other oddity is that the Uncle Roscoe cited above in Jarrad’s wanted poster never appears and is never even mentioned by anyone in the outlaw’s camp. I kept waiting for him to appear to no avail.Well, I guess this calls for a sarsaparilla.Watched on TCM.Favorite Films of 1945
