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I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Gary Cooper is Melody Jones, a good-natured casual drift, and his sidekick is grouchy and cynical William Demarest. They ride into a Western town and Cooper is mistaken for Monte Jarred (Dan Duryea), the notorious bandit and gunslinger, and Demarest for his companion. The good folk of the town know that Duryea is headed their way, and they back off, right scared to death, when they spot Cooper.Cooper knows nothing of this but, seeing the respect he's paid, assumed a constantly threatening demeanor, most consisting of lowering his right eyelid, and comes to believe he's finally being shown the respect he has earned, although he's a nobody. The irony, of course, is that Cooper can't handle a weapon without dropping it or suffering an accidental discharge.There were a lot of Westerns on the screen at the time and this must have seemed like a clever twist on the formula. The meme was persistent. Bob Hope made "Alias Jesse James" a few years later.But that irony is about where the cleverness ends. The mistaken identity is grafted onto a Grade B plot about the hidden loot from a hold up, Loretta Young being torn between hot shot Duryea and modest Cooper. There aren't any hilarious scenes. The comedy is in the situation itself, and it's a little bland after the first fifteen minutes.Cooper isn't called on to do much acting but he's such a likable guy and sits a horse with such familiarity that he brings something to the role. William Demarest repeats the parts he played earlier for Preston Sturges. Loretta Young is pretty but just another device. Duryea was always good at being mean. He'd been ecstatically mean in two of Fritz Lang's movies, "Woman in the Window" and "Scarlet Street." He treats Loretta Young here the way he treated the women there, only without slapping her around so much.A genial and somewhat wimpy comedy, diverting, but no more than that.

Gary Cooper plays a singing cowboy named Melody Jones who is mistaken for a robber named Monte Jarrad (they have the same initials). Loretta Young is his love interest Cherry de Longpre - she helps out Mr. Cooper and pal William Demarest. The odd character names are a a clue this was intended as a comedy. With a couple of exceptions, the comedy isn't all that funny. There are other times when "Along Came Jones" didn't look at all comic… so, I was confused.The best part of the film is the first kiss between Cooper and Ms. Young. It happens after they do a saddle switch. Cooper wipes his lips on his sleeve and kisses Young. Then she says, "Thank you!" in brilliant movie star focus - do not miss this kiss! The worst part of the film was the obvious cheap looking way they rode along on their horses in front of a projection screen. Even worse that that is the fact that you can't really tell, from the overall film, how we (audiences) are supposed to take the movie. Whatever the filmmakers intended missed, obviously. I'll take it as a comedy with top stars and a couple of good laughs. ***** Along Came Jones (1945) Stuart Heisler ~ Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, William Demarest

While this film is far from great, I appreciated how at least those who made the film tried to make something different than the usual insipid Western. While I love a well-made Western, I think most Hollywood Westerns of the 30s, 40s and 50s were incredibly formulaic and routine. As a result, I usually avoid them like the plague! So I was very, very happy to stumble upon this film since it is far from typical of the genre.Gary Cooper and his buddy, William Demarest wander into a small town and Cooper is mistaken for a desperado who just robbed the stage coach. Instead of apprehending him, everyone is so afraid and treat him royally! However, Loretta Young quickly comes up and whisks them out of town. She knows that they are not the robbers and gets them out before they accidentally get shot! She knows, by the way, because the REAL robber is her boyfriend! Well, instead of continuing to explain the plot, I'll leave this up to you. Bowever the film is excellent due to very good acting by all the stars. Cooper and Young are wonderful and that's no surprise, and Dan Duryea is a great slimy villain (as usual), but the stand-out performance for me was Demarest. Instead of the usual idiotic supporting character he usually played in the 30s and 40s (especially in Preston Sturgess films), his supporting role was pretty serious and he effectively played a slightly older tough cowboy, so he was effective without being overly comical--I liked that.See this film if you want something different AND has decent production values. While not a great film, it is very entertaining and fun--though not exactly a comedy like the videotape jacket said it was.

The Bob hope/Jane Russell "Paleface" and "Son of Paleface" parodies were obviously based on this film, which made it all the more enjoyable for me. The hapless cowboy mistaken for a killer is not as stupid as the Hope character, of course, who is a "Easterner" dentist. In fact I did not find Melody Jones a "dimwit" at all, just an easy-going cowpoke who gets involved with people out of his element through no fault of his own, and does what he has to do to get himself and his friend out of it. Loretta Young is excellent as the female sharpshooter love interest, and Coop is playing, well, Coop. I recommend watching these three movies consecutively, it makes all of them all the more humorous.