Gary Cooper stars as an easygoing cowboy mistaken for a notorious outlaw in this playful Western comedy that turns the genre’s familiar conventions on their head. More comfortable with a harmonica than a six-shooter, Melody Jones is hardly the typical Western hero, but a case of mistaken identity soon draws him into a dangerous game involving a wanted gunslinger, a determined woman, and a growing reputation he hasn't earned.

Along Came Jones was filmed in part at Iverson Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, one of Hollywood’s most celebrated Western filming locations. Once a landscape of ranches and open spaces, the Valley became both a backdrop for Hollywood’s imagined West and a rapidly developing part of Los Angeles. Presented in connection with the Autry’s exhibition Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles, this screening explores how the Westerns made in our own backyard intersect with the changing landscape and history of the city.

Introduced by Martin Cooper, author of The ‘Reel’ Hollywood: The San Fernando Valley

Directed by Stuart Heisler | Starring Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, and William Demarest

The What Is a Western? Film Series explores the wide range of movies that can be considered Westerns, and the ways in which they shape our understanding of the American West. Each screening features a guest lecturer who introduces the film and explains its significance within the genre.

Explore programs connected to Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles and other exhibitions across the museum—each offering a different point of entry into the histories, ideas, and communities that shape the American West.