The Iverson Movie Ranch Western street, one building at a time ... Part IX: The Lost Dutchman

"Along Came Jones" (1945): Loretta Young and Gary Cooper

The Lost Dutchman was around for just one movie, "Along Came Jones," starring Gary Cooper and Loretta Young, but the building played an important role in the movie. In the above screen shot, Young surprises Cooper, a stranger in town, by planting a kiss on him outside the Lost Dutchman.

What Cooper doesn't realize is that he's about to be shot by a would-be bushwhacker hiding inside the building, and Young's sudden gesture is a ploy to lure him to safety.

The building on the left is the South Adobe, which was discussed in the previous entry in this series and which remained in place for the next 13 years. The North Adobe was not yet built in 1945, and the Lost Dutchman occupied what would later be the gap between the North and South Adobes.

A wider shot, taken from the side deck of the General Store, again shows the South Adobe on the left and the Lost Dutchman on the right. The General Store was across the street from the Lost Dutchman.

This view of the town shows where the Lost Dutchman fits in on the west side of the street. The building's stone storefront, which is similar to that of the Saloon, can be seen near the right of the shot, above the black horse.

A number of the key structures along the west side of the street are noted in this version of the shot. All of the screen shots in this post are taken from "Along Came Jones."

The Lost Dutchman's sign is prominently displayed as Loretta Young drives a cart past the structure. The Barber Shop, with its striped poles, can be seen toward the right, in the approximate spot where the North Adobe would later stand.

Another sign out front, seen from inside the General Store across the street, suggests that the Lost Dutchman, along with presumably being another saloon, was also a Wild West liquor store, dealing in "Fine whiskies — Jug trade a specialty." Shots of the interiors of buildings along the Iverson Western street were rare, with "Along Came Jones" being one of the few times it was done.

Here's a blowup of the sign on the front of the Lost Dutchman.

A closeup of the bushwhacker's hiding place inside the Lost Dutchman reveals that he's working with a partner. The shot also provides a look at some of the contents of the establishment.

Like the General Store, the Lost Dutchman was used for a few interior shots in "Along Came Jones." This view of the bushwhackers' post from the inside looks out on the east side of the street. Visible in the background are two businesses that appeared in "Along Came Jones" — the Chinese Laundry, on the left, and Ladies' and Gentlemen's Furnishings, on the right.

While these types of shots are often faked, it appears that in this case the shot was in fact taken from inside the Lost Dutchman. The building may have been used, in effect, as a mini-soundstage during this sequence, but the Lost Dutchman was dismantled soon after production on "Along Came Jones" and did not become a part of the permanent town set.

A wider shot of the Chinese Laundry and Ladies' and Gentlemen's Furnishings is taken from almost the same angle, from just outside the Lost Dutchman, with the Livery Stable at center. The storefronts adjacent to the Livery Stable would soon undergo extensive remodeling, which will be discussed in an upcoming post.

"The Iverson Movie Ranch Western street, one building at a time" is a series of posts on the movie and TV history of each of the major structures making up the Iverson Movie Ranch town set, which stood from 1944 to 1957 and appeared in hundreds of productions.



To see all of the posts in the series on the Iverson Western street, please click on the following links:

Part I: Casa Grande
Part II: The Livery Stable
Part III: The Saloon
Part IV: The Hotel
Part V: The General Store 
Part VI: The Barn
Part VII: The Sheriff's Office
Part VIII: The North and South Adobes
Part IX: The Lost Dutchman
Part X: The original north end of town
Part XI: The North and South Towers
Part XII: The Harness Maker
Part XIII: Rainbow Mine Co. 
Part XIV: The Church/Schoolhouse  
Part XV: The Corral Rocks Shack
Part XVI: The decline and fall of the Western street