Meet John Doe (1941)

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Richard Connell (story) and
Robert Presnell Sr. (story) ...

Release Date:

3 May 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

ALL AMERICA WANTS TO MEET THE "MR. DEEDS" OF 1941! (original print media ad - all caps)

Plot:

A man needing money agrees to impersonate a nonexistent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a political movement begins.

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Reporter | Publisher | Media | Unemployment

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Long John Willoughby - 'John Doe'
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Ann Mitchell
Edward Arnold	...	D. B. Norton
Walter Brennan	...	The Colonel
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Mitchell
James Gleason	...	Henry Connell
Gene Lockhart	...	Mayor Lovett
Rod La Rocque	...	Ted Sheldon - Norton's Nephew
Irving Bacon	...	Beany
Regis Toomey	...	Bert Hansen - Soda Jerk
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Sourpuss Smithers
Warren Hymer	...	Angelface - Bodyguard
Harry Holman	...	Mayor Hawkins
Andrew Tombes	...	Spencer of 'Daily Chronicle'
Pierre Watkin	...	Hammett - Political Boss

Also Known As:

Frank Capra's 'Meet John Doe' (USA) (complete title)
John Doe, Dynamite (UK)

Runtime:

USA:122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:Btl | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Wrigley Field - 42nd Place & Avalon Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Frank Capra Productions

Trivia:

Contrary to popular belief, there is no "longer" version of this film. The film has always run 123 minutes. However, the original publicity erroneously stated it was 132 minutes; the publicist accidentally flipped the last two numbers. For years, historians assumed that all reissue prints had been cut by 9 minutes, until an original fine grain master was uncovered, and also turned out to run 123 minutes. This is the only running time for the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Governor sits, the ear piece of his glasses changes position between shots.

Quotes:

The Colonel: Gangway, you hee-lots!

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hard Times Come Again No More

Pollyanna eh?

This film offers a standing rebuke to critics who use the term "Capracorn". None of Capra's films are as blindly optimistic as is often argued, but this one is a pitch-black jeremiad against manipulation by the media. The mob scene at the "John Doe" convention is one of the powerful scenes ever filmed. Stanwyck is incredible as reporter Anne Mitchell. She is one of the great actresses of the century, and she always did her best work Capra, whose female characters are generally more compelling to the women we get in the movies of our "liberated" era. Cooper is fantastic as a truly "average" guy who is "awakened" by his experience with the John Doe movement, and Edward Arnold is absolutely terrifying in the role of Fascist D.B. Norton. This film is even more relevant today than when it was made, and I would argue that it should be viewed in high schools across the continent. Capra is asking his viewers to think critically of EVERYTHING they hear on the radio or see in papers or hear from elites, and amen to that!