IMDb > Meet John Doe (1941)
Meet John Doe
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Meet John Doe (1941) More at IMDbPro »

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Meet John Doe (1941) -- 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.
Meet John Doe (1941) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Meet John Doe (1941) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   4,399 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Frank Capra
Writers:
Richard Connell (story) and
Robert Presnell Sr. (story) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Meet John Doe on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 May 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama | Romance more
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
Red, White and Blues: Ten Bittersweet Patriotic Films
 (From IFC. 3 July 2008, 9:11 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Dark yet optimistic, beautifully realized piece of Americana as only Capra can dream up. more (71 total)
US TV Schedule:
Tue. Nov. 175:45 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Frank Capra's 'Meet John Doe' (USA) (complete title)
John Doe, Dynamite (UK)
more
Runtime:
USA:122 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The tune that the main characters constantly play on their sweet potatoes is "Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee (An Actor's Life for Me)" from Pinocchio (1940) more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the Governor sits, the ear piece of his glasses changes position between shots. more
Quotes:
The Colonel: Gangway, you hee-lots! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Dawson's Creek: Boyfriend (#1.8)" (1998) more
Soundtrack:
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
24 out of 25 people found the following comment useful.
Dark yet optimistic, beautifully realized piece of Americana as only Capra can dream up., 17 January 2002
8/10
Author: gary brumburgh (gbrumburgh@pacbell.net) from Los Angeles, California

Frank Capra's unabashed patriotism wins another pennant for Team U.S.A. with `Meet John Doe,' an Oscar-nominated feature (for original screenplay) that roots for the underdog while demonstrating the power of the people en masse. He backs up his strong, daunting ideology with sharp, crisp writing and even sharper character delineation. Capra's social piece was timely released in 1940, when Nazi sympathizers were gaining a potent voice in America, just prior to our involvement in WWII.

Struggling columnist Ann Mitchell (the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck) is one of many about to receive their walking papers as the latest casualties of a newspaper takeover. Learning that her dismissal is in part due to a writing style that lacks bite, she vents her anger on her last assignment, fabricating and printing a somber, biting `John Doe' letter. `Written' by a despairing, unemployed man, who, tired of life's indignities, has given up on an indifferent, capitalistic society, the writer vows to throw himself off the top of City Hall on Christmas Eve.

Ann's last column sparks a major outpouring of varying concern, not only from top government officials, but from newspaper competitors who claims the piece is a work of fiction designed to promote sales subscriptions, and from the public who are genuinely moved by this man's plight. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the new editor-in-chief (James Gleason, in a marvelous turn) reluctantly keeps Ann on the payroll (with a bonus) while deciding to run with the story. Auditioning indigent men to lend a face to their `John Doe,' they find their man in 'Long John' Willoughby (played to perfection by Gary Cooper), an ex-baseball player who has fallen on hard times. Willoughby becomes an instant celebrity and an identifiable symbol of integrity and humanity. `John Doe' clubs soon start sprouting up all over the place promoting `good neighbor' policies. Trouble brews, however, when a ruthless financier (played with typical malice by Edward Arnold) agrees to sponsor `John Doe' appearances for radio and the lecture circuit, then threatens the movement by using it for his own political aspirations.

Cooper and Stanwyck are ideal in their top roles. Stanwyck is peerless when it comes to playing smart, gutsy gals. Here, she shows all sorts of vibrant colors as an assertive reporter trying desperately to climb up the newspaper ladder without getting her hands too dirty, trapped on both sides of the fence and playing both sides superbly. Coop too is deeply affecting, the epitome of the `aw shucks' kind of 'everyman' who manages to find a stirring, articulate voice underneath all that awkwardness and reticence. Nobody plays this kind of role better.

It helps too that the leads are surrounded by all-star character pros. James Gleason is marvelous as the frustrated editor who must wrestle with his conscience as the hoax he orchestrated gets seriously out of hand. He has one exquisitely tipsy scene in a bar with Coop where he lays all the cards out on the table. Regis Toomey, as a prime spokesperson for the "John Doe" movement, has a touching moment as he expresses the impact the club has made on his community. Edward Arnold is exemplary as the manipulating moneybags, and Walter Brennan's straightforward Colonel is insightful as Coop's obstinate buddy who sees his friend falling into the same opportunistic trappings he is supposedly rebelling against. The one veteran, scene-stealing player not up to snuff is Spring Byington, who is stuck on the bench in a rather benign, devoted mom role.

The only foul ball I found in this fast-paced, smooth-running story takes place atop the City Hall with an overly hysterical Stanwyck punching home Capra's idealism ad nauseum. It could have been more effective with a still strong but subtler set-up and approach. So, hey, it's not quite a shutout, but why quibble when the rest of the film is way ahead of the game.

Like the equally dark `It's a Wonderful Life,' Capra's genius is that he knows how to pitch and score the important points when necessary, not only with laughter and tears, but with unyielding hope and, most significantly, with words. It's more than any home crowd can ask for.

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