History Film / MeetJohnDoe

'''''Meet John Doe''''' is a 1941 film directed by Creator/FrankCapra and starring Creator/GaryCooper and Creator/BarbaraStanwyck.

Ann Mitchell (Stanwyck), a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper, fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas Eve to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Cooper), to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

Ann Mitchell (Stanwyck), a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper, fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Cooper), to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MeetJohnDoe.jpg]]

Ann Mitchell (Stanwyck), a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper, fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Cooper), to portray this fictional person in public.

All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/07_um_joc3a3o_ninguc3a9m.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Some hobos clean up real nice.]]

Ann Mitchell (Stanwyck), a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper, fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Cooper), to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

[[quoteright:317:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_l1000.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:317:Some hobos clean up real nice.]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MeetJohnDoe.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Some hobos clean up real nice.]]

''Meet John Doe'' is a 1941 film directed by Creator/FrankCapra and starring Creator/GaryCooper and Creator/BarbaraStanwyck.. Ann Mitchell, a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper (Stanwyck), fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Cooper) to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

One of Capra's lesser-known films today, but still highly regarded. Won an AcademyAward for original screenplay.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Capra came up with several possible endingsfor the film, including one where John [[DownerEnding follows through on his suicide jump]] and another where Norton undergoes a sudden HeelFaceTurn.

''Meet John Doe'' is a 1941 Creator/FrankCapra film. Ann Mitchell, a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper (Barbara Stanwyck), fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Gary Cooper) to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

* TimeCompressionMontage

* ANaziByAnyOtherName: This is a movie made in 1941, a parable about the dangers of fascism. D.B. Norton and his black-clad motorcycle troops are the Nazi stand-ins.

* DaEditor: Henry Connell.

* YouAreNotAlone

A Creator/FrankCapra film. Ann Mitchell, a reporter who is about to be laid off from her newspaper (Barbara Stanwyck), fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country. Ann's unsuspecting editor runs the letter, and John Doe becomes a media sensation. The newspaper, wishing to exploit the hype, hires a former baseball player hobo, John Willoughby (Gary Cooper) to portray this fictional person in public. All John wants is some money so he can get his arm fixed for another shot at the major leagues, but Ann writes him a speech which he delivers on the radio, and the "John Doe" movement begins. Unfortunately, the owner of Ann's paper, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), wishes to exploit the John Doe movement for his own cynical political ends.

A FrankCapra film. A reporter (Barbara Stanwyck) fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country.

When the story draws sympathy from the readership, she hires a former baseball player hobo (Gary Cooper) to portray this fictional person in public, and the "John Doe" movement begins.

* BecomingTheMask
* CerebusSyndrome: Things go downhill after [[spoiler:the Colonel leaves John.]]
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Near the end [[spoiler:John actually tries to kill himself, in order to revive the Doe movment]].

* TheDitz: John.

* {{Hobos}}: John and the Colonel, among others.

* HotScoop: Ann.
* MessianicArchetype

* ScrewballComedy

* AdultChild: The Colonel, when he plays his Piccolo.

* TheDitz: John

* ItGotWorse: For John, after the halfway point in the film.

* CerebusSyndrome: See ItGotWorse below.

* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Near the end [[spoiler:John actually tries to kill himself, in order to revive the Doe movment]].

* ScrewballComedy

* CerebusSyndrome

* {{Hobos}}

[[caption-width:350:Some hobos clean up real nice.]]