Barbara Stanwyck fights for the common man in her mink stole. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Warning: Spoilers
When society is in an Uproar and upsetting Apple Carts, questions naturally arise, such as: Who will end up In Charge?
This sort of societal shakedown can begin as a movement of the people, but as it gains popularity, politicians tend to jump aboard to advance their careers, because they’ve always held these beliefs, always, and how dare you suggest otherwise.
These attempts to Control The Narrative can be laughable, except when they’re not.
For example, look at the 1941 comedy-drama, Meet John Doe, a film that reminds us to Follow The Money when it comes to suspiciously well-organized, fast-growing populist movements.
When a newspaper columnist (Barbara Stanwyck) is laid off by the new owner of her newspaper, she writes one final column as a Get Stuffed to the new management. This column is about a fictional man, John Doe, who is so disillusioned by society he plans to End It All by jumping off the top of a building on Christmas Eve.
Although the owners of a rival newspaper determine the story is bogus, this article stirs the nation. John Doe Clubs spring up across the U.S., each one dedicated to making a Better World.
Naturally, the public wants to meet the original John Doe, which forces the paper to rehire Stanwyck and conduct an audition/recruitment drive for this fictitious character.
Happily, a homeless man in the form of Gary Cooper applies for the job and, thanks to Stanwyck’s publicity smarts, he skyrockets to fame.
Stanwyck gets the boot. Image: IMDb
The John Doe organization has true humanitarian goals. Folks dedicate themselves to helping others to create a better society for all, and it has a lot of members.
This groundswell is not lost on Edward Arnold, the new owner of Stanwyck’s paper, and he organizes a cross-country speaking tour. Hotels, transportation, advertising – put it all on the expense forms, boys! Nothing costs too much!
It’s not often you meet a rich and powerful individual who is also generous and altruistic, and Arnold is not one of them. He couldn’t care less about the goals of the John Doe Clubs; what he sees are potential votes – enough votes, in fact, to propel him to the White House.
This is how a cause is politicized, how it is hijacked from ordinary people and used by power-hungry individuals to seize control.
Although this film should be Cooper’s – he plays the titular character, after all – Meet John Doe wouldn’t be half the film it is without Stanwyck.
This is our opinion: Barbara Stanwyck is the type of actor who brings out the best in her fellow cast members.
Watch Gary Cooper in this film. His performance is touchingly nuanced in a way you don’t see in all his roles, and his scenes with Stanwyck are pitch-perfect. According to IMDb, Cooper agreed to do this film even before reading the script, partly because he wanted to work with Stanwyck.
Surprisingly, Stanwyck wasn’t director Frank Capra’s first choice. He wanted Ann Sheridan, but she was unavailable due to contract reasons. Olivia de Havilland was also offered the role, but she turned it down.
While both women would have been terrific here, hiring Stanwyck worked out for the Best.
She dominates this film with her charisma. Watch as she packs her suitcase while a nervous and awkward Cooper tries to tell her he’s in love with her. Cooper’s the one with all the lines, but Capra wisely keeps the camera focused on Stanwyck, because all we want to see is her reaction.
But watch as she negotiates with Arnold, her new boss. She’s savvy and determined, but not ruthless, which means she’s punching above her weight.
Meet John Doe feels particularly relevant in a time of civil and political upheaval. It’s a little long, and a wee bit preachy, but any film with Barbara Stanwyck is always worth it.
♣
Notes
- Meet John Doe was nominated for the Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story.
- Four different, unsatisfactory endings were shot for preview audiences. However, rumour has it Capra decided on a fifth ending, inspired by a letter from an audience member.
- This post is part of the The QUEEN OF SASS BARBARA STANWYCK Blogathon, hosted by Pale Writer.
Meet John Doe: starring Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold. Directed by Frank Capra. Written by Robert Riskin. Frank Capra Productions Inc., 1941, B&W, 122 mins.
Silver Screenings 
Barbara Stanwyck sounds awesome in this movie. And I agree, this movie is quite timely with regards to the state of the world today. I love the look of your blog, btw. It is so pretty.
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Barbara Stanwyck is utterly fab in this movie. It needs her blend of sass, ambition, and optimism.
Thanks for your kind comments about the blog. I finally broke down and bought one of the WordPress templates. I like the functionality…but note if you decide to buy a theme yourself, you might find the number of spam comments you receive may double or triple.
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Hi. I have to admit that Gary Cooper isn’t my favorite actor. I liked him best in High Noon. He seemed real in that role.
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Gary Cooper can seem wooden at times, in my opinion. I do like him in High Noon, The Pride of the Yankees, and Meet John Doe. If you do get a chance to see this film, I’d be interested in knowing your opinion. 🙂
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I can’t imagine Gary Cooper as a homeless man! That seems like quite a stretch.
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It does, but he’s a former minor-league baseball pitcher with an arm injury & couldn’t afford the surgery. So, with no vocational training + the Depression, he ends up riding the rails with Walter Brennan.
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Thanks for such a timely and perceptive review. Perhaps it is the times we live in, but I find Meet John Doe more compelling than ever.
I concluded my 2017 post on the movie with “Meet John Doe is flawed because it doesn’t have all the answers, but it is perfect because it asks the questions.”
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Brilliant! This film does ask questions, and they make you think.
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Brilliant. I have always loved this movie. I love it more from your perspective.
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Thanks, you! There’s so much a person could say about this film, isn’t there? Frank Capra’s visual genius paired with Robert Riskin’s screenplay – it doesn’t get much better than that.
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Agree! 100%! I haven’t seen it in a while either, I think it’s a good choice. Thanks for the nudge!
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I’m looking forward to seeing Mrs. Charles’s take on it… 😉
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Enjoyed your review .Havent seen this film in a long time. Time for a re-viewing. Stanwyck and Cooper, great team.
I tried to use the Like button so your post would show on my blog, but it doesn’t seem to be working for me. Don’t know what the problem is.
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Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for trying to use the Like button. I’ll see if I can find out what the issue is.🤔
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Wow-what a great post. My favorite Capra films with Stanwyck are “The Bitter Tea of General Yen” and “The Miracle Woman”, but I promise to revisit “Meet John Doe” while viewing it with your lens. Thanks.
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I still have to see “The Bitter Tea of General Yen”, but I did just recently see “The Miracle Woman” and loved it. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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What an interesting plot, considering the state of things in the media today!
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Yeah, it’s definitely a timely movie.
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One of my favorite Capra movies.I tend to watch it around New Year’s Eve. Anyhow, I’ve read about the numerous endings, but I liked how the movie ended. BTW, I think 1941 was Stanwyck’s best year! Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve and Meet John Doe, all three great movies!
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You’re right – and I never thought about that before. 1941 was a stellar year for Stanwyck!
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In Capra’s early films, he sometimes tended to include too much schmaltz. That’s not the case with MEET JOHN DOE and the primary reason may be Stanwyck. She adds sharpness to Gary Cooper’s gentleness. It’s a sure-fire formula and worksequally well in BALL OF FIRE.
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Yup, Stanwyck sure does add a good contrast to the schmaltz. Like you said, it’s a winning formula.
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Great review, as always! You’re so right that Stanwyck makes her co-stars better. I adore Cooper, but the two of them together is just magic. (Which is 100% why I wrote about Ball of Fire for my blogathon entry, haha.) I try to watch Meet John Doe around Christmastime every year, but your post made me realize it’s actually been a while since I’ve seen it. Might just be time to fix that!
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Stanwyck and Copper are a perfect screen pair. I don’t think I saw your Ball of Fire post, so I’ll head over there tonight to enjoy. 🙂
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Very interesting and perceptive, Ruth.
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Thanks very much! For some reason I missed your comment, so apologies for responding so late. 😦
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Great review about a great movie. Meet Joh Doe is timely as ever right now, and you made me want to revisit the film. I was surprised to learn Stanwyck wasn’t Capra’s first choice! I totally agree the film wouldn’t have the same effect without her, ans she does bring the best of everybody else’s performances.
Kisses!
Le
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Thanks, Le! I was stunned to learn Stanwyck wasn’t Capra’s first choice – I mean, why wouldn’t she be? However, here is an interesting look at their working relationship: https://willmckinley.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/stanwyck-and-capra-an-intense-connection-revisited/
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