Rent Meet John Doe (1941)
3.6 of 5 from 85 ratings
2h 3min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Written by a discharged journalist as a publicity stunt, and as a parting shot at the paper's new editor, the premise of the letter unexpectedly fires the imagination of the Bulletin's readers and the wider American public. Its real author, Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) who has fabricated the letter in her final column, is rehired, and now needs to find someone to play the part of the fictional "John Doe." Gary Cooper is perfectly cast as Long John Willoughby, an injured and penniless former baseball pitcher lured into impersonating "John Doe" with the promise of medical treatment. In what would have undoubtedly been an Oscar winning performance, were it not for his own success that same year in Howard Hawks' "Sergeant York," Cooper excels himself here as Willoughby's initial indifference to his undertaking turns to genuine concern at his role. But, as he becomes an increasingly culpable pawn in an ever more treacherous game, just how can "John Doe" redeem himself? - Actors:
- Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart, Rod La Rocque, Irving Bacon, Regis Toomey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Warren Hymer, Harry Holman, Andrew Tombes, Pierre Watkin, Stanley Andrews, Mitchell Lewis, Charles C. Wilson, Vaughan Glaser, Sterling Holloway
- Directors:
- Frank Capra
- Writers:
- Richard Connell, Robert Presnell Sr.
- Others:
- Robert Presnell
- Studio:
- Sanctuary
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- Films to Watch if You Like It's a Wonderful Life, Introducing the Thesping Olympians, The Instant Expert's Guide to Frank Capra, Top 10 Titles About the Golden Age of Radio, Top 10 World Cinema Remakes, What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
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Reviews (2) of Meet John Doe
Great film - poor quality disc - Meet John Doe review by lg
Meet John Doe is a classic, but CP's version is very poor quality, which is a hazard with films of this era. The worst culprits among distributors of ELSTREE films, which are terrible quality. Frank Capra films deserve the best quality discs and these can be found out there.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Great Fun - Meet John Doe review by Other Worlds
A whip smart movie and a lot of fun. Only spoiled by a truly awful video transfer. I know restoring these movies can be expensive but if they could have spent more time finding a better quality source the results would have been so much better. The movie deserved better than this.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.