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Meet John Doe (1941)
American comedy-drama
A local newspaper, The Bulletin, is under new management, with columnist Ann Mitchell being one of the staffers dismissed to “streamline” the paper, but not before being told to write one final column. Infuriated, Ann prints a letter from a fictional unemployed “John Doe” threatening suicide on Christmas Eve in protest of society’s ills.
When the letter causes a sensation among readers, the paper’s competition, The Chronicle, suspects a fraud and starts to investigate.
Editor Henry Connell is persuaded to rehire Ann, who schemes to boost the newspaper’s sales by exploiting the fictional John Doe.
Frank Capra didn’t want anyone to play John Doe except Gary Cooper, who agreed to the part (without reading a script) for two reasons: he had enjoyed working with Capra on “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” (1936) and he wanted to work with Barbara Stanwyck.
Four different endings were filmed, but all were ultimately deemed unsatisfactory during previews. A letter from an audience member suggested a fifth ending, which Frank Capra liked and used in the finished film.
| Directed by | Frank Capra |
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| Screenplay by | Robert Riskin |
| Story by | Robert Presnell, Sr. |
| Based on | A Reputation 1922 story in Century Magazine by Richard Connell |
| Produced by | Frank Capra |
| Starring | Gary Cooper Barbara Stanwyck |
| Cinematography | George Barnes |
| Edited by | Daniel Mandell |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.8 million (initial U.S. release) |
