Meet John Doe (1941). Comedy/ drama. Director: Frank Capra. Cast: Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. And a couple of my favorite charactor actors: Spring Byington and Walter Brennan. The film, about a political campaign, created by a newspaper columnist and pursued by a wealthy businessman, became a box office hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for best original story (for Richard Connell and Robert Presnell Sr.).
There are so many wonderful reviews about MEET JOHN DOE. I will just share a couple of my thoughts. Stanwyck is absolutely wonderful in this film, as her character realizes she has found a man just like her father. Also Cooper, is wonderful as the average everyday guy. A couple of my favorite scenes are when Cooper needs Stanwycks mother's help to ask her daughter to marry him and the baseball scene in a hotel room, when they play pretend ball, is very charming..
FULL MOVIE: MEET JOHN DOE.
FUN FACTS:
Frank Capra only wanted Cary Cooper to play John Doe. Cooper agreed to play 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.
The song 'Sweet potatoes' that Gary Cooper and Walter Brennan play, in addition to "Hi Diddle Dee Dee (An Actor's Life For Me)", from "Pinocchio": Brennan alone plays this on an ocarina (sweet potato), but Cooper plays a small harmonica. The tune they play as a duet, while Barbara Stanwyck is interviewing them, is The "William Tell Overture, Finale" by Rossini (The Lone Ranger Theme). Cooper explains the reason Brennan likes him is that they both play 'Doohickeys'.
Dawn, this is a really good film. Stanwyck and Cooper have great chemistry together. I also like the message that Capra is trying to convey in this.
ReplyDeleteKim, I also like the message that Capra is trying to send. That the every day guy can beat corruption.
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