Meet John Doe (1941)
The same year Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck made the incredibly silly Ball of Fire, they also teamed up for the satirical Meet John Doe. Barbara plays a newspaper reporter who writes a fake letter to the editor, from a “John Doe” who’s planning to kill himself to protest the social norms. The letter causes quite a stir in the community, and everyone wants to, well, meet John Doe. Desperate, Barbara hires a very poor Gary Cooper to pretend he’s her literary creation. What do you want to bet things will get out of hand?
While this movie is much better than the silly romantic comedy the two actors made together, it’s not my favorite old movie out there. Making a political satire film is tricky, because everyone’s going to have a different sense of humor. If you’re looking for something lighter than Mr. Smith Goes to Washington but heavier than The Farmer’s Daughter, you’ll strike gold with Meet John Doe. I prefer the other two, but it’s probably because I usually don’t like movies about reporters; I find them unlikable. But if you do decide to watch this one, you’ll see a host of familiar faces, including Gene Lockhart, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Walter Brennan, and Edward Arnold.
More Barbara Stanwyck movies here!
While this movie is much better than the silly romantic comedy the two actors made together, it’s not my favorite old movie out there. Making a political satire film is tricky, because everyone’s going to have a different sense of humor. If you’re looking for something lighter than Mr. Smith Goes to Washington but heavier than The Farmer’s Daughter, you’ll strike gold with Meet John Doe. I prefer the other two, but it’s probably because I usually don’t like movies about reporters; I find them unlikable. But if you do decide to watch this one, you’ll see a host of familiar faces, including Gene Lockhart, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Walter Brennan, and Edward Arnold.
More Barbara Stanwyck movies here!