Romancefest 2017: Meet John Doe

Here's the 2nd Frank Capra flick of Romancefest 2017, 1941's MEET JOHN DOE, starring Gary Cooper just like the last one and surprisingly another major influence on one of my favorites, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY. Yet again, it's a title I'm familiar with even though I've never watched the whole thing, and yet again, it's great. I guess Capra knew what he was doing.

At first I assumed this flick would be the movie that was the basis for MEET JOE BLACK with Brad Pitt, but I was all confused. That was loosely based on DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY, which has nothing to do with MEET JOHN DOE.

So, with that out of the way, Cooper stars as an ex pro ball player turned homeless drifter who is chosen by a news reporter (Barbara Stanwyck) to stand in as the face of an editorial letter-writer she's invented, known only as John Doe. John Doe "writes in" regularly to rail against the direction the country is heading in, and vows to commit suicide on Christmas Eve as a result.

As the articles become more and more popular, a rival newspaper suspects John Doe's not real, and John Doe is called upon to make radio appearances and attend speaking engagements. Stanwyck's editorials get more complex, eventually espousing a "love your neighbor" philosophy bothered from her late father's journal. Oh and someone else used to say that, too. Who was it again? Oh yeah, JESUS CHRIST.

Anyway, Cooper is tempted with cash to admit he's a fraud, resists, becomes more popular than ever, has his followers turn on him, contemplates actual suicide, and so on. Along the way Walter Brennan plays his hobo buddy and conscience, and pretty much steals the show, and Edward Arnold shows up as the newspaper's publisher who wants to exploit the John Doe business to create a third party and run for president.

Aside from telling a compelling morality tale and espousing values I happen to agree with, MEET JOHN DOE also scores by being genuinely funny and beautiful to look at, especially the dramatic final scenes in the snow as Cooper comes close to suicide. Stanwyck is great as one of Capra's standbys: the cynical reporter who grows a conscience. I guess since this is Romancefest I should mention that Stanwyck and Cooper both develop as characters through their evolving relationship with each other. I'm used to Stanwyck in sexpot or femme fatale roles so it was a nice surprise to see her as a giddy, plucky and driven news reporter.

It's interesting to me that IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE has gone down in history as a popular Christmas movie when MEET JOHN DOE has not. MEET JOHN DOE espouses morals Christians should appreciate, and has a climax that takes place on Christmas Eve, with lots of Christmas imagery and even a Scrooge-like character in the form of the newspaper publisher.

I've said so much and forgot to talk about Gary Cooper. What is there to say? The man's a star for a reason. Once again he makes it look easy. So easy, he might be dismissed by anyone not paying attention. Kinda like Capra himself, I guess. But Cooper walks the tight rope, playing a guy who bounces from down and out, to taking advantage of a situation, to growing a conscience, having his faith crushed, and finally finds redemption. And the whole time, he's likable, simple, understated and even funny. People say Tom Hanks is the modern Jimmy Stewart, but I'd say he's also the modern Gary Cooper. If they ever had to remake HIGH NOON, I'd suggest getting Hanks on the phone.