Meet John Doe



A Frank Capra film. A reporter (Barbara Stanwyck) fabricates a letter from a John Doe who says he will kill himself on Christmas to protest the state of the country.

When the story draws sympathy from the readership, she hires a former baseball player hobo (Gary Cooper) to portray this fictional person in public, and the "John Doe" movement begins.


 * Adult Child: The Colonel, when he plays his Piccolo.
 * Becoming the Mask
 * Cloudcuckoolander: John and the Colonel, mostly the Colonel.
 * Chronic Hero Syndrome: Near the end.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: Lots of them, unfortunately.
 * Despair Event Horizon
 * Da Editor: Henry Connell.
 * The Ditz: John
 * The Everyman: The John Does.
 * Hobos: John and the Colonel, among others.
 * Heroic BSOD: John and Ann both have one, both equally heartbreaking to watch.
 * Hot Scoop: Ann.
 * It Got Worse: For John, after the halfway point in the film.
 * Messianic Archetype
 * Pygmalion Plot: Ann goes right out and says she has fallen in love with "John Doe".
 * Running Gag: John and the Colonel's music.
 * Those Two Guys: Long John and the Colonel.
 * Screwball Comedy
 * Throwing Out the Script: A Capra staple trope.
 * Time Compression Montage
 * You Are Not Alone