John Doe
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From a number of derelicts who show up at the paper claiming to have written the original letter, Ann and Henry hire John Willoughby, a former baseball player and tramp in need of money to repair his injured arm, to play the role of John Doe.
Mar 18, 2016 · What follows is a tale about a somewhat flawed individual, Long John Willoughby a.k.a. John Doe, who at first reluctantly, then assuredly, finds a populist voice that can take on the businessman-cum-totalitarian figure of D.B Norton.
Oct 24, 2019 · In walks Long John Willoughby, a failed baseball player employed by the man seated at the head of the table, newspaper publisher D.B. Norton. John is supposed to be at a political convention, endorsing Norton for president in a rousing speech, but instead, he’s arrived to deliver a different message.
When handsome JOHN WILLOUGHBY (Gary Cooper) walks in, Ann's clearly smitten. A likable, quiet baseball pitcher who's fallen on bad times, John's the one who will become "John Doe." Although he seems too honest to lie, Ann believes he's desperate enough.
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Meet John Doe, American comedy drama film, released in 1941, that was director Frank Capra’s exploration of ambition, greed, and the U.S. political system.
After being fired, opportunistic newspaper columnist Anne Mitchell (played by Barbara Stanwyck) pens a fake letter by “John Doe,” who threatens to commit suicide over the injustices experienced by the “common man.” The letter strikes a chord with readers and saves Mitchell’s job. To maintain the ruse, she pays Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper), a down-on-his-luck former baseball player, to pose as her fictional creation. As John Doe becomes a populist hero, Willoughby is increasingly manipulated by Mitchell and her ambitious boss, D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), who hopes to use John Doe to further his own political ambitions. When Willoughby eventually tries to reveal the truth, Norton undermines his efforts. Despondent, Willoughby decides to commit suicide but is persuaded not to by John Doe followers.
Britannica Quiz
Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia
•Studio: Warner Brothers
•Director and producer: Frank Capra
•Writer: Robert Riskin
•Music: Dimitri Tiomkin
•Gary Cooper (John Doe/Long John Willoughby)
•Barbara Stanwyck (Ann Mitchell)
•Edward Arnold (D.B. Norton)
•Walter Brennan (The Colonel)
- Lee Pfeiffer
The door opens on "Long John" Willoughby (Gary Cooper) - a plain-speaking, penniless homeless man and an ex-ballplaying (bush-league, sand-lot) pitcher with a sore arm (his "wing went bad"). He faints into a chair at the sight of food.
He hires a down-at-the heels, boxcar riding drifter, and sore-armed pitcher, Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper at his most taciturn), who assumes the name John Doe to become the linchpin and symbol of a nationwide movement, the John Doe Clubs.
