‘Meet John Doe’: From Rags to Rallies

Director Frank Capra wraps high ideals around American skepticism and hope in this 1940s classic.

"Long John" Willoughby (Gary Cooper) and Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck), in “Meet John Doe.” Warner Bros.

NR | 2h 2m | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 1941

Produced in 1941 at the height of World War II, “Meet John Doe” is what happens when Frank Capra grabs a giant ladle and stirs American cynicism and hope into the same pot. It somehow ends up baking a populist casserole with Gary Cooper’s face on it.