For our sixth monthly public domain night, Internet Archive will host a screening of MEET JOHN DOE(1941), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper.

Meet John Doe may be Frank Capra’s most pessimistic film. The film serves as a fable about the dangers of homegrown fascism and the potential for ordinary people to resist oppressive forces, with millionaire villain D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold) representing an indigenous fascist bent on creating a new political order. Drifter Long John Willoughby (Gary Cooper) becomes the unwitting figurehead of the John Doe Clubs, a movement promoting neighborliness and charity while exposing themes of manipulation and idealism. Capra’s signature elements—quirky gags, sentimental optimism, and redemption arcs—are paired with moments of self-parody and deeper doubt, embodied by the Colonel, a character who distrusts the masses and challenges Capra’s romanticism. The film’s uneasy conclusion, where the “little people” reaffirm their faith in Willoughby despite earlier betrayal, underscores Capra’s internal conflict between cynicism and hope. Parallels emerge between the fictional John Doe Clubs and modern populist movements like the Tea Party, both espousing grassroots ideals while being funded by wealthy elites. Although Meet John Doe wasn’t a commercial success, it remains Capra’s most politically poignant film, illustrating both the power and vulnerability of populist movements.

Your $5 ticket includes snacks and any seat in our spacious 400-seat great room.

Arrive when doors open: you won’t want to miss the introduction by film historian Lara Gabrielle. Lara is the author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies, and is one of today’s leading authorities on silent film. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, and on PBS’s American Experience, and she has partnered on film-related initiatives with the American Film Institute, The New York Public Library, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lara is acknowledged as “the reigning expert on Marion Davies,” and Captain of Her Soul was a finalist for the 2023 Northern California Book Award. She lives in Oakland.

Doors open at 7:30 pm on Friday, January 10th.

TICKET LINK: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-john-doe-gary-cooper-screening-hosted-by-the-internet-archive-tickets-1129220050569