Meet John Doe (1941)
Comedy, Drama • 2h 2m
Overview
As a parting shot, fired reporter Ann Mitchell prints a fake letter from unemployed "John Doe," who threatens suicide in protest of social ills. The paper is forced to rehire Ann and hires John Willoughby to impersonate "Doe." Ann and her bosses cynically milk the story for all it's worth, until the made-up "John Doe" philosophy starts a whole political movement.
Director: Frank Capra
Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold, Walter Brennan, Spring Byington, James Gleason, Gene Lockhart, Rod La Rocque, Irving Bacon, Regis Toomey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Warren Hymer, Harry Holman, Andrew Tombes, Pierre Watkin, Stanley Andrews, Mitchell Lewis, Charles C. Wilson, Vaughan Glaser, Sterling Holloway, M.J. Frankovich, Knox Manning, John B. Hughes, Harry Davenport, Ann Doran, Franklyn Farnum, Pat Flaherty, Bess Flowers, Hank Mann, James Millican, Bert Moorhouse, Frank Moran, Bert Stevens, Jack Wise, Henry Roquemore, Forbes Murray, Selmer Jackson, John Hamilton, William Forrest, Tina Thayer, Benny Bartlett, Edward Earle, Eddie Kane, Richard Kipling, Jack Mower, Paul Panzer, Russell Simpson, Charles Trowbridge, Edmund Cobb, George Melford, George Pembroke, Bob Perry, Jim Thorpe
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Sony Frank Capra Boxset 4K Blu-ray
Director: Frank Capra
Director: Frank Capra
ClassicFlix Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Blu-ray
ClassicFlix Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Blu-ray
Also available in official HD Streaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3urxyp4wEgw
ClassicFlix Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Blu-ray
ClassicFlix Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Blu-ray
Also available in official HD Streaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3urxyp4wEgw
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Director: Robert F. McGowan
ClassicFlix The Little Rascals Volume 2 Blu-ray
ClassicFlix The Little Rascals Volume 2 Blu-ray
Director: Robert F. McGowan
ClassicFlix The Little Rascals Volume 2 Blu-ray
ClassicFlix The Little Rascals Volume 2 Blu-ray
Director: Harry Essex
Director: Harry Essex
Director: Leigh Jason
Director: Leigh Jason
Director: Irving Pichel
Director: Irving Pichel
Director: Fritz Lang
Imprint Blu-ray not only has the best encoding, but also has the "correct" aspect ratio compared to ClassicFlix which is horizontally stretched or Eagle Pictures which is squished see DVDBeaver caps
Director: Fritz Lang
Imprint Blu-ray not only has the best encoding, but also has the "correct" aspect ratio compared to ClassicFlix which is horizontally stretched or Eagle Pictures which is squished see DVDBeaver caps
Director: Andrew L. Stone
Director: Andrew L. Stone
More Comedy on Blu-ray
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: Jean Renoir
The Criterion 4K Blu-ray has marginally better detail and grain structure than ESC 4K Blu-ray
The ESC France 4K Blu-ray is an SDR grade erroneously presented in HDR, but if your player can force the HDR into SDR it looks very good.
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: George Sidney
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
2D version: Warner Archive Blu-ray
3D version: Warner Archive 3D Blu-ray
Director: John Waters
Director: John Waters
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
1991 Warner Bros LaserDisc (for original mono track)
1996 Warner Bros 25th Anniversary LaserDisc has isolated music and effects track (incorrectly labeled "music minus vocals") not present on any other release
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Kino Lorber 4k resto
The audio on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray comes from a better source than the various DVDs and the previous HD version on streaming. This audio is relatively untampered with, and is likely the best available source as no laserdisc was ever issued.
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Director: Ken Hughes
MGM Blu-ray's stereo track.
MGM's 7.1 track is a remix with a few flaws and much worse fidelity. Capelight's stereo and 7.1 track are both from the remix.
The movie was originally premiered as a roadshow release, with a a 70mm 6-Track Stereo mix. This mix, unfortunately has not been released on home video.
The closest thing to that mix, is the stereo track included on the 2010 Blu-ray. It sounds great, with high fidelity and little filtering. It's lossy, but that doesn't matter very much.
Both the DVD 5.1 and the Blu-ray 7.1 tracks (identical on both discs) are a new remix, rather than a repackaging of the original mix. The 7.1 track sounds quite muffled, though not evenly so. The Capelight Blu-ray's lossless stereo track uses the same remix, but with higher fidelity than the surround tracks, sounding significantly less muffled. Compared to the original, this remix sounds wider and more "cleaned up". The remix contains a handful of errors, for example the intermission cue fades out, rather than ending correctly.
Comparison samples
Edit History
12/30/2025
Best Video Release
From
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/
4K is only available on ClassicFlix youtube as paid member video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHxbyV-8V6Y
To
ClassicFlix Blu-ray is using the same source and is superior to Youtube 4K Streaming
From
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/
4K is only available on ClassicFlix youtube as paid member video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHxbyV-8V6Y
To
ClassicFlix Blu-ray is using the same source and is superior to Youtube 4K Streaming
12/22/2025
Best Video Release
From
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.Blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/ but the unfortunately 4k restoration and release is cancelled
To
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/
4K is only available on ClassicFlix youtube as paid member video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHxbyV-8V6Y
From
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.Blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/ but the unfortunately 4k restoration and release is cancelled
To
ClassicFlix has new Blu-ray release https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Meet-John-Doe-Blu-ray/338869/
4K is only available on ClassicFlix youtube as paid member video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHxbyV-8V6Y
7/15/2025
