You know how Hollywood loves to remake old movies, because it’s cheaper than coming up with new stories?
Well here’s one for our time. Meet John Doe.
This was Frank Capra’s thinly-veiled attack on fascism, which he cleverly chose to set in the USA. Gary Cooper is John Doe, a man created by newspaperwoman Barbara Stanwyck as a circulation gimmick. Edward Arnold plays D.B. Norton, the newspaper owner, who wants to use Doe to make himself dictator.
How easy to update is that? Just turn the newspaperwoman into an afternoon anchor, set it at Fox News, and you don’t even have to change the script.
The game for today is setting the new cast. For that let’s play the I want, I’ll take, I got game. You know that one. I wanted a big star, I’ll take a TV star, I got me a nobody. That way we have some budget options:
John Doe. (Gary Cooper in the original.) I want Tom Hanks. I’ll take Mel Gibson. I got Richard Dean Anderson.
The newspaperwoman. (Barbara Stanwyck in the original.) I want Halle Berry. I’ll take Holly Hunter. I’ll get Jessica Simpson.
The tycoon. (Edward Arnold in the original.) I want Paul Newman. I’ll take Dennis Hopper. I’ll get John Larroquette.
The best friend. (Walter Brennan in the original.) I want Billy Bob Thornton. I’ll take Matt Damon. I’ll get Bernie Mac.
Play the game yourself. Fill out the other roles. Create your own cast. Better yet, watch the movie. Or read the script, by the great Richard Riskin.
