Meet John Doe Page #20

MED. SHOT:
To include JOHN and ANN.

MED. SHOT:
Around SPENCER, as MIKE enters to him and hands

him envelope.

MIKE:

(whispering)

We've been double-crossed!

SPENCER stares at the envelope, frothing at the mouth.

SPENCER:

We have!?

MED. SHOT:
Featuring JOHN and ANN.

JOHN:

The Mayor and the Governor, for

instance. They don't like those

articles I've been writing.

Suddenly they are startled by SPENCER's voice.

SPENCER'S VOICE

You're an imposter, young fella!

That's a pack of lies you're

telling!

QUICK FLASHES:
Of reaction from audience, CONNELL and

others.

SPENCER:

Who wrote that speech for you?

(pointing accusing

finger at JOHN)

CONNELL:

Beany, get that guy!

MED. SHOT:
Around SPENCER. It is as far as he gets. Several

attendants, BEANY among them, have reached him and start

throwing him out.

CUT TO:

INT. D. B. NORTON'S STUDY

MED. SHOT:
D. B. and TED SHELDON are listening to JOHN's

speech over the radio. D. B. is astonished at the

disturbance in the program.

D. B.

(recognizing the

voice)

That's Spencer!

CUT TO:

INT. BROADCASTING STAGE:

CLOSE SHOT:
Of ANNOUNCER.

M.C.

Ladies and gentlemen, the

disturbance you just heard was

caused by someone in the audience

who tried to heckle Mr. Doe. The

speech will continue.

MED. SHOT:
Featuring JOHN and ANN.

JOHN:

Well, people like the Governor

(laughing—ad libs)

People like the Governor and that

fella there can—can stop worrying.

I'm not gonna talk about them.

ANN smiles admiringly.

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN. He is becoming strangely absorbed in

what he is saying.

JOHN:

I'm gonna talk about us, the average

guys, the John Does. If anybody

should ask you what the average

John Doe is like, you couldn't

tell him because he's a million

and one things. He's Mr. Big and

Mr. Small. He's simple and he's

wise. He's inherently honest, but

he's got a streak of larceny in

his heart. He seldom walks up to a

public telephone without shoving

his finger into the slot to see if

somebody left a nickel there.

CLOSE-UP:
Of ANN. Her eyes are glued on JOHN.

JOHN'S VOICE

He's the man the ads are written

for. He's the fella everybody sells

things to. He's Joe Doakes,[8] the

world's greatest stooge and the

world's greatest strength.

(clearing throat)

Yes, sir. Yessir, we're a great

family, the John Does. We're the

meek who are, er, supposed to

inherit the earth. You'll find us

everywhere. We raise the crops, we

dig the mines, work the factories,

keep the books, fly the planes and

drive the busses! And when a cop

yells:
"Stand back there, you!"

He means us, the John Does!

CUT TO:
INT. D. B. 'S STUDY:

MED. SHOT:
D. B. and TED listen near the radio. TED's eyes

flash angrily.

TED:

Well, what kind of a speech is

that? Didn't you read it?

D. B. stops him with a gesture of his hand. He doesn't

want to miss a word.

CUT TO:

INT. BROADCASTING STAGE

MED. SHOT:
Toward JOHN.

JOHN:

We've existed since time began. We

built the pyramids, we saw Christ

crucified, pulled the oars for

Roman emperors, sailed the boats

for Columbus, retreated from Moscow

with Napoleon and froze with

Washington at Valley Forge!

(gasping)

Yes, sir. We've been in there

dodging left hooks since before

history began to walk! In our

struggle for freedom we've hit the

canvas many a time, but we always

bounced back!

MED. SHOT—PANNING: Around audience—to get a variety of

interested faces.

JOHN'S VOICE

Because we're the people —and we're

tough!

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN.

JOHN:

They've started a lot of talk about

free people going soft—that we

can't take it. That's a lot of

hooey! . . . A free people can

beat the world at anything, from

war to tiddle-de-winks, if we all

pull in the same direction!

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