Meet John Doe Page #21

MED. SHOT:
To include radio announcer and other radio

officials. Their interest centers on JOHN.

JOHN:

I know a lot of you are saying

"What can I do? I'm just a little

punk. I don't count." Well, you're

dead wrong! The little punks have

always counted because in the long

run the character of a country is

the sum total of the character of

its little punks.

INT. D. B.'S STUDY

MED. SHOT:
D. B.'s expression of disturbance has vanished.

It is now replaced by one of thoughtfulness and interest.

He looks off toward the foyer, and impulsively goes in

that direction.

CUT TO:

INT. FOYER

MED. SHOT:
D. B. crosses to a pantry door and pushes the

swinging door open slightly.

INT. PANTRY

MED. SHOT:
All we can SEE through the slightly open door

is one side of the room. Clustered around the radio on a

table are all the household help. They listen, fascinated.

INT. FOYER

CLOSE-UP:
Of D. B. His eyes begin to brighten with an idea.

Meantime, over the foregoing shots, JOHN's voice has

continued.

JOHN'S VOICE

But we've all got to get in there

and pitch! We can't win the old

ball game unless we have team work.

And that's where every John Doe

comes in! It's up to him to get

together with his teammate!

CUT TO:

INT. BROADCASTING STATION - MED. SHOT:

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN.

JOHN:

And your teammates, my friends, is

the guy next door to you. Your

neighbor! He's a terribly important

guy, that guy next door! You're

gonna need him and he's gonna need

you . . . so look him up! If he's

sick, call on him! If he's hungry,

feed him! If he's out of a job,

find him one! To most of you,

your neighbor is a stranger, a guy

with a barking dog, and a high

fence around him.

MED. SHOT:
Somewhere in audience.

JOHN'S VOICE

Now, you can't be a stranger to

any guy that's on your own team.

So tear down the fence that

separates you, tear down the fence

and you'll tear down a lot of hates

and prejudices! Tear down all the

fences in the country and you'll

really have teamwork!

MED. SHOT:
Around BEANY and the LUGS. They, too, are

interested.

JOHN'S VOICE

I know a lot of you are saying to

yourselves:
"He's asking for a

miracle to happen. He's expecting

people to change all of a sudden."

Well, you're wrong. It's no miracle.

It's no miracle because I see it

happen once every year. And so do

you. At Christmas time! There's

something swell about the spirit

of Christmas, to see what it does

to people, all kinds of people . .

.

CLOSE-UP:
Of ANN. Her eyes go from JOHN to the audience—as

she watches their reaction.

FULL SHOT:
Shooting toward audience over JOHN's shoulder.

JOHN:

Now, why can't that spirit, that

same warm Christmas spirit last

the whole year round? Gosh, if it

ever did, if each and every John

Doe would make that spirit last

three hundred and sixty-five days

out of the year, we'd develop such

a strength, we'd create such a

tidal wave of good will, that no

human force could stand against

it.

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN. He has become visibly affected by the

speech himself.

JOHN:

Yes, sir, my friends, the meek can

only inherit the earth when the

John Does start loving their

neighbors. You'd better start right

now. Don't wait till the game is

called on account of darkness!

Wake up, John Doe! You're the hope

of the world!

He has finished—but does not move. He drops his head to

conceal the moisture in his eyes.

CLOSE-UP:
Of ANN. She, too, remains seated. Her moist eyes

riveted on JOHN.

MED. LONG SHOT:
Of Audience. There is no outburst of

applause. All continue to stare forward, emotionally

touched.

MED. SHOT:
Of ANN. She runs over to John.

ANN:

John! You were wonderful!

MED. SHOT:
Of the audience. They too realize it is over—and

gradually they rise and applaud him wildly, and the radio

station rings with cheers.

MED. SHOT:
JOHN and ANN. JOHN stares at ANN, then turns to

COLONEL.

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