Meet John Doe Page #8

CLOSE THREE SHOT: They speak in subdued voices.

CONNELL:

Looks all right—

ANN:

He's perfect! A baseball player.

What could be more American!

CONNELL:

I wish he had a family, though.

POP:

Be less complicated without a

family.

ANN:

Look at that face. It's wonderful.

They'll believe him . Come on.

CLOSE-UP:
Of TALL CHAP. He is a strange, bewildered figure.

He knows he is being appraised, but doesn't know why. He

fingers his hat nervously and looks around the room.

Suddenly he is attracted by something.

CLOSE-UP:
Of tray of sandwiches on CONNELL's desk.

CLOSE-UP:
Of TALL CHAP. He swallows hard. His eyes stare

at the sandwiches hungrily.

MED. SHOT:
Over his shoulder. Shooting toward the huddling

group. It breaks up. They walk toward him.

MED. SHOT:
- ANOTHER ANGLE

CONNELL:

What's your name?

TALL CHAP:

Willoughby. John Willoughby, Long

John Willoughby they called me in

baseball.

ANN:

Er, would you, er, would you like

to make some money?

JOHN:

Yeah, maybe.

NOTE:
Henceforth in this script he shall be referred to as

JOHN DOE.

ANN:

Would you be willing to say you

wrote that letter—and stick by it?

JOHN:

Oh, I get the idea. Yeah, maybe.

There is an appraising pause, and CONNELL again signals

them to join him in a huddle. They exit to their corner.

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN. His eyes immediately go to the

sandwiches.

CLOSE-UP:
Of tray, with sandwiches and milk, on desk.

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN. His eyes riveted on tray. He glances,

speculatively, over toward them and then back to the tray.

MED. SHOT:
Of the huddled group.

ANN:

That's our man. He's made to order.

CONNELL:

I don't know. He don't seem like a

guy that'd fall into line.

ANN:

(it's significant

to her)

When you're desperate for money,

you do a lot of things, Mr. Connell.

He's our man, I tell you.

Suddenly, they are startled by a loud thud: they all look

around sharply.

ANN:

He's fainted! Get some water

quickly!

As all three rush to him.

CONNELL:

Hurry up, Pop.

ANN:

Oh.

CONNELL:

(to John)

Right here. Sit down.

JOHN:

Huh?

ANN:

Are you all right?

JOHN:

Yeah, I'm all right.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. ANN'S OFFICE.

CLOSE-UP:
Of JOHN—sitting at ANN's desk, just completing a

meal—and still eating voraciously.

CAMERA draws back and we find another bindle-stiff sitting

beside JOHN, packing food away in silence. He is the friend

JOHN referred to. He is much older and goes by the name of

COLONEL.

CAMERA continues to PULL BACK revealing ANN who sits nearby,

watching them sympathetically.

CLOSE SHOT:
JOHN and the COLONEL. They continue eating.

JOHN glances up and catches ANN's eye. He smiles self-

consciously.

CLOSE-UP:
Of ANN. She, too, smiles warmly.

MED. SHOT:
They continue to eat silently.

ANN:

How many is that, six? Pretty

hungry, weren't you?

COLONEL:

Say, all this John Doe business is

batty, if yuh ask me.

ANN:

Well, nobody asked yuh.

COLONEL:

Trying to improve the world by

jumping off buildings. You couldn't

improve the world if the building

jumped on you!

JOHN:

(to Ann)

Don't mind the Colonel. He hates

people.

ANN:

He likes you well enough to stick

around.

JOHN:

Oh, that's 'cause we both play

doohickies. I met him in a box car

a couple o' years ago. I was foolin'

around with my harmonica and he

comes over and joins in. I haven't

been able to shake him since.

FULL SHOT:
SUDDENLY, he starts to play the overture from

"William Tell." The COLONEL whips out an ocarina and joins

him. ANN stares, amused. The door opens and CONNELL and

BEANY barge in, followed by half a dozen photographers.

CONNELL:

All right, boys, here he is.

ANN:

(jumping up)

No, no, no! You can't take pictures

of him like that—eating a

sandwich—and with a beard!

Rate this script:3.6 / 7 votes