Movieland Mystery Photo

Los Angeles Times file photo

[Update: As everybody realized, this is from “Meet John Doe” … ]

Here’s another old, beat-up print from our file of movie sets. Let’s take a closer look….

As is typical with many of The Times’ old photos, this print was glued to something for publication and then pulled off, which is why it is ripped. Barely visible through the glue is the credit for photographer Mack Elliott.

Here’s the same shot, as it appears in Frank Capra’s “The Name Above the Title.”

And the detail shot.

According to the caption information in Capra’s book, this scene was filmed at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. He captioned this photo “I love rain scenes.”

Here’s our mystery camera crew….

… and our mystery gizmos to make it “rain” …

… our mystery guys standing around ….

… more mystery guys standing around….

… our mystery person with his hands raised….

[Capra also points out the dolly track for the camera crane.]

… our mystery crowd….

… and here’s a mystery person up in the stands of our mystery baseball park.

15 Responses to Movieland Mystery Photo — [Updated]

Mary mallory says:

January 12, 2011 at 7:36 am

Is this Gary Cooper in MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN?

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Mark Heimback-Nielsen says:

January 12, 2011 at 9:27 am

It looks like it’s from “Meet John Doe”

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Mike Hawks says:

January 12, 2011 at 9:45 am

MEET JOHN DOE 1941.

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Rogét-L.A. says:

January 12, 2011 at 9:49 am

Could the mystery production be “Meet John Doe”? And, the mystery person with hands raised Frank Capra? Or, Moses parting the Red Sea?

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periwinkle says:

January 12, 2011 at 10:00 am

How about Gary Cooper in Frank Capra’s “Meet John Doe”? Lots of rain in that one.

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Elsie says:

January 12, 2011 at 10:26 am

From “Meet John Doe” – the scene near the end at the “john Doe” rally

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Julie Merholz says:

January 12, 2011 at 10:33 am

Meet John Doe

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herb nichols says:

January 12, 2011 at 10:42 am

these are scenes filmed at la wrigley field for the movie meet john doe with gary cooper

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Mary Mallory says:

January 12, 2011 at 11:02 am

Is it This is the Army, and could that be Reagan?

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Brent Walker says:

January 12, 2011 at 11:29 am

They’re doing a crowd shot for the ball park convention rally for Frank Capra’s MEET JOHN DOE (1941). It may be second unit director Arthur S. Blank with his arms raised, or Capra. Either Gary Cooper or his stand-in in the overcoat and hat at the left of the podium.

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Vincent says:

January 12, 2011 at 11:34 am

Could be another Cooper/Capra collaboration, “Meet John Doe.”

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Charles Middleton says:

January 12, 2011 at 11:38 am

Looks like Meet John Doe.

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Rance Ryan says:

January 12, 2011 at 12:07 pm

Meet John Doe

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Mary Mallory says:

January 12, 2011 at 12:16 pm

Did I get the wrong Gary Cooper, MEET JOHN DOE?

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Vincent says:

January 12, 2011 at 7:45 pm

Now the question is, was this taken at (Los Angeles) Wrigley Field or Gilmore Field? Judging from the seating and the railing, I’m guessing the former, though it’s possible (albeit a longshot) that Capra did this on the Columbia lot.
I am certain L.A. Wrigley was used for baseball scenes in a later Cooper film, “The Pride Of The Yankees.”

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