Meet John Doe is Frank Capra’s apocalyptic comedy-drama of Depression-era populism, a nightmare version of his earlier Mr. Smith Goes to Washington pulsing with anxiety at the rise of fascism. Veering in tone between gentle romantic comedy and tense political thriller (and including a dream sequence that cribs luridly from Freud), Meet John Doe is held together by the performance of Barbara Stanwyck, who portrays reporter Ann Mitchell with a poignant blend of cynicism and bruised innocence. As Ann spins her newspaper column about everyman John Doe into a national political movement, Capra shows how a woman with a typewriter can upend the world.

On March 13 at 4PM, Houghton Library will offer a tour of the exhibition Thanks for Typing given by co-curator Christine Jacobson ahead of the 6PM screening of Meet John Doe at the Harvard Film Archive. Visitors are encouraged to register on the Houghton Library website.