'A Guy Named Joe' (question)

[Dixon Cannon]

Here's a question that has never come up; Who is the 'Joe' in the the movie 'A Guy Named Joe'? If you look over the cast of characters, there is no 'Joe' amongst them. The main protaganist is 'Pete', for Pete's sake!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035959/

Does this bug you as much as it bugs me?

-dixon cannon

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

I don't know the movie but maybe it is like "Joe Doe" or...rosebud?

 

[davidraphael]

"A guy named Joe" is an idiomatic expression that means any man or everyman; the average guy on the street.

The movie is basically called "Just an Average Guy"

The use of 'Joe' to imply everyman is used all over the world: in England we say "Joe Bloggs;" in America, "Joe Blow." Another expression including 'Joe' in the US is "Joe Blow from Kokomo" (Kokomo, Indiana).

'A Guy Named Joe' has been used a few times as a title. I first saw it used when I was a kid reading Spiderman comics:

 

[LizzieMaine]

And during the war, Joe was a generic term for any US serviceman -- hence, G. I. Joe.

 

[davidraphael]

In addition to G.I. Joe there's Average Joe, Ordinary Joe, Six-Pack Joe, Joe Schmo.

And the name in variation finds its way into many languages, as I'm now discovering: Joe Borg (Malta), Jožko Mrkvička (Slovakia), Jānis Bērziņš (Latvia), Janez Pouprečnik (Slovenia) etc.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Joe Punchclock, Joe Dinnerpail, Joe Paycheck, Joe Taxpayer...

Interestingly, most of the "Joe" imagery tends to suggest a working-class, blue-collar kind of guy. There really isn't an equivalent term in American slang for the average upper-middle-class type: "Joe Lattesipper," "Joe Hedgefund" or "Joe Gateddevelopment" just doesn't cut it.

 

[davidraphael]

I think there's often a slightly pejorative edge to the 'Joe' terms (In fact, I think Joe Schmo is Yiddish for 'Joe Idiot') He's a representative of the 'hoi polloi,' 'the great unwashed' - but I guess it depends on which decade (or social group) one is in. When the term is being used in the 40s it has the connotation of being solid, dependable; a man of honour, albeit working class; a man of the people, possibly because of the war.

I like Joe Lattesipper. In England it might be Joe RangeRover or Joe Trustfund.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Kenneth Howard aka Von Dutch after he settled down and got a square job often signed letters to friends "J L Bachs" for Joe Lunchbox.

 

[Stanley Doble]

The best snooty noms de plume at least in the US: A band called The MBAs in the early 80s consisting of Franklin Mint, Manny Hanover, T. Bill Raitt and Holden Gaines. Their debut album was titled Born To Run Things.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

As far as the movie title goes, it just has always seemed odd as no indication is given of 'Joe' or 'being ordinary' occurs in the script or in any of the promo material. Unless the producers were attempting to imply that this "ordinary Joe" had a big impact on other people's lives (just as you, the viewer can), and that any "ordinary Joe" is important and influential in the lives of others. I can only surmise as they don't make any specific mention regarding the intent of the title. One of those mysteries; I wonder if the audience at the time wondered about it back then as well. -dixon cannon

 

[Rathdown]

In answer to your question:

In the film the expression, "a guy named Joe" is used by an English boy who says that to Americans any "right chap" is "a guy named Joe."

The working titles of the film were Three Guys Named Joe and Flyers Never Die. The studio used A Guy Named Joe as the title of the film to convey to the audience that this was a story about the "good guy" who lived next door, and was off fighting for his country.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

In answer to your question:

In the film the expression, "a guy named Joe" is used by an English boy who says that to Americans any "right chap" is "a guy named Joe."

The working titles of the film were Three Guys Named Joe and Flyers Never Die. The studio used A Guy Named Joe as the title of the film to convey to the audience that this was a story about the "good guy" who lived next door, and was off fighting for his country.[/QUOTE]

Now there's an anwer! Thanks Rathdown! I missed the part about "...any right chap!" I should have known - I used to wear Dingo boots - I'm "no ordinary Joe!" -dixon cannon