98. Yankee Doodle Dandy

Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf
MPAA Rating: NR
Released: June 6, 1942
Running Time: 126 minutes
Gross Revenue: $4.8 million
Academy Awards

• Best Actor in a Leading Role
• Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture
• Best Sound, Recording
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Nominated)
• Best Director (Nominated)
• Best Film Editing (Nominated)
• Best Picture (Nominated)
• Best Writing, Original Story (Nominated)

The Basic Plot in 100 Words or Less

This is a biographical musical film (not actually a musical) about George M. Cohan, a patriotic Irish-American born to theatrical parents and raised on the stage.  His cockiness gets him (and his family) into some hard times, but ultimately it pays off.  He dupes his way into becoming a partner producer and gets his original work on Broadway.  He writes, directs, acts, choreographs, produces and becomes “Mr. Broadway.”  His patriotic songs, Yankee Doodle Dandy and Over There, bolster the nation during WWI.  And even though he parodies FDR on stage, he is still given a Congressional Medal of Honor.  

Buy It, Rent It, Don't Even Bother

Rent this one.  It was pretty fun with all the music and dancing, although I sat agape at the 10 seconds of black face as the movie portrayed the various forms of theatre the family participated in.  I really liked watching the grandiose shows and realizing that these huge casts and set designs and optical illusions were all created on stage a long time ago, but were still awe-striking.  I've always wanted to go to Broadway an seeing what it was like at the beginning of the 20th century is pretty amazing.  The Library of Congress called the film, "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  And you can see that it is.  Worth seeing, but it could wait until the Fourth of July as more of a thematic movie while waiting for fireworks to start.

Trivia

George M. Cohan chose James Cagney to play him.

Many facts were changed or ignored to add to the feel of the movie. For example, the real George M. Cohan was married twice, and although his second wife's middle name was Mary, she went by her first name, Agnes. In fact, the movie deviated so far from the truth that, following the premiere, the real George M. Cohan commented, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?"

James Cagney broke a rib while filming a dance scene, but continued dancing until it was completed.

 

For more trivia go to IMDb.com.