Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
What a rousing, inspirational film! I’ve heard all the positive things people said about 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, but I truly understood these reviews after placing my own eyes on this wonderful movie. Released at a time the United States was hard at war, this film was great for the public’s morale as well as instilling a sense of patriotism in everyone. In fact, this movie is about as much as a patriotic film as it is a film about the life of legendary performer, George M. Cohan. As an upbeat and wonderful musical, it is one of the finest biographies you will see. That is, if you do not mind certain liberties were taken when it came to Cohan’s own life. But considering the quality of the movie, I did not mind at all.
Without George M. Cohan, we would not have Broadway shows the way we have it today. He had a very distinct song-and-dance style that relied upon flag-waving and comedy. He was often given drama for not being serious, so it was ironic when he finally produced a serious play, it flopped. That’s because Cohan is an entertainer that everyone loved. When the film was just getting underway, Cohan wanted Fred Astaire to play him. Astaire turned down this Warner Brothers production because their dance styles are drastically different. That is where James Cagney came in. He was an odd choice at first for several reasons. First, many of his films in the 1930’s were gangster films where he was often the bad guy. Also, he was one of the actors suspected in communist activities and was mentioned in the 1940 House of Un-American Activities Committee report. His agent suggested a patriotic film like this one to clear the bad press. Well, it certainly worked because he won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Cohan.
The film is your traditional biopic that starts from childhood, and it mostly told in flashback. After being summoned to the White House to meet with FDR, George M. Cohan (James Cagney) begins to tell the President his life story. He talked about how he grew up in vaudeville with his father Jerry (Walter Huston), mother Nellie (Rosemary DeCamp), and sister Josie (Jeanne Cagney, James’s real-life sister), how he was a cocky kid, how he met and married his wife, Mary (Joan Leslie), how he meet his successful business partner, Sam Harris (Richard Whorf), and how he came up with very famous songs like “You’re A Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” At the time, this was a unique way to tell the story and it ended up working very well. In today’s world, this technique still holds up amazingly well.
The performances are great. James Cagney is a wonderful entertainer, if this film gave any impression at all. Based on the reports of historians and Cohan himself, Cagney truly captured his essence. Before production started, Cagney mentioned he would emulate Cohan during the songs and dances but act normally during the scenes that required him to do so-and it paid off. Cagney may not have been the best singer or dance, but he was able to capture the illusion somehow. Cagney is the true star with the greatest performance, but the actors around him held their own. In particular, I liked Walter Huston’s performance. That deathbed scene was a tearjerker. One that even made the hardened director, Michael Curtiz cry.
As I mentioned earlier, the film does take liberty with the facts of Cohan’s life. For example, he had two wives. But these wives were blended together to make the fictional wife, Mary. In reality, his sister was older not younger, and his father actually passed before his mother and not as old as the film shown. Essentially, the reason why such liberties were taken is the story can take on a more patriotic sense. The one thing I was confused about is Mary. One moment, she introduced herself to him after one of his shows. The next moment, they were married. That was a little offputting for myself.
The film was directed by workhorse Michael Curtiz, who also had Casablanca come out the same year. The film was photographed by the legendary James Wong Howe. His compositions and angles helped with the tone of the film. That scene where he marches with the soldiers in Washington DC while singing “Over There” tells (or I should say show) you all you need to know about how great his cinematography skills are.
At a time when it was most needed, Yankee Doodle Dandy came to the public’s rescue. It is a rousing, happy musical about one of the most important figures in Broadway’s history. He was the first performer to ever win the Congressional Gold Medal, due to his contributions of his famous WW1 songs. I knew these songs, but I did not know Mr. Cohan wrote and performed them, so this was a learning experience for myself. If you’re an American or any film lover, this movie needs to be seen. James Cagney is truly exceptional in it.
My Grade: A-
What a rousing, inspirational film! I’ve heard all the positive things people said about 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, but I truly understood these reviews after placing my own eyes on this wonderful movie. Released at a time the United States was hard at war, this film was great for the public’s morale as well as instilling a sense of patriotism in everyone. In fact, this movie is about as much as a patriotic film as it is a film about the life of legendary performer, George M. Cohan. As an upbeat and wonderful musical, it is one of the finest biographies you will see. That is, if you do not mind certain liberties were taken when it came to Cohan’s own life. But considering the quality of the movie, I did not mind at all.
Without George M. Cohan, we would not have Broadway shows the way we have it today. He had a very distinct song-and-dance style that relied upon flag-waving and comedy. He was often given drama for not being serious, so it was ironic when he finally produced a serious play, it flopped. That’s because Cohan is an entertainer that everyone loved. When the film was just getting underway, Cohan wanted Fred Astaire to play him. Astaire turned down this Warner Brothers production because their dance styles are drastically different. That is where James Cagney came in. He was an odd choice at first for several reasons. First, many of his films in the 1930’s were gangster films where he was often the bad guy. Also, he was one of the actors suspected in communist activities and was mentioned in the 1940 House of Un-American Activities Committee report. His agent suggested a patriotic film like this one to clear the bad press. Well, it certainly worked because he won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Cohan.
The film is your traditional biopic that starts from childhood, and it mostly told in flashback. After being summoned to the White House to meet with FDR, George M. Cohan (James Cagney) begins to tell the President his life story. He talked about how he grew up in vaudeville with his father Jerry (Walter Huston), mother Nellie (Rosemary DeCamp), and sister Josie (Jeanne Cagney, James’s real-life sister), how he was a cocky kid, how he met and married his wife, Mary (Joan Leslie), how he meet his successful business partner, Sam Harris (Richard Whorf), and how he came up with very famous songs like “You’re A Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.” At the time, this was a unique way to tell the story and it ended up working very well. In today’s world, this technique still holds up amazingly well.
The performances are great. James Cagney is a wonderful entertainer, if this film gave any impression at all. Based on the reports of historians and Cohan himself, Cagney truly captured his essence. Before production started, Cagney mentioned he would emulate Cohan during the songs and dances but act normally during the scenes that required him to do so-and it paid off. Cagney may not have been the best singer or dance, but he was able to capture the illusion somehow. Cagney is the true star with the greatest performance, but the actors around him held their own. In particular, I liked Walter Huston’s performance. That deathbed scene was a tearjerker. One that even made the hardened director, Michael Curtiz cry.
As I mentioned earlier, the film does take liberty with the facts of Cohan’s life. For example, he had two wives. But these wives were blended together to make the fictional wife, Mary. In reality, his sister was older not younger, and his father actually passed before his mother and not as old as the film shown. Essentially, the reason why such liberties were taken is the story can take on a more patriotic sense. The one thing I was confused about is Mary. One moment, she introduced herself to him after one of his shows. The next moment, they were married. That was a little offputting for myself.
The film was directed by workhorse Michael Curtiz, who also had Casablanca come out the same year. The film was photographed by the legendary James Wong Howe. His compositions and angles helped with the tone of the film. That scene where he marches with the soldiers in Washington DC while singing “Over There” tells (or I should say show) you all you need to know about how great his cinematography skills are.
At a time when it was most needed, Yankee Doodle Dandy came to the public’s rescue. It is a rousing, happy musical about one of the most important figures in Broadway’s history. He was the first performer to ever win the Congressional Gold Medal, due to his contributions of his famous WW1 songs. I knew these songs, but I did not know Mr. Cohan wrote and performed them, so this was a learning experience for myself. If you’re an American or any film lover, this movie needs to be seen. James Cagney is truly exceptional in it.
My Grade: A-
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