NR | 2h 6m | Biography, Family, Drama | June 6, 1942
As I researched classic musicals, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” popped up. The rather odd thing was that I automatically knew the melody of the theme song and could hum it on a whim.
After finally watching the 1942 film directed by the great Michael Curtiz (“Casablanca,” “The Adventures of Robinhood”), I can see why, after 8 decades, its songs are so utterly interwoven into Americana. It’s as if many of them have been seared into the DNA of all red-blooded, patriotic Americans.
The film was produced in the middle of World War II. Indeed, while shooting it, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened (Dec. 7, 1941), so its release was perfect in terms of rousing the spirits and bolstering the morale of our military men fighting the good fight overseas.
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” reinforced in Americans a sense that this beautiful land we live in can be used as a force of benevolence throughout the world. Those were truly much simpler and more idealistic times, far from today’s cynicism. This is one of those inspiring films that gives hope that America can return to those days.
Things kick off quickly, with a fast-paced version of the theme song playing in the background during the opening title and credits. One of legendary entertainer George M. Cohan’s (played by James Cagney) Broadway musicals, titled “I’d Rather Be Right” is just letting out. We see him as an older man, yet one who is still quite full of pep and gusto.
Cohen has come out of retirement for his musical, where he plays the part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, he feels as though his impersonation may have him “treading on dangerous ground” since the president may not approve of his portrayal.
George and his wife Mary (Joan Leslie) listen as his friend Sam Harris (Richard Whorf) reads from a telegram. George has been summoned to appear before President Roosevelt. It seems as though George’s fears may indeed have merit.
George arrives at the White House one rainy night and there’s a palpable sense of foreboding as armed guards question the Broadway star. But after being cleared for entry and led into the President’s office, his initial nervousness begins to ebb. “I’m sorry I missed the opening of your show,” President Roosevelt says. “I can remember you and your family very well, the four Cohans …”
The film then leaps back 60 years in time to Providence, Rhode Island, where George’s father Jerry Cohan (Walter Huston) is performing a dance act on stage before a decent-sized crowd during the Fourth of July, 1878. When his act concludes, he rushes off to see his wife, who has just given birth to their baby boy. In a touching moment, the proud new father then places the small flag he’s been carrying into the newborn’s hands.
As a kid, young George (played by Douglas Croft) and his sister Josie (Patsy Parsons as a child and later Jeanne Cagney, James Cagney’s real-life sister) travel the country with their parents as vaudevillian performers, known as the aforementioned Four Cohans. It’s a hard-scrabble life, but the family makes the best of it.
Despite learning the violin and being a talented dancer, George’s brash and quarrelsome personality begins to become a problem as he gets older. So much so that producers begin to avoid working with him, which has a negative impact on his family.
Later in New York, in a hilarious scene, George meets Mary, a pretty young singer and dancer, and it seems that love may be in the air. For the Cohan family’s next performance, a “big time” one in New York City, George gives Mary a spot in their vaudeville act.
Suddenly, the show’s producer notices that Mary is singing some unauthorized lines and he furiously tries to find out who circumvented his authority. Not surprisingly, the culprit happens to be George. When the producer threatens to blacklist George because of his transgression, George assaults the man—resulting in the firing of the Cohans.
While the rest of the Cohans go back on the road, George and Mary stay behind in the hopes of being discovered by producers in New York. After being rejected again and again, George meets Harris and the two join forces. They convince a producer named Schwab (S. Z. Sakall) to finance a musical number that they’ve been working on, “Little Johnny Jones,” and from there, George’s star begins to rise.
This is a highly entertaining account of George M. Cohan’s tough upbringing and rise to fame. Not only does it showcase James Cagney’s singing and dancing skills (Cagney trained as a dancer during his younger years), but it is jam-packed with many of the songs that are now embedded into the musical tapestry of America.
Some of the incredible songs that went on to become smash hits include “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway,” and my personal favorite, the famous World War I anthem, “Over There.”
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” harks back to the golden days of cinema and is exceptional even among Hollywood’s greatest musicals. Not only is it a highly entertaining biographical film but it also served a more practical purpose—to support the war effort overseas.
