Yankee Doodle Dandy (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'Yankee Doodle Dandy' (Directed by Michael Curtiz) stars James Cagney as talented actor/dancer/songwriter/playwright George M. Cohan, the man best known today for composing such standards as "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Over There," "Grand Ol' Flag," & the titular "Yankee Doodle Dandy". This musical biopic is highly patriotic and represents the kind of rags-to-riches, feel-good success story that makes you want to stand up & cheer.
Cagney reached way back to his Broadway roots to play song-&-dance man Cohan, the Vaudevillian child star who grew into the toast of the 'Great White Way'. Stand-out scenes include: Cohan performing in his family's Vaudeville act; him struggling to be a Tin Pan Alley songwriter; meeting his future wife, Mary (Joan Leslie); the death-bed moment with his father (Walter Huston, exceptional); and Cohan completely taking Broadway by storm.
Now, this movie is a prime example of Hollywood at its revisionist best; plenty of facts are toyed with. Sure, the material is cliched. And even its 'cue-the-flashback-sequence-in-3...2...1' structure is one that we've seen a million times. i.e., in the beginning of the film, as an old man, George Cohan is brought to the White House to receive a Congressional Gold Medal from Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and ... the 1st of many flashbacks to his early life unfolds. But I digress.
You simply can't take your eyes off of Jimmy Cagney & the absolute powerhouse performance he gives. Because director Curtiz allowed him to improvise, Cagney mightily proved that he could play more than just the gangsters that made him a tough guy in box office hits like The Public Enemy & Angels With Dirty Faces. At just 5'6" in height, he was a nimble & agile live wire -- a revelation. When his Cohan performs the title song on Broadway, we get one of the all-time great movie musical numbers {who knew he could dance so well!?}. And during the scene in which Cohan says goodbye to his ailing father, Cagney's performance moved the typically composed director Curtiz to tears. Cagney is just phenomenal.
Production of this film began the day after Pearl Harbor, which the cast heard about on the studio radio. This film premiered on Memorial Day 1942 {of all days}, when the war wasn't going well for the U.S. To that, the upbeat, inspirational story & flashy musical numbers were exactly what WWII recruiters & audiences needed -- 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' became one of the top-grossing movies of the year.
Its 8 Academy Award nominations included Best Picture, Director & Writing. And it rightfully won 3, including Best Actor for Cagney; who regarded 'YDD' as his favorite film. Charmingly old-fashioned & nostalgic, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' stirs feelings for a "more innocent time" in America's history. It delivers Red White & Blue patriotism with great exuberance. And it also reminds us that there was a time when patriotism was not blustery & fanatical ... but heartfelt & organic.
Cagney reached way back to his Broadway roots to play song-&-dance man Cohan, the Vaudevillian child star who grew into the toast of the 'Great White Way'. Stand-out scenes include: Cohan performing in his family's Vaudeville act; him struggling to be a Tin Pan Alley songwriter; meeting his future wife, Mary (Joan Leslie); the death-bed moment with his father (Walter Huston, exceptional); and Cohan completely taking Broadway by storm.
Now, this movie is a prime example of Hollywood at its revisionist best; plenty of facts are toyed with. Sure, the material is cliched. And even its 'cue-the-flashback-sequence-in-3...2...1' structure is one that we've seen a million times. i.e., in the beginning of the film, as an old man, George Cohan is brought to the White House to receive a Congressional Gold Medal from Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt and ... the 1st of many flashbacks to his early life unfolds. But I digress.
You simply can't take your eyes off of Jimmy Cagney & the absolute powerhouse performance he gives. Because director Curtiz allowed him to improvise, Cagney mightily proved that he could play more than just the gangsters that made him a tough guy in box office hits like The Public Enemy & Angels With Dirty Faces. At just 5'6" in height, he was a nimble & agile live wire -- a revelation. When his Cohan performs the title song on Broadway, we get one of the all-time great movie musical numbers {who knew he could dance so well!?}. And during the scene in which Cohan says goodbye to his ailing father, Cagney's performance moved the typically composed director Curtiz to tears. Cagney is just phenomenal.
Production of this film began the day after Pearl Harbor, which the cast heard about on the studio radio. This film premiered on Memorial Day 1942 {of all days}, when the war wasn't going well for the U.S. To that, the upbeat, inspirational story & flashy musical numbers were exactly what WWII recruiters & audiences needed -- 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' became one of the top-grossing movies of the year.
Its 8 Academy Award nominations included Best Picture, Director & Writing. And it rightfully won 3, including Best Actor for Cagney; who regarded 'YDD' as his favorite film. Charmingly old-fashioned & nostalgic, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' stirs feelings for a "more innocent time" in America's history. It delivers Red White & Blue patriotism with great exuberance. And it also reminds us that there was a time when patriotism was not blustery & fanatical ... but heartfelt & organic.