Released in 1943 during Hollywood’s golden years, James Cagney had big shoes to fill because everyone knew that Fred Astaire turned down the role to play vaudevillian, composer and Broadway legend George M Cohan in this biographical musical about his life.
The story begins at the White House where Cohan receives the Congressional Gold Medal from President Franklin Roosevelt. His story, told through a series of flashbacks, traces his rise as a child performing in his parents’ vaudeville act, to his early days struggling as a songwriter in Tin Pan Alley and through his success as an actor, writer, producer and director.
Yankee Doodle Dandy is filled with Cohan’s compositions including “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” “Give My Regards To Broadway” and of course, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Although Cagney wasn’t known for his singing and dancing, he was such a good actor he could create the illusion of brilliance and won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
The cast includes Houston family patriarch Walter Houston, Joan Leslie, Rosemary DeCamp, Richard Wharf, Irene Manning, George Tobias and Jeanne Cagney- James’ real-life sister who plays his sister in the movie.
The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and Library of Congress.
Part of the Bethel Health Care & The Cascades Assisted Living Silver Cinema Series
