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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
FINALLY!!!!! A musical that speaks to the heart of what I am looking for. A musical that is not really a full-on musical but primarily dialogue and has some musical elements to it. Yankee Doodle Dandy is more of a biographical film than a musical. It goes into the musical category because the main character worked his entire life in musical productions. James Cagney is great in this film, and this is a great film to watch during the 4th of July weekend. If you need more reason to watch this film, look no further than AFI (American Film Institute). The film has been highly ranked by them with being ranked #100 for 100 movies during the first ranking and then moving up to #98 when the list was reissued 10 years later. It also ranked #71 in 100 songs, #97 in 100 quotes, #18 for 100 musicals, and #88 for 100 cheers.
Written by Robert Buckner and Edmund Joseph, and directed by Michael Curtiz, Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biographical musical film about George M. Cohan (Cagney), known as “The Man Who Owned Broadway.” The film starts with Cohan coming out of retirement to play President FDR. After the performance, he gets called to the White House to talk with FDR. During their chat, Cohan tells his life story, and oh, it was an entertaining story.
First, Cohan stated he was born during a parade on the 4th of July. His father, Jerry (Huston), was a stage man and Irish American. Once he finds out his son was born, he rushes from the stage and tries to get through a parade. He finds a wagon with other Irishmen and, with their help, rides out of the parade. Cohan stated his parents wanted to call him George Washington Cohan, but it would probably be too long on a billboard, so they decided to call him George Michael. His father calls out to the wagon that brought him during this exciting time, and they shoot a canon.
The movie shows that George was a little shit in his younger years. It took him to seven years old to realize that the country wasn’t celebrating his birthday. During this time, the family performs as The Four Cohans. His little sister, Josie (Cagney), and he performed plays and moved around a lot. George gets his first starring role and develops a HUGE ego in this time. He believes he is the star, and everyone should get his opinion first. It got so bad that his parents discussed giving him his first spanking. The dad said he would hold him while the mother hit him. The mother claims she doesn’t hit hard enough to make an impression, and his dad can’t do it because he thinks that he is jealous because he gets more laughs than him. After one performance, he believes that the press would like to speak with him. Once he walks outside, he is surrounded by a group of boys who whip his ass. In another scene was when Mr. Albee comes through and offers the family double their salary, George steps in and messes up the whole deal. Dad asks for permission and beats his ass for once.
The film progresses to the introduction of George’s future wife, Mary (Leslie), and the strange way they first met. While Mary performs with the group, George causes major problems. He is actually blackballed by almost every production company in the United States. He runs into another down on his luck play writer, Sam Harris (Whorf), during one fateful day. When speaking to a production dude, they play off each other and think of Yankee Doodle Dandy off the fly. When the person decides to hire them, they become partners right then and there. This, in turn, have them make the Broadway hit, Yankee Doodle Dandy. The show is grand with telling the story of a horse racer accused of throwing the race and then finding a way to prove his innocence.
Even with great success, the story shows one of Cohan’s misses. Through this miss, the United States goes into war during WWI. During this time, George wants to join the army but is 8 years over the limit. Instead of being disappointed, he hears a melody and writes “Over There,” which becomes a colossal military hit. After many hits, George decides to retire and travel the world with his wife, only to be brought back to perform when FDR is president.
Like I said, this is a musical that I can get behind. It’s not one that has a song here but one of the musical plays that George is performing in. The major songs that should be noted are “Over There,” a beloved military song. It is one of the most well-known military songs that played in WWI and WWII. “The Yankee Doodle Boy” is another song that Cohan made that is popular and one you might know the tune to. What I am getting at is that the music is part of the musical performance that Cohan is in during the film and was part of his life rather than just being a song written for the film. They were more of Cohan than anything else.
I want to state that James Cagney was FANTASTIC in this role. I was used to seeing him play the gangster in film, but this was a whole new side for me. Let me tell you, Cagney’s performance was terrific during his dancing scenes. He mimicked Cohan’s style amazingly with that stiff-legged dance. Also, those feet were on fire when he did go through a tap-dancing performance. I’m amazed that Cagney didn’t need knee surgery after this performance. I had to rub my knees every time I watched him dance. One of the BEST scenes was at the end when he was walking down the steps. Cagney improvised the whole scene, which worked to perfection for his character.
Yankee Doodle Dandy might not be one of the best musicals, but it’s one that many can enjoy. Hell, it’s a great one to watch during Memorial Day or Veterans Day or even the 4th of July. It has a great American spirit to it and story. I highly recommend watching this movie. In the words of George Cohan:
“My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.”
