YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, and Walter Huston
I was looking at a Reuters Poll the other day that said that only 57% of Americans were “Extremely Proud” of being American. The last time the number was this low was in January or 2001, between the political fiasco that was the 2000 Presidential Election and the events of September 11, 2001. The survey was then broken down to show that among 18-29 year olds, only 38% were “Extremely Proud” to be an American. The number went up with age, peaking with 62% of people 65 and older being “Extremely Proud”.
What's my point? There was a time when those numbers were much higher. Forgive me for sounding nostalgic, but there was a time when being American meant more than just the place you were born. The feeling of pride was a natural part of being American. People trusted each other more. People trusted the government more. Not everything was perfect, but if we worked hard we could achieve more.
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” is a film that celebrates that time in America by telling the story of one of America's greatest showmen—George M. Cohan, stunningly portrayed by James Cagney. Cohan was one of the first big names in the Broadway theatre, writing such standards as “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. He also wrote the great World War I song “Over There”.
To go off topic a little, “Over There” is a great song. It rouses the spirit and creates a feeling of pride. Compare it to patriotic songs made today, which are mostly written and sung by country artists, and pretty much all suck. No wonder that American Pride is down!
Anyway, back to the movie. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is about the life of Cohan, from his early beginnings as a vaudeville performer with his family, to his thrilling comeback in the Broadway play “I'd Rather Be Right” where he played a singing and dancing FDR. The plot doesn't have many twists or much conflict. It's more of a celebration of Cohan's life than an examination of it. There's really never any doubt that Cohan will rise to super stardom. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, Cohan was still alive when this movie premiered, and he was still known by just about every American over the age of 25. Harsh criticisms of celebrities may be common today, but they weren't back in 1942. Also, this movie is more than just a biopic. Released in 1942, it was a dose of patriotism for every American who was troubled by the events of World War II. It was a reminder of what we were fighting for. To make it too cynical or negative would have turned off too many Americans who were incredibly proud of their country.
I don't mean to imply that “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is nothing more than a jingoistic piece of pro-American propaganda. It's a fantastically made film, and it successfully evokes the emotions and takes you on a fun ride through the history of early Broadway. Michael Curtiz's direction keeps the film moving along at a gallop, and manages to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, despite the lack of suspense. Cagney is simply stunning as Cohan. He shows off such skill in acting, singing, and dancing that any doubt that he could only play the tough guy roles that he is known for is quickly shed. Truly, Cagney was one of the most versatile performers of that or any era.
The supporting cast was also wonderful. Walter Huston played Jerry Cohan, George's father. He delivers a wonderful comic performance. Joan Leslie plays Mary, Cohan's wife, with a wonderful charm and peaceful restraint.
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” was nominated for eight Oscars. It won three of them. James Cagney won for Best Actor for his portrayal of George M. Cohan. He beat out Walter Pidgeon in “Mrs. Miniver”, Monty Woolley in “The Pied Piper”, Gary Cooper in “The Pride of the Yankees”, and Ronald Colman in “Random Harvest.”
Walter Huston was nominated for his portrayal of Jerry Cohan. He lost to Van Heflin in “Johnny Eager”. Also nominated were Henry Travers in “Mrs. Miniver”, Frank Morgan in “Tortilla Flat”, and William Bendix in “Wake Island”.
Michael Curtiz was nominated for Best Director. He lost to William Wyler for his direction of “Mrs. Miniver”. Other nominated films were “Kings Row”, “Random Harvest”, and “Wake Island”.
George Amy was nominated for his amazingly tight editing. He lost to Daniel Mandell for his work on “The Pride of the Yankees”. Other nominated films were “Mrs. Miniver”, “The Talk of the Town”, and “This Above All.”
Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld won Oscar gold for Best Musical Scoring of a Musical Picture. When you're working with as great of source material as the collective work of George M. Cohan, scoring a film can't be that hard. The other nominated films were “Flying With Music”, “For Me and My Gal”, “Holiday Inn”, “It Started With Eve”, “Johnny Doughboy”, “My Gal Sal”, and “You Were Never Lovelier”.
Warner Bros. Studio earned a nomination for Best Picture. They lost to rival studio M-G-M with their production of “Mrs. Miniver”. Other nominated films were “49th Parallel”, “Kings Row”, “The Magnificent Ambersons”, “The Pied Piper”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, “Random Harvest”, “The Talk of the Town”, and “Wake Island”.
Nathan Levenson, the head of the Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, won an Oscar for Best Sound Recording. The other nominated films were “Arabian Nights”, “Bambi”, “Flying Tigers”, “Friendly Enemies”, “The Gold Rush”, “Mrs. Miniver”, “Once Upon a Honeymoon”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, “The Road to Morocco”, “This Above All”, and “You Were Never Lovelier”.
Finally, Robert Buckner was nominated for Best Writing of an Original Motion Picture Story. He lost to Emeric Pressburger for “49th Parallel”. Other nominated films were “Holiday Inn”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, and “The Talk of the Town”.
This review was written on July 1, 2008
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, and Walter Huston
I was looking at a Reuters Poll the other day that said that only 57% of Americans were “Extremely Proud” of being American. The last time the number was this low was in January or 2001, between the political fiasco that was the 2000 Presidential Election and the events of September 11, 2001. The survey was then broken down to show that among 18-29 year olds, only 38% were “Extremely Proud” to be an American. The number went up with age, peaking with 62% of people 65 and older being “Extremely Proud”.
What's my point? There was a time when those numbers were much higher. Forgive me for sounding nostalgic, but there was a time when being American meant more than just the place you were born. The feeling of pride was a natural part of being American. People trusted each other more. People trusted the government more. Not everything was perfect, but if we worked hard we could achieve more.
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” is a film that celebrates that time in America by telling the story of one of America's greatest showmen—George M. Cohan, stunningly portrayed by James Cagney. Cohan was one of the first big names in the Broadway theatre, writing such standards as “Give My Regards to Broadway” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. He also wrote the great World War I song “Over There”.
To go off topic a little, “Over There” is a great song. It rouses the spirit and creates a feeling of pride. Compare it to patriotic songs made today, which are mostly written and sung by country artists, and pretty much all suck. No wonder that American Pride is down!
Anyway, back to the movie. “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is about the life of Cohan, from his early beginnings as a vaudeville performer with his family, to his thrilling comeback in the Broadway play “I'd Rather Be Right” where he played a singing and dancing FDR. The plot doesn't have many twists or much conflict. It's more of a celebration of Cohan's life than an examination of it. There's really never any doubt that Cohan will rise to super stardom. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, Cohan was still alive when this movie premiered, and he was still known by just about every American over the age of 25. Harsh criticisms of celebrities may be common today, but they weren't back in 1942. Also, this movie is more than just a biopic. Released in 1942, it was a dose of patriotism for every American who was troubled by the events of World War II. It was a reminder of what we were fighting for. To make it too cynical or negative would have turned off too many Americans who were incredibly proud of their country.
I don't mean to imply that “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is nothing more than a jingoistic piece of pro-American propaganda. It's a fantastically made film, and it successfully evokes the emotions and takes you on a fun ride through the history of early Broadway. Michael Curtiz's direction keeps the film moving along at a gallop, and manages to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, despite the lack of suspense. Cagney is simply stunning as Cohan. He shows off such skill in acting, singing, and dancing that any doubt that he could only play the tough guy roles that he is known for is quickly shed. Truly, Cagney was one of the most versatile performers of that or any era.
The supporting cast was also wonderful. Walter Huston played Jerry Cohan, George's father. He delivers a wonderful comic performance. Joan Leslie plays Mary, Cohan's wife, with a wonderful charm and peaceful restraint.
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” was nominated for eight Oscars. It won three of them. James Cagney won for Best Actor for his portrayal of George M. Cohan. He beat out Walter Pidgeon in “Mrs. Miniver”, Monty Woolley in “The Pied Piper”, Gary Cooper in “The Pride of the Yankees”, and Ronald Colman in “Random Harvest.”
Walter Huston was nominated for his portrayal of Jerry Cohan. He lost to Van Heflin in “Johnny Eager”. Also nominated were Henry Travers in “Mrs. Miniver”, Frank Morgan in “Tortilla Flat”, and William Bendix in “Wake Island”.
Michael Curtiz was nominated for Best Director. He lost to William Wyler for his direction of “Mrs. Miniver”. Other nominated films were “Kings Row”, “Random Harvest”, and “Wake Island”.
George Amy was nominated for his amazingly tight editing. He lost to Daniel Mandell for his work on “The Pride of the Yankees”. Other nominated films were “Mrs. Miniver”, “The Talk of the Town”, and “This Above All.”
Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld won Oscar gold for Best Musical Scoring of a Musical Picture. When you're working with as great of source material as the collective work of George M. Cohan, scoring a film can't be that hard. The other nominated films were “Flying With Music”, “For Me and My Gal”, “Holiday Inn”, “It Started With Eve”, “Johnny Doughboy”, “My Gal Sal”, and “You Were Never Lovelier”.
Warner Bros. Studio earned a nomination for Best Picture. They lost to rival studio M-G-M with their production of “Mrs. Miniver”. Other nominated films were “49th Parallel”, “Kings Row”, “The Magnificent Ambersons”, “The Pied Piper”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, “Random Harvest”, “The Talk of the Town”, and “Wake Island”.
Nathan Levenson, the head of the Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, won an Oscar for Best Sound Recording. The other nominated films were “Arabian Nights”, “Bambi”, “Flying Tigers”, “Friendly Enemies”, “The Gold Rush”, “Mrs. Miniver”, “Once Upon a Honeymoon”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, “The Road to Morocco”, “This Above All”, and “You Were Never Lovelier”.
Finally, Robert Buckner was nominated for Best Writing of an Original Motion Picture Story. He lost to Emeric Pressburger for “49th Parallel”. Other nominated films were “Holiday Inn”, “The Pride of the Yankees”, and “The Talk of the Town”.
This review was written on July 1, 2008
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