Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

The life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Robert Buckner (screen play), Edmund Joseph (screen play)

Stars:

James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston

Won 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Cagney	...	George M. Cohan
Joan Leslie	...	Mary
Walter Huston	...	Jerry Cohan
Richard Whorf	...	Sam Harris
Irene Manning	...	Fay Templeton
George Tobias	...	Dietz
Rosemary DeCamp	...	Nellie Cohan
Jeanne Cagney	...	Josie Cohan
Frances Langford	...	Singer - Nora
George Barbier	...	Erlanger
S.Z. Sakall	...	Schwab
Walter Catlett	...	Theatre Manager
Douglas Croft	...	George M. Cohan - As a Boy of 13
Eddie Foy Jr.	...	Eddie Foy
Minor Watson	...	Albee

Storyline

A musical portrait of composer/singer/dancer George M. Cohan. From his early days as a child-star in his family's vaudeville show up to the time of his comeback at which he received a medal from the president for his special contributions to the US, this is the life- story of George M. Cohan, who produced, directed, wrote and starred in his own musical shows for which he composed his famous songs.

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Plot Keywords:

singing | dancing | congressional gold medal | father son relationship | family act | 

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Taglines:

Get ready to Laugh, to Sing, to Shout! ...For here comes Uncle Sam's Star Spangled Yankee Doodle Dandy!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Triunfo supremo

Filming Locations:

New York Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$11,800,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Goofs

In a montage following the news that the Lusitania has been sunk (a 1915 occurrence), a movie poster is seen for a film called EMPTY HOLSTERS. This was a Warner Brothers B-Western starring Dick Foran that was released in 1937.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Critic #1: I call it a hit. What'll your review say?
Critic #2: I like it too, so I guess I'll pan it.

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Connections

Featured in Here's Looking at You, Warner Bros. (1991)

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Soundtracks

Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway
(1906) (uncredited)
from the Broadway show "Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway"
Written by George M. Cohan
Sung by James Cagney
Sung also by Chorus

User Reviews

A Flag Waving Triumph

Right from the start, I have to say you do not need to be an American to be caught up in the excitement of the blatant flag waving tribute to a great artist. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" made to boost morale after the U.S. entered the war surely would have achieved its goal. It would have been even better in Technicolor (not the coloured version later shown). The songs were great, the acting and the individual dancing style of James Cagney was superb and deserved the Oscar. The two scenes featuring "Over There" were very moving with Frances Langford a standout! The story, while bearing small resemblance to real life, was good and Walter Huston and Rosemary de Camp were excellent. When you see a film such as this some 60 years after its release, and still really enjoy it, it shows how the Golden Years of Hollywood were just that.