YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

Neha says
A Neha Sareen Disclaimer: When we talk “biopics” we immediately look for whether it’s faithful? Are the key events or the character in question accurately depicted? How’s the real story been tweaked? I’m proudly a victim of this school of thought as well. But in the case of George M. Cohan who belongs to a whole different black and white era, I’d probably have to time travel back to the 40’s for my facts. I know what your thinking-Use the internet girl! But just this once I simply want to bask in the cinematic vision of this Broadway showman- a writer, composer, singer, director, choreographer and producer-needless to say a one-stop wonder and let’s just keep aside the authenticity of the material and focus on the cinematic magic it provides.

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a musical masterpiece that combines a foot tapping, fist pumping, lip smacking musical soundtrack with an equally electrifying background score and a majestic performance from James Cagney and equally charming supporting turns from Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf to give us a truly uplifting, melodious, entertaining and engaging time at the movies. Could I use any more flattering adjectives to get my point across? Inspirational Songs like “Over there” and “You’re a grand old flag”, lilting tunes like” So long, Mary”, “Forty five minutes from Broadway”, the title track “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and many more are at once hum worthy, catchy and have a timeless flavor to them. So even if you’re not familiar with the album and that could very likely be the case-it takes just about 60 seconds for the spell to be cast.

We first meet George Cohan (James Cagney) in a comical musical act where he plays the President. Post the extremely well-received show, Cohan is a little nervous at the prospect of going to the White House-a request from the “head man” himself. In the Oval office, sitting opposite the President, George Cohan goes back in time through flash backs to his childhood-from the day he was born (a delicious irony that it happens to be the 4TH of July) to the way in which his parents Jerry and Nellie (Walter Huston and Rosemary DeCamp) induct him into the world of theatre and the performing arts. That’s followed up by his vane and precocious boyhood days as the 11 year old star of “Peck’s Bad Boy” (young George played by Douglas Croft) to the formation and rise of the family theatre troupe “The Four Cohans.” Then comes his meeting and fascination for the young, aspiring stage actress Mary (Joan Leslie) who also goes on to become his soul mate and wife, to his rendezvous with Broadway where he teams up with Sam Harris (Richard Whorf) to produce and perform in hit, sensational musicals, to his inspiring compositions that went on to become army slogans to the death of his parents and his retirement to his return to stage. And at the end of nearly two hours of flash back we’re right back where we started- at the Oval Office where we finally understand why the President invited him.

Some call this a “war musical” but sorry pundits I beg to differ. Yes it’s got the back drop of war, a dimension that only kicks into gear in the second half. Yes it’s got patriotic music that becomes an important plot line that leaves you emotionally wired but for the most part it’s a character story of a true-blue, immensely glamorous PERSONALITY and his love affair with Broadway. Someone who’s cocky and arrogant but who’s also socially in tune with his times and loves America and its war heroes. George M. Cohan was literally born a star and while the stage defines him, he’s equally carved by his relationships. His father’s understated envy, his mother’s inability to raise a hand, his love for his parents and his heartwarming gestures, his unspoken understanding with his wife- all of these angles have been sensitively yet playfully handled by director Micheal Curtiz. Be it the big moments or the small ones there are just too many memorable scenes packed in here to even start counting.

I was surprised by how contemporary this black and white movie felt. Apart from the modern use of language and delivery, the situational comedy here is not niche’ screw ball or “time bound” but truly funny and witty even in a Robert Downey Jr world context. If you ask me this film’s a little too low down on the AFI list and deserves to be propped up a few notches for the sheer audacity of James Cagney’s riveting performance; for his entertaining dance moves; for the sweeping confidence with which Curtiz directs and controls his story telling; for the wonderful balance of drama, humor and music; for its infectious energy and for the spectacle, feel good factor and sheer entertainment on offer. Love it and will revisit it again and again but it’s such a hard DVD to find that I hope I don’t run mine out too soon.


Ira says
One things for sure, the next time I’m in new York, and I’m walking down Times Square I am going to stop by a bronze statue I’ve probably passed a hundred times before but never really looked at, tip my metaphorical hat, and perhaps do a little jig. Being an actor, and having grown up in a world full of auditoriums, greenrooms, brochures, and stage lights, I can tell you one thing, the hardest thing in the world is to get the theatre and that absolute rush of a live performance out of your blood. And nobody knew that better than James Cagney oops, GEORGE M COHAN. The ‘song and dance boy’ who started out with his family in the act called the 4 Cohans and grew to become a sensation on Broadway. The man who is today considered one of the country’s most beloved entertainers and the pioneer of musical theatre. My slip up above in the names there feels almost warranted because Oscar winner for best Actor, Cagney really becomes the man in an endearing, multifaceted performance here. It’s hard not to get caught up in his charm, his moves, his cocky one-liners, his melodies and his fervent patriotism.

In fact, it’s hard not to get caught up in the film for all the above qualities too! The prolific Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) directs with a lively levity and an upbeat energy, much like the man George M Cohan himself and really hands over the reigns to Cagney whose performance carries the show from start to finish. Cagney sings, dances, grins, and charms ensuring nothing ever wears us down, even when the film takes on a more somber tone post the war. That’s also because music drives the story forward and keeps it moving as the man sweeps across cities and theatres of the nation. Like the recent Ray’s and The Doors and so many other musical biopics, this one succeeds in recreating the mood and tone of its time period with some absolutely delightful songs and entertaining moments. Moving in a series of flashbacks, liked how the writing manages to balance the external showmanship, the routines and public performances with a keen sense of what’s going on behind the scenes and fleshes out Cohan the man, and all his relationships which for me were some of the most humorous, touching and interesting parts of the film.

While the narrative tends to jump around a bit, here are some of my favorites; the scene where Cohan first meets Mary in his dressing room and fools her into believing he’s an old man in real life when he was only 21 at the time; all the family live act routines; the quieter moments between Mary and Cohan as they grow older together, and between his family, his partner and him, all of which really give you a glimpse into a man who had an incredible amount of self confidence and positive energy. In a wonderful moment of dramatic irony Cohan, (always inoffensively full of himself) encounters another showman of the time Eddie Foy looking at a life size poster of one of Cohan’s productions and their conversation plays out like an old fashioned battle where false praise and veiled censure replace punches and fisticuffs. Later towards the end, as Cohan grows old and retires to his farm, a group of young kids drop by to use his well for their broken car engine. This new generation, humming to the tunes of swing doesn’t recognize the man, or even know of him. Both the above nuggets, one of classic mistaken identity and the other of the passage of time are lighthearted but important illustrations of the fleeting nature of an actor’s success and the underside of showbiz. While the first celebrates Cohan the legend who never faced commercial failure, the second gently reminds us not to forget him.

The world of the stage as we know has its starlets and divas, its premadonna’s and showstoppers, and Cohan’s biggest strength was always that he had a pulse on the hearts of average Americans and that he used his artistic sensibilities in simple, accessible, culturally meaningful ways. At the same time, he was ready to look and act a fool, as any good uninhibited theatre actor is! Yankee Doodle Dandy entertains and enlightens and Cohan’s rise to stardom was also a huge testimony to America’s rags to riches stories. In his words, when a journalist (and its very interesting that the press feature only once in the film, and instead Curtiz uses newspaper headlines, references to reviews, the shining lights of Broadway and archival footage to indicate Cohan’s growing success and obvious popularity) asks him how he does it, he says, ‘I am an ordinary guy and I know what ordinary guys like’. The biggest food for thought for me? When Cohan’s only non-musical, dramatic play, (ironically named “popularity”) is deemed a disastrous critical failure, finally after a long run, he decides to call it a day. Time passes, the theatre lures him back one final time, and after a heartwarming meeting with the American president, (where the film begins) just when you think things have winded down, the film leaves you with something far more joyous. An image of Cohan marching alongside a parade band member, listening to the rousing melody of his song “Over there”, the war anthem for Americans during the First World War, tells you stronger than ever that this isn’t just an entertaining showbiz success story but the story of a socially responsible artist; a rare combination. George M Cohan is a man whose ‘popularity’ will and should live on.