Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

Robert Buckner (screenplay) and
Edmund Joseph (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 June 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Based on the story of GEORGE M. COHAN with the Greatest of all his Great Music

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Vaudeville | Playwright | Dancer | Comeback | Songwriter

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
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

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #7929) | Canada:G (video rating) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The movie's line "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you." was voted as the #97 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In a newspaper photograph, the Lusitania has two funnels instead of four.

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frankie and Johnny (1991)

Soundtrack:

(I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

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.