What do Yankee Doodle Dandy and White Christmas have in Common? They are both movies that are viewed on their respective holidays, of Independence Day and Christmas. They also contain songs from two of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. They were George M. Cohan and Irving Berlin. The chief difference in the two movies are what they are. White Christmas is a comedy with Irving Berlin songs. Yankee Doodle Dandy is a filmography of Cohan. It features some of his famous songs, Yankee Doodle Boy, Give My Regards to Broadway and Mary’s a Grand Old Name. This Cagney vehicle is also the better film.
There is another common factor with the two films. They were both directed by Michael Curtiz. He was known for directing dramas and action movies. Many of them starring Errol Flynn. The most famous of these was The Adventures of Robin Hood. His direction of Yankee Doodle Dandy, gives his career another direction. He was helped by Seymour Felix and Leroy Prinz, the choreographers. Together they helped make one of the finest film musicals. It helped that they had a vaudeville trained talent like Cagney. He is terrific with his dancing. There is one particular scene, where Cohan does a tap dance routine, at an army induction center, at the start of World War I. These routines and his terrific portrayal of Cohan, won him the academy award.
Yankee Doodle Dandy gave James Cagney a new direction for his career. He was, before this, a tough guy actor, known for his portrayal of gangsters. His portrayal of a songwriting legend is one of the best of his long career. He shows Cohan as a struggling songwriter and later as the man who later owns half of Broadway. His comedy skills are shown in his first meeting with Mary, (Joan Leslie), Cohan’s future wife. She confuses him with the old man character he plays on stage. He later has a semi-serious scene with Leslie. He confesses that he gave his ode to her, Mary, A Grand Old Name Name, to Faye Templeton, (Irene Manning). The song and other Cohan melodies are performed very well by the actress.
James Cagney is great in this film. He is ably assisted by the veteran actor, Walter Huston, who plays Jerry Cohan, the patriarch of the family. He almost steals the show from Cagney. One of the best scenes is when George Cohan, makes his father a full partner in all of his theaters. He also does well when the entire family is together performing. Huston is a very underrated actor. His talent was passed on to his family. His son John, was an academy award winning director. His granddaughter, Angelica, became an academy award winning actress.
The feel of this film is important. The audience sees what is was like in the American theater in the early twentieth century. This is due to the backstage sets, and the recreation of the original theaters, on which some of Cohan’s musical comedies were performed. These sets were designed by Carl Jules Weyl. He was an architect, who designed very famous buildings. Among them were The Brown Derby Restaurant and The Hollywood Palace Theater.
The look of this movie is given by James Wong Howe. His shots of Cagney in closeup or far away stand out. He was close friends with the actor, and had previously worked with him. He gives the feel of what its like to perform on the road. He shows the trains and posters of the Cohan’s when they appear in different cities. He captures George M. Cohan’s birth just right. His father performs and than has to navigate an Independence Day parade to be there for his son’s birth. There are the lights of Broadway highlighting the premieres of Cohan’s shows. Howe was one of the hardest working and most famous cinematographer’s. His work on Yankee Doodle Dandy shows why.
There are films that should be seen by anyone who loves movies. Among them are Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, Jaws and The Godfather. Yankee Doodle Dandy should be among them. It does not need to be watched on Independence Day. It can be watched anytime. You do not have to be a lover of musicals to like it. The story is about a patriotic American, George M. Cohan. His love of country gave us the birth of the musical theater. Cohan himself was so impressed with Cagney’s performance, that he said, “How do you follow an act like that.” That is reason enough to watch this exceptional film.