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Yankee Doodle Dandy

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Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Richard Whorf
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Yankee Doodle Dandy – the classic musical biography of George M. Cohan, starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Richard Whorf

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Richard Whorf

Synopsis of Yankee Doodle Dandy

Buy from Amazon James Cagney thrills in a rare (and limber) song-and-dance performance as composer-entertainer George M. Cohan. This nostalgic biography is told in flashbacks, covering Cohan’s formative years becoming Broadway’s brightest star and touching upon his loves, musicals, and artistic triumphs. Director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood) offers Cagney ample opportunities to invent an utterly charming performance in what is practically a one-man show. If you’ve never seen Cagney as a hoofer, you’re in for a treat: his dancing is as dynamic as anything else he’s ever done on screen

Product Description 

My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you …
My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you …

Legendary actor James Cagney stars in the role for which he won an Academy Award–the life of singer, dancer and songwriter George M. Cohan, a true Yankee Doodle Dandy. This non-stop musical tour de force sings, dances and celebrates the life and career of a music man who lifted a nation, the first entertainer awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for his contribution to morale. From his early days as a vaudeville performer to his stardom on Broadway, George M. Cohan composed the songs that defined his generation.

Directed with gusto by Michael (Casablanca) Curtiz, the film has long been a national treasure, winning 2 additional Academy Awards (Best Musical Score and Best Sound Recording), and was nominated for 5 additional Academy Awards. The film was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1993. as a work of enduring importance to American culture.

Cast of characters

Songs

from the Broadway show “Billie”

  • Billie (1928)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley

from the Broadway show “Cohan and Harris Minstrels”

  • The Belle of the Barbers’ Ball (1908)
    • Written by George M. Cohan

Broadway show “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway”

  • Mary’s a Grand Old Name(1906)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Played during the opening credits
    • Sung by James Cagney and Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland)
    • Sung also by Irene Manning
  • Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (1906)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by James Cagney
    • Sung also by Chorus
  • So Long, Mary (1906)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Irene Manning and Chorus

the Broadway show “Fifty Miles from Boston”

  • Harrigan (1908)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by James Cagney and Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland)

from the Broadway show “George Washington Jr.”

  • You’re a Grand Old Flag (1906)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by James Cagney and Chorus
  • I Was Born in Virginia (1906)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung and Danced by James Cagney, Walter Huston, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney

the Broadway show ‘I’d Rather Be Right’

  • Off the Record (1937)
    • Music by Richard Rodgers
    • Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
    • Additional Lyrics by Jack Scholl (1942)
    • Sung by James Cagney

from the Broadway Show “Little Johnny Jones”

  • The Yankee Doodle Boy (1904)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Played during the opening credits
    • Sung and Danced by James Cagney and Chorus
  • Give My Regards to Broadway (1904)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung and Danced by James Cagney and Chorus
  • Good Luck, Johnny (1942)
    • Music by M.K. Jerome
    • Lyrics by Jack Scholl
  • Little Johnny Jones (1942)
    • Music by M.K. Jerome
    • Lyrics by Jack Scholl
  • All Aboard for Old Broadway (1942)
    • Music by M.K. Jerome
    • Lyrics by Jack Scholl

from the Broadway show “The Little Millionaire”

  • Oh, You Wonderful Girl (1911)
    • Written by George M. Cohan

the Broadway show “Little Nellie Kelly”

  • Nellie Kelly, I Love You (1922)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley
  • You Remind Me of My Mother (1922)
    • Written by George M. Cohan

from the Broadway show “The Man Who Owns Broadway”

  • The Man Who Owns Broadway (1909)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley

the Broadway show “Mary”

  • The Love Nest (1920)
    • Music by Louis A. Hirsch
    • Lyrics by Otto A. Harbach
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley

from the Broadway show “The Merry Malones”

  • Blue Skies, Gray Skies (1927)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
  • Like the Wandering Minstrel (1927)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
  • Molly Malone (1927)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley

from the Broadway show “The Royal Vagabond”

  • In a Kingdom of Our Own (1929)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford as part of the post-WWI medley

“You’re a Grand Old Flag” sequence

Other songs

  • Over There (1917)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Sung by Frances Langford, James Cagney and Chorus
    • Reprised by marching soldiers at the end
  • At a Georgia Camp Meeting (1897)
    • Music by Kerry Mills
    • Danced (in blackface) by Henry Blair, Walter Huston, Rosemary DeCamp and Jo Ann Marlowe
  • Jeepers Creepers (1938)
    • Music by Harry Warren
    • Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
    • Sung a cappella and danced at George’s farm by Dick Chandlee, Joyce Horne, Joyce Reynolds and Charles Smith
  • While Strolling Through the Park One Day (1884)
    • Written by Ed Haley
    • Performed by Patsy Parsons
  • The Warmest Baby in the Bunch (1896)
    • Written by George M. Cohan
    • Performed by Joan Leslie (dubbed by Sally Sweetland)
  • The Red, White and Blue (1843)
    • aka “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean”
    • Written by David T. Shaw
    • Arranged by Thomas A. Beckett
    • Played during the parade and as part of the “You’re a Grand Old Flag” sequence
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