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
Product Description
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
- James Cagney (The Time of Your Life) … George M. Cohan
- Joan Leslie (Sergeant York) … Mary
- Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) … Jerry Cohan
- Richard Whorf (Champagne for Caesar) … Sam Harris
- Irene Manning (Shine On Harvest Moon) … Fay Templeton
- George Tobias (The Judge Steps Out) … Dietz
- Rosemary DeCamp (On Moonlight Bay) … Nellie Cohan
- Jeanne Cagney (The Time of Your Life) … Josie Cohan
- Frances Langford (Too Many Girls) … Singer
- George Barbier (Wife Versus Secretary) … Erlanger
- S.Z. Sakall (In the Good Old Summertime) … Schwab
- Walter Catlett (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) … Theatre Manager
- Douglas Croft (Batman 1943 serial) … George M. Cohan – As a Boy of 13
- Eddie Foy Jr. … Eddie Foy
- Minor Watson (The Monster and the Girl) … Albee
- Chester Clute (Annabel Takes a Tour) … Goff
- Odette Myrtil … Madame Bartholdi
- Patsy Parsons … Josie Cohan – As a Girl of 12
- Jack Young … The President
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
- (I Wish I Was in) Dixie’s Land (1860)
- Music by Daniel Decatur Emmett
- The Battle Hymn of the Republic (circa 1856)
- Music by William Steffe
- Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe (1862)
- Auld Lang Syne (1788)
- Traditional Scottish 17th century music
- Lyrics by Robert Burns
- When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1863)
- Music and Lyrics by Louis Lambert
- America, My Country ‘Tis of Thee (1832)
- Music attributed to Henry Carey (“God Save the King!”) (1744)
- Lyrics by Samuel Francis Smith
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