Time: 2024-07-05
When the 4th of July comes around each year , and patriotic songs are sung , I m reminded of the guy who wrote about being The Yankee Doodle Boy who was a real - live nephew of my Uncle Sam , born on the 4th of July , and saluted the American flag with another of his classics , You re a Grand Old Flag . So , even though George M. Cohan fudged his autobiography to claim his birthday as Independence Day when he was actually born the day before , he certainly still qualifies as the ideal honoree for our series of profiles of music figures born in each month as the calendar pages turn . The bronze statue of him in the heart of Manhattans theater district , near the TKTS discount ticket booth , appropriately has the title of his song that is a love letter to the area : Give My Regards to Broadway . So , this July is the perfect time to give our regards to his legacy.
George M. Cohans infectious , upbeat songs are the perfect pick - me - ups , and the sentimental ones can still tug at the heart . But there are many treasures beyond the ones most often heard , like the World War I battle cry Over There and Forty - Five Minutes from Broadway , and the proudly Irish Harrigan . I especially like You Wo nt Do Business If You Have nt Got a Band , Lifes A Funny Proposition After All , I Wo nt Be an Actor No More , and Always Leave Them Laughing When You Say Goodbye.
Although he died in 1942 , the memory of the prolific songwriter/ playwright/ performer/ producer who wrote , directed , and/or starred in dozens of shows has remained in the air in recent times . A new biography has just appeared : Yankee Doodle Dandy : George M. Cohan and the Broadway Stage , by Elizabeth T. Craft , published by Oxford University Press . Two of his songs were included in the most recent Broadway by the Season concert at Merkin Hall , and Steve Ross has tucked a couple into his large repertoire . Music historian , writer and director Chip Deffaa , has created several Cohan - centric stage pieces , such as the off - Broadway biographical George M. Cohan Tonight ! , a one - man show , which has now been adapted as a captivatingly terrific movie with its dynamo original star , Jon Peterson , re - creating his role , directing , and contributing additional material . Presented as Cohan recalling his career as he sings and dances a bevy of numbers , the award - winning film is now on Tubi TV at the link below and will be available elsewhere for streaming or purchase soon.
In earlier years , the Cohan canon had been present in every medium : recordings , concerts , a TV special with Mickey Rooney , the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy presenting James Cagney strutting as Cohan ( there s also a 2019 studio cast album sharing the title and some of that material on Broadway Records ) . And then there was the 1968 Broadway musical George M ! Starring Joel Grey , with Bernadette Peters as Cohans sister and member of their family vaudeville act which included their parents.
Cohan , who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor , played the President of the United States on Broadway in a show he did nt write : I d Rather Be Right , with a score by Rodgers & Hart . He was also one of the founding members of ASCAP , and was known as the man who owned Broadway.
Less than six months after the United States officially entered World War II , actor James Cagneys most acclaimed film and you ll see why in the following Yankee Doodle Dandy facts arrived in theaters , capturing the patriotic spirit that was sweeping the country , making it an instant classic.
Filmed between December 1941 and February 1942 , the film is a biographical musical based on the life and ( mostly ) career of George M. Cohan , much of whose life ( spanning 1878 to 1942 ) was spent as a playwright , lyricist , composer , singer , actor , dancer and theatrical producer . He is also the man who gave us such patriotic songs perfect for the upcoming July 4 holiday as You re a Grand Old Flag , The Yankee Doodle Boy and Over There ( not to mention Give My Regards to Broadway).
While the music would have survived Cohan anyway ( true art usually outlives the artist ) , the fact that Yankee Doodle Dandy has existed for the past 82 years and is deemed such a classic , the world will never forget the name George M. Cohan . And much of that is because of James Cagney.
Born July 17 , 1899 in New York City , Cagney had made a name for himself playing an assortment of tough guys in acclaimed films like The Public Enemy ( 1931 ) , Angels with Dirty Faces ( 1938 ) and White Heat ( 1949 ) , but its his turn as Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy that in many ways came to define him and his career . The bottom line is that the film rises or falls based on his performance , and its unanimous that he nailed it.
Mr. Cagney , wrote The Atlanta Journal on October 15 , 1942 , faced with the difficult task of impersonating a man known to millions , goes about the job with inspiration and zest and reveals amazing talents as a dancer and singer . So far as I can remember , Cagney has done little singing or dancing in his previous pictures ; but if you think he ca nt hoof well , just have a look at Yankee Doodle Dandy Jimmy Cagney proves he can do something besides portray tough little gangsters . As the George M. Cohan of Yankee Doodle Dandy , he is a versatile and distinguished actor of great talent.
Added the Pittsburgh Post - Gazette that same month , Its almost as if Mr. Cohan scripted his life with Mr. Cagney in mind . Where one ends and the other begins , nobody can ever be quite sure , but between the two of them , Mr. Cohan , his deeds and inspiration , and Mr. Cagney , his energy and faithfulness , they have cooked up a corking composite that takes Yankee Doodle Dandy by the hand and leads it safely and happily home.
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