Hindsight

Classic Kids, or 100 films the kids in your life have to see by 13 or else!

Day 66:  Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Based on the life of George M. Cohan, the film stars Jimmy Cagney as Cohan, the turn of the century Broadway showman.  Joan Leslie plays his love interest, and Walter Huston plays his father.  Cagney's real life sister, Jeanne, plays his on-screen sis. Cagney and Cohan shared a lot.  They were both Irish American, came from meager backgrounds in New York City, and both started their careers as song and dance vaudevillians. It's fun to see Cagney in a non-gangster role, although he is great in those too.  I just love Cagney.  His energy, sense of play and humor are evident throughout the film. Plus, nobody dances like Cagney, if you are a tap dancer, you can tell his style is much more 'city' more rhythmically focused.  In other words, Cagney dances with the music, and doesn't worry too much about his form or classical lines.   

 "I am a Yankee Doodle Dandy"  and "Over There" are just some of the Cohan songs celebrated.  This film was the perfect Hollywood propaganda film for the American shift into World War II, and as such was not only a critical success, but a financial one as well.

Themes:  World War I, Patriotism, Immigrants, Vaudeville, New York City

Media Literacy Questions for kids:  Although the film dealt with the first World War, how was this film seen as something of propaganda for American entree into the second World War?  How is George M. Cohan's style of writing, singing and acting different than today?  What are core values within this film?