#100 - Yankee Doodle Dandy

James Cagney won the Best Actor Oscar for his lively portrayal of "Mr. Broadway", George M. Cohan, in this lavish screen biography that highlights Cagney in some of his finest song-and-dance routines. Cohan, a playwright, entertainer, composer and patriot, made his mark on the vaudeville stage and penned countless memorable tunes, including "Over There", "It's a Grand Old Flag", "Give My Regards to Broadway" and the film's rousing title number.

I watched the 1942 movie "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with a bowl of popcorn and an appetite for a movie dripping with history and humor. I had never heard of this movie previously and I don't have much of a taste for musicals... I don't dislike them, mind you, but they aren't on my list of favorite movie genres (although the movie "White Christmas" is a favorite). I was surprised that this isn't as much a musical, as a biography with musical numbers included. The movie went through the life of George M. Cohan, from his birth until his meeting with the President of the United States. From what I've read since watching the movie, there were many facts left out of the film itself, but I don't think it takes from the experience.

Now then... James Cagney. I admit, I haven't watch many movies with Mr. Cagney, but after seeing this one, I'm loading up the Netflix queue as soon as possible. His acting wasn't acting at all... it was effortless, determined... he was George Cohan. His Oscar win for this movie is not surprising in the least, and anyone who doubts his acting chops should watch this movie and be silent. The last scene has him walking down a long staircase only to have him break out into a dance. ON THE STAIRCASE. I know people who can't even walk on a staircase without stumbling, yet this man glided gently and then danced on his journey down the steps. In my small amount of research on the movie, I found that this was ad-libbed by Cagney, further proof to his dedication to this role.

Also, and I'm not sure many people know this, but as evidenced in this movie, James Cagney had hairy hands. It was like they were wearing little fur jackets. Awesome.

The supporting cast were all terrific as well... and I love the period this movie was filmed in: patriotism as common as morning coffee, men who wore hats all the time, women who wore demure dresses and seemed subservient all the while pulling the strings behind the men. I didn't get to live through that part of American history, but with movies like this one, I can escape to it for a few hours.

I give this movie 4/5 bowls of popcorm, my rating system for this project... because the more I like a movie, the more popcorn I eat. I recommend watching this one. On to the next!