Yankee Doodle Dandy

US (1942): Musical/Dance/Biography

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 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. The fine cast includes Joan Leslie, Walter Huston and Rosemary DeCamp (as Jerry and Nellie Cohan), Richard Whorf, Irene Manning, George Tobias, Jeanne Cagney (as Josie Cohan), Frances Langford, George Barbier, S.Z. Sakall and Eddie Foy, Jr. (Amazon.com)

Cagney's Award for Best Actor was the first to go to a performer in a musical picture.

 Use this link to view the original theatrical trailer for Yankee Doodle Dandy on TCM.com.

8 nominations, 3 Awards