“A man may give his life to his country in many different ways, Mr. Cohan, and quite often he isn’t the best judge of how much he has given. Your songs were the symbol of the American spirit. ‘Over There’ was just as powerful a weapon as any cannon, as any battleship we had in the First World War. Today we’re all soldiers; we’re all on the front. We need more songs to express America. I know you and your comrades will give them to us.”
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt as played by Captain Jack Young.
What is so funny about this quote is that in reality George M. Cohan and President Roosevelt did not see eye to eye on politics and, while Cohan was made aware that the President was awarding him the Medal of Honor, he delayed that meeting for a long time because of how much he disliked him. Yet, for this movie, this moment, which bookends the film, perfectly encapsulates what the film stands for, a morale-boosting hurray for America at the height of World War II. We were just out of the Great Depression, our soldiers had entered the war in large part due to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and the American people needed something to boost their morale.
James Cagney needed this, too. He was fighting against being typecast as a gangster thanks to Warner Bros. refusing to send any other type of script his way. He was also fighting a public persona that was starting to view him as having communist sympathies. He needed a hit that was also the biggest American patriotic film of all time. He needed to portray a real-life figure that represented to many the very image of patriotism: George M. Cohan, the man who allegedly was so patriotic he was even born on the Fourth of July (The real Cohan was actually born on the third of July, but the day change made for better press).
At the time this film went into production, the real George M. Cohan was losing a battle with his failing health. Still, he served as a consultant on the film right up to its release. The film, which was initially scheduled to release on July 4, to take advantage of the holiday and his ties to it, was moved up to Memorial Day instead for fear that Cohan might die before it could hit theaters. Audiences, who would have been more aware of Cohan’s true life story, didn’t seem to care that so much of it was fabricated or exaggerated and made the film the biggest box-office success in the history of the studio up to that point. It was described as “…affectionate, if not accurate” (Bosley Crowler of the New York Times), echoing the acknowledgments that so much of this is untrue, yet entertaining and uplifting all the same.
There is no denying that George M. Cohan inspired Americans, especially soldiers entering World War I, with his music. Songs such as Over There, Grand Old Flag, and Yankee Doodle Boy brought with them a feeling of pride for this country and became a rally cry during the war and at gatherings and parades for the troops. Watching it through modern eyes, though, has a different response, one that varies depending on how you currently feel about the United States of America.
We are living in very pessimistic times where there are a lot of people very angry at America and its leaders right now. That taints the viewing experience of a film like this which wears the Red, White, and Blue like a badge of honor. There were precious few, if any, who were kneeling for the Star-Spangled Banner in 1942. Now people use that as a way of protesting the government and, specifically, who is at the head of it. Watching flags unfurl and marching bands representing our troops parade across the stage can be looked at cynically, now. This is not the first time these feelings have existed in this country, either.
Little Johnny Jones, the play where Cohan sings Yankee Doodle Boy, was revived in 1982. This play, which was wildly popular when it premiered in the early 1900s, was so dismissed in its revival in the 80s that it was shuttered after only one performance. The imagery of patriotism and optimism didn’t play anymore. These kinds of things ebb and flow with the mood of the populous, and the popularity of the film Yankee Doodle Dandy and the patriotic music of Cohan was at an all-time high in the months after 9/11.
En vogue or not, there is no denying the charisma and the dancing talents of James Cagney in the lead role. This was a role that was offered to Fred Astaire in the early months of development. But Fred Astaire has a smooth, delicate style of dance that doesn’t work for portraying Cohan. Cagney was a more adaptable performer and took up the challenge, mastering the more stiff dance moves that Cohan was known for. The style was so demanding that he injured himself several times over the course of rehearsals and filming. The effort was worth it, though, as when you see him on stage it looks effortless. It also looks difficult and dangerous while simultaneously looking like something anyone could master with enough practice. That’s the beauty of this choreography. When we see Fred Astaire dancing, we are impressed with the physicality and difficulty of the moves, knowing that we could never duplicate them. We don’t feel that with Cagney’s interpretation of Cohen, though we are just as likely to be unable to replicate it.
Cagney is also working overtime to sell us on the likability of Cohan, despite ample evidence that he was not that great of a person in real life. This film is portraying George M. Cohan in a far greater light than the man was in real life, in large part due to the real Cohan’s hand in helping craft this picture. That didn’t matter at the time, though, as this film was designed from the ground up to raise morale in the American people. In that it succeeded. This is a depiction of how people wanted to see Cohan, not how he actually was.
There is no denying that Cohan had a tremendous impact on morale in America, an impact that is still felt today. We still hear his music played at Fourth of July celebrations, at marches and parades, and in popular entertainment. Growing up I was familiar with those songs as well as several others from his shows such as Give My Regards to Broadway. The man may not have been a saint, but he understood what people wanted and would respond to, and his talent has echoed throughout the decades to the present day.
This film may not be accurate, but it taps into the patriotism of our country and has the potential to inspire pride in our nation. It can also be interpreted more pessimistically or cynically depending on the mood of the citizens. It can flow both ways, too, as it did for me. I felt the energy and pride as I saw troops marching down a street singing Over There in unison. I also felt the other side of things as I stepped back and pondered the state of the country as it stands right now, divided and full of hatred and fear. The latter is not the fault of this film but a byproduct of our current political atmosphere. It makes me long for the days when this country pulled together and “rallied around the flag”.
Academy Award Nominations:
Outstanding Motion Picture: Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, and William Cagney
Best Directing: Michael Curtiz
Best Actor: James Cagney (won)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Walter Huston
Best Writing (Original Motion Picture Story): Robert Buckner
Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture): Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld (won)
Best Sound Recording: Nathan Levinson (won)
Best Film Editing: George Amy
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Release Date: May 29, 1942
Running Time: 126 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
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