Review of Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) by Mark K — 09 Sep 2010

While it was intended for a propaganda vehicle during wartime, this film transcends its campy and sentimental trappings because of the electric performance of James Cagney. As a biography of a great entertainer, it also succeeds, and covers a lot of ground through Cohan's long career. If you're a student of history, or just love film and theater, you'll appreciate the nods to Vaudeville, the comedy, and song-and-dance acts. It's like a time capsule, and a great chapter in the history of entertainment: Broadway was built by Vaudevillians including Cohan on one figurative side of the street and Frohman's organization (the higher brows) on the other.

The film's all Cagney, though. His incredible on-screen performance is just brilliant. While he's better known for his tough guy roles, this is probably one of his best performances, and one he considered his best as well, and for which he won Best Actor.

The direction and filming is snappy and fluid considering its time, but that's to be expected when capturing Cagney's energy. The supporting cast was also splendid, with cameos by some famous Vaudevillians.

If you've never seen this, you owe it to yourself to experience it on a big screen, in a classic movie house if you can. or on the biggest TV screen you can find or rent. It's just plain fun.