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Yankee Doodle Dandy

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Yankee Doodle Dandy
File:Yankee Doodle Dandy poster.jpeg
Directed byMichael Curtiz
Written byRobert Buckner
Edmund Joseph
Produced byWilliam Cagney,
Hal B. Wallis,
and Jack L. Warner
StarringJames Cagney,
Joan Leslie,
Walter Huston,
Richard Whorf,
Irene Manning,
George Tobias,
Rosemary DeCamp,
and Jeanne Cagney
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
June 6 1942
Running time
126 min
LanguageEnglish

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 biographical film about George M. Cohan, starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.

The movie was written by Robert Buckner and Edmund Joseph, and directed by Michael Curtiz. According to the special edition DVD, significant and uncredited improvements were made to the script by the famous "script doctors" twin brothers Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein.

The song "Yankee Doodle Boy" was Cohan's trademark piece, a patriotic pastiche drawing from the lyrics and melody of the old Revolutionary War number, "Yankee Doodle". Other Cohan tunes in the movie included "Give My Regards to Broadway", "Harrigan", "Mary's a Grand Old Name", "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There".

Cagney was a fitting choice for the role, as a fellow Irish-American who had been a song-and-dance man himself early in his career. His unique and seemingly odd presentation style, of half-singing and half-reciting the songs, reflected the style that Cohan himself used. His natural dance style and physique were also a good match for Cohan. Newspapers at the time reported that Cagney intended to consciously imitate Cohan's song-and-dance style, but to play the normal part of the acting in his own style. Although director Curtiz was famous for being a taskmaster, he also give his actors some latitude, and Cagney and other players improvised a number of "bits of business" as Cagney called them.

Although a number of the biographical particulars of the movie are Hollywoodized fiction (omitting the fact that Cohan divorced and remarried, for example, and taking some liberties with the chronology), care was taken to make the sets, costumes and dance steps match the original stage presentations. This effort was aided significantly by a former associate of Cohan's, Jack Boyle, who knew the original productions well. Boyle also appeared in the film in some of the dancing groups.

The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (James Cagney), Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound, Recording. It was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Walter Huston), Best Director, Best Film Editing for George Amy, Best Picture and Best Writing, Original Story. Curtiz failed to win Best Director for this picture because he instead took home the Oscar for Casablanca, in a very busy year for the famous director. The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

In 1986, Yankee Doodle Dandy became the first computer-colorized film released by entrepreneur Ted Turner.

Urban Legend

A popular myth about this movie, or at least a stretching of the truth, was that it was written in response to accusations that James Cagney was a communist. The story is as follows: Cagney learns that he is in danger of being blacklisted for having communist sympathies. Therefore, he decides to make the most jingoistic movie he possibly can, and thus clears his name. This myth as stated has its chronology a bit askew, as the McCarthy Era did not begin until the early 1950s. Also the Second Red Scare did not begin until the late 1940s, well after the film was made. In other versions of this legend either Robert Buckner or Edmund Joseph were the accused.

The DVD specials discuss this story in some detail. There was a Congressman named Martin Dies who was investigating possible communist influence in Hollywood in 1940, and he in fact had a cordial meeting with Cagney in which the actor reassured him that, although he was a liberal and supported Roosevelt's New Deal, he was also a patriot who had nothing to do with communism. That was the end of it, except that James' producer-brother William did see the Cohan story as a good opportunity to dispel any possible concerns about Cagney's loyalty. It was not written in response to the Dies investigation, as Cohan himself had been shopping his own story around for awhile before Jack L. Warner bought the rights, and Cohan retained final approval on all aspects of the film.

Yankee Doodle Dandy® in the Millennium

Creative Character Licensing (CCL) is a company headquartered on the Monterey Peninsula (California, USA), and is the exclusive licensor of the following trademarks: Yankee Doodle Dandy®, Yankee Doodle Dolly®, America’s Star-Spangled Kids®, America’s Bicentennial Son®, The Character of America®, Helpful™, Hopeful™, Friendly™, Faith™, Fearful™, Forgetful™, Experiential Learning™, and Life On A Lucky Star™. The company retains design patents and trademarks registered with the United States Department of Patents and Trademarks.

Yankee Doodle Dandy® Timeline

1754: "Yankee Doodle" is brought to America by the English soldiers who fight in the French-Indian War of 1754. "Yankee Doodle" develops into the most important song of the American Revolution.

1776: "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is present in America at the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

1901: George M. Cohan, composer, writes a song for a Broadway musical, Little Johnny Jones, audiences and critics acclaimed "Yankee Doodle Boy" with its flag-waving exuberance.

1942: The "Yankee Doodle Dandy" film stars actor James Cagney becomes a nationwide hit. Again, the "Yankee Doodle" song highlights the film, re-establishing its 'hit' popularity.

April, 1975: In his first product likeness, Yankee Doodle Dandy® is created into a latex-balloon inflating character, appearing in all 50 states at banks, savings & loans, fast-food chains, and shopping malls. (www.creativeballoonsmfg.com)

July 4, 1976 "America's Bicentennial Year" witnesses the birth of the cartoon character "Yankee Doodle Dandy®", created by Creative Character Licensing. (www.yankeedoodledandy.com)

July 4, 1976 "Yankee Doodle Dandy®" costume character is born in the nation's longest parade--Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. The flag-waving crowd of 600,000, along the parade route shout, "Play it again, Sam!"

1978: The state of Connecticut adopts the tune "Yankee Doodle" as their state theme song.

1979: The United States Postal Service issues a performing-arts commemorative stamp honoring George M. Cohan for "Yankee Doodle Dandy". One-hundred and fifty two million are printed and sold.

1982: Creative Character Licensing designs a female sidekick for Yankee Doodle Dandy®, rightly named Yankee Doodle Dolly®.

1983: The first original coloring book introduces Yankee Doodle Dandy® and friends to America - Helpful™, Hopeful™, Friendly™, and Faith™.

1983: Creative Character Licensing and Dandy Productions, in conjunction with Habitt Music Co., creates the original song "My Name is Yankee Doodle Dandy®"

July 4, 1988: A 76-foot parade balloon is created in the likeness of Yankee Doodle Dandy® and is showcased in the "WSB-TV '2' America's Largest Independence Day Parade" in Atlanta, Georgia.

1993: "Who Is Yankee Doodle Dandy®?", a 17-minute promotional documentary, is written and produced by Dandy Productions. Film highlights early beginnings of the name and various configurations of Yankee Doodle in American history.

1994: Under a licensing agreement with Creative Character Licensing-Dandy Productions, Creative Balloons Mfg., Inc. launches the Yankee Doodle Dandy® E-Z Balloon Kit® (disposable helium tank and self-sealing balloons), sold at party good stores throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Ohio.

July 4, 2000: Dandy Productions publishes Life on a Lucky Star™ children's book and single-song CD, a collectors 1st edition in the U.S. - intended for children's educational and entertainment purposes highlighting Yankee Doodle Dandy®, Yankee Doodle Dolly®, and their pets, Fearful™ and Forgetful™. Both the book and CD are endorsed by leading educators and U.S. figures claiming: "A book to promote patriotism in our young people is always of value." (John Glenn, United States Senator) (www.lifeonaluckystar.com)

September 14, 2001: Yankee Doodle Dandy® costume character greets the American crowds at the California International Airshow in Salinas, California. Notable attendees include the U.S. Navy, Royal Canadian F-16 Fighter Pilots, and The Boy Scouts of America.

January, 2003: Creation of 2-50' Parade Balloons in the likeness of Yankee Doodle Dandy® and Yankee Doodle Dolly® by Starbound Entertainment under licensing agreement with Creative Character Licensing-Dandy Productions.

July 4, 2006: Yankee Doodle Dandy® and Yankee Doodle Dolly® 50' Parade Balloons make their 1st-In-the-Nation Appearance in the Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.

July 4, 1989 - Present: The Yankee Doodle Dandy® parade/special event balloons have been featured in numerous TV-broadcasted parades around the country, to include: 

	WSB-TV SALUTE 2 AMERICA PARADE - ATLANTA, GA       
	FOLEY'S CHRISTMAS PARADE - HOUSTON, TX
	INDY 500 FESTIVAL PARADE - INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
	PEBBLE BEACH INDEPENDENCE DAY GALA EVENT - PEBBLE BEACH, CA	
	PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME PARADE - CANTON, OH
	4TH OF JULY PARADE - PITTSFIELD, MA
	ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE - HOLYOKE, MA
	SOUTH CAROLINA PEACH FESTIVAL - GAFFNEY, SC
	INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE - ST. LOUIS, MO
       INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE - WASHINGTON, D.C.
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