Hello, everybody. Joe Morella and Frank Segers, your classic movie guys, dipping once again into our reader emailbag, an exercise that always produces interesting results. It goes without saying that we love getting your emails, and enjoy corresponding.
What a patriotic bunch you are! Our July 4th blog about Jimmy’ Cagney’s portrayal of legendary showman George M. Cohan (Happy 4th — To All You Yankee Doodle Dandies) drew these comments.
Flickchick weighed in with: It just isn’t the Fourth of July without this film (1942′s ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’). It is impossible not to love Cagney in this role and it did inspire me to learn more about the real George M. A Yankee Doodle Dandy post!
Mike Sheridan concurred, and corrected a goof of ours. Great story, Great movie. George M. was 21 years older than Jimmy –1878 & 1899 respectively (not the 10 or 11-year age difference we incorrectly stated). Walter Huston plays a great part too (that of Jerry Cohan).
From Patricia Nolan-Hall (Caftan Woman): In John McCabe’s Cohan biography, ‘The Man Who Owned Broadway,’ he recounts a story from Cohan’s son, who was given a copy of ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ to show George, who was too ill to attend the opening. After watching Cagney, Cohan said, ‘That’s a tough act to follow.’ Cohan and Cagney – two uniquely talented men of whom your country can be proud.
