Yankee Doodle Dandy

The real George M. Cohan had just had a serious operation and was recuperating at his upstate New York home when he was shown, in a private screening, this film of his life starring the indefatigable James Cagney. The great showman watched the movie without a word. When it was finished he was asked how he liked it. Cohan grinned, shook his head, and paid the great Cagney his highest compliment: "My God, what an act to follow!" This beguiling film, which deservedly won Cagney a Best Actor Oscar, presents an irresistible portrait of song-and-dance man Cohan and of early 20th-century America. It's heartfelt entertainment and anyone who ever whistled a tune, tapped a t...