Yankee Doodle Dandy 4 stars out of 5 stars

Released in 1942 and running 126 minutes this may be the best musical about a Broadway figure ever made.The only shortcomings and thus 1 star off is the b&w and it looks like a 1942 film.Ah but the classic plus's,James Cagney as George M. Cohan,show he could"hoof"with anyone and was more than just a tuff guy actor.The songs are rich and timeless and show why broadway musicals became a fabric of life in the early 1900's.The movie also misleads that Cohan got a medal of Honor rather than the civilian version.Still it is a classic and rates just below Casablanca and   Wizard of Oz of he classic's I reviewed so far.For your 4th you can do far worse than this gem.Below is the music from the movie than the trailer below the pix.Enjoy !!

With a handful of song and dance tunes, many composed by Cohan himself, the soundtrack is as follows: "The Dancing Master," "The Dancing Master" (reprise); "Strolling Through the Park One Day" (by Joe Goodwin and Gus Edwards); "Minstrel Number," "I Was Born in Virginia," "The Warmest Baby in the Bunch," "Harrigan," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "All Aboard for Old Broadway" (by Jack Scholl and M.K. Jerome), "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Oh, You Wonderful Girl," "Blue Skies, Grey Skies," "The Barber's Ball," "Mary," "Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway," "Mary" (reprise); "Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway," "So Long, Mary," "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (by William Steffe and Julia Ward Howe); "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," "Of Thee I Sing," "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Come Along With Me," "Over There," "I'm Happy As Can Be," "Love Nest" (by Louis A. Hirsch and Otto Harbach); "Little Nellie Kelly," "The Man Who Owns Broadway," "Molly Malone," "Billie," "Jeepers Creepers" (by Johnny Mercer and Harry Warren); "Off the Record" and "Over There." Of the songs listed above, several could have been chosen as alternate titles in regards to Cohan, including: "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Grand Old Flag," "The Man Who Owns Broadway," or "Off the Record," but the final selection became "Yankee Doodle Dandy." While many of these songs are Broadway show tunes, the most memorable ones happen to be the patriotic songs, especially "Grand Old Flag," "Over There," and of course, the title tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTec9v6fjN0