Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), 9

The life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan.
2h 6min | Biography, Drama, Musical | 6 June 1942
Director: Michael Curtiz
Stars: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Rosemary DeCamp, Jeanne Cagney
Jack Boyle ... dances routined by: James Cagney's
Seymour Felix... dance numbers staged and directed by
LeRoy Prinz ... dance numbers staged and directed by

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035575/

In the Tap! Appendix for James Cagney (JC), Jean Cagney, Rosemary DeCamp, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie. Yeah, only JC really deserves mentioning here. But he does a lot of dancing; feels like almost as much here as in his other films combined.

Soundtracks lists 21 songs written by Cohan. Plus 13 others. Many are parts of medleys.

In the commentary track, Rudy Behlmer says that JC's dance down the staircase here was related to what he did in Footlight Parade ('33). Annnnnnnk. I have my notes, and it was Something to Sing About ('37), Rudy old bean. He dances in FP, but only falls down a staircase (part of the staged entrance).

Amazing that neither Walter Huston nor Cuddles Sakall manages to steal a scene from JC. Of course it helps that, during WH's death scene, the camera is focused on JC and we see only 1/4 of WH's face from the top of his head. 

Don't understand why they cast 17 y.o. Joan Leslie as his wife. Per the commentary track: She was still subject to child labor laws, had to spend part of the day in school, and caused production to be shut down because she had worked the maximum on some day.

9 was my prior rating. I'm sure it was for Cagney's dancing and acting. He's luminous. And he appears to be having a lot of fun with his dancing. If he'd done more dancing on film, would he be as happy here? Even if so, would I cherish this performance as much? I think it's economics: lack of supply creates demand, driving the rating up.

[One of the special features on disc 2 is a 1992 biography/filmography/fanalysis of Cagney, hosted/narrated on camera by Michael J. Fox. It just so happens I'd planned to watch Back to the Future ('85) next, because it's Groundhog Day, and when I watched that movie last year, it felt too soon. Cue the Twilight Zone music, 'cuz dat MJF connection weren't planned.]

Warner, dir. Curtiz; 9