Welcome back to At The Movies!
Since we’re just coming off the July 4th holiday in The States and I’m still in a patriotic mood, I hope you’ll grant me one more indulgence. I went pretty far back today so some of you youngsters out there might not know this particular artist – and what an artist he was!
He could act – anything from comedy to gritty crime stories. He could sing and he could dance. He’s got a real Irish tough guy persona but not in the movie video you’re about to see.
Any idea who I’m talking about? Well it’s none other than an American institution, the one and only Jimmy Cagney doing the best George M. Cohan I’ve ever seen.
From 1942’s “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, a biographical musical film about George M. Cohan – an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer known as “The Man Who Owned Broadway” – here is Jimmy Cagney singing and dancing to “Yankee Doodle Dandy”.
Just sit back and have fun with this one.
Now that’s about as entertaining as they come!
So what could possibly be our question of the day? Well, there is none! Just enjoy this:
As I mentioned earlier, Jimmy Cagney acted in some pretty gritty and grisly crime dramas. He’s famous for the catchphrase “You dirty rat!” but in reality Cagney never actually said that. He said something pretty close and here it is, just a bit of fun for all you Cagney buffs out there. This is from the 1932 movie called “Taxi!”
That was intense! I thought for sure the girl was a goner – not to mention the guy hiding in the closet!
Did any of you know the name of the movie? I never even heard of it!
Jimmy Cagney was an amazing man. If you don’t know much about him, I urge you to check him out on Wikipedia. He was one of a kind!
Well, that’s it for this week. Thanks for hanging out with me here At The Movies and joining vicariously in my July 4th celebration.
Nick’s up tomorrow Breaking Boundaries in his own inimitable fashion; stop by and check it out.
See you on the flip side.
I’m The Sicilian Storyteller
NAR © 2023
The Elephant's Trunk 
When I was a kid, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” was a July 4th staple of local TV stations. I loved that movie and have probably seen it at least a dozen times. Who knew Cagney was such a talented song and dance man?
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Guess what, Fan. It’s STILL a July 4th staple on our cable TV stations! Just goes to show you what great classics that movie and JC are.
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An amazing talent!
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My, that movie is even older than me! All I know about Jimmy Cagney is his name, I really ought to check him out.
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Oh, please do, Keith! I’d love to know what you think.
I’ve never been one for watching TV during the day but this recent heat and humidity have been keeping us inside. My husband discovered a TV channel with nothing but old classics, many from the 30s, very short flicks just over an hour. Yesterday was “Call of the Wild” from 1935 with Clark Gable and Loretta Young, 1hr, 2o min. That’s enough TV for one day!
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The way he hides his gun 🤣 wonderful
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Typical back then. Great point, Sanjeet.
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I didn’t even know he sang in all honesty, always enjoyed his acting though. I think we need Danny Kaye at some point though 🙂
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Danny Kaye was extremely likable, funny and talented; in my opinion, though, he lacked a certain gravitas and was typecast, performing in mostly comedies. I think he made a couple of dramas but no names are coming to me.
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“I hate the word “superstar”. I have never been able to think in those terms. They are overstatements. You don’t hear them speak of William Shakespeare as a superpoet. You don’t hear them call Michelangelo a superpainter. They only apply the word to this mundane market.”
Not only JC said it but he practiced it.
And he wasn’t just playing the tough guy… growing up at one of the toughest neighborhoods of Manhattan, he had to do what needed to be done.
Loving this time travel with your feature, Nancy!
Maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be a certain kinesiology at the movies of that era, remnant of silent movies acting.
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You got me nervous with the whole “superstar”thing, Nick; so much so that I had to go back and read my post to see if I used that dreaded word. Whew! I did not. Boy, am I relieved! 🤣
But … if I HAD used that word, it would have been totally appropriate for Cagney. I can’t think of another performer who was the total package, at least not in this generation of cookie-cutter entertainers. Cagney gave his all in everything he did; besides that, he was an incredible human being. If anyone deserves the “S” word, it’s him.
Excellent point you made about the body movements in these early talkies. Let’s not forget in the silent movie era, eye/facial expressions, body movements and music accompaniment were all exaggerated to make up for the lack of speech. It wasn’t a smooth transition into the talkies and those manic reactions were still prevalent. A lot of actors lost work, as was so marvelously represented in “The Artist”, the award-winning film from 2011.
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