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Yankee Doodle Dandy | 
| Director: Michael Curtiz
Actors: James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Irene Manning
Category: Video
This item is no longer available
Rating:  22 reviews
Format: Import, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Media: VHS Tape
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0792840887
UPC: 027616739131
EAN: 9780792840886
ASIN: 0792840887
Theatrical Release Date: June 6, 1942
Release Date: April 6, 1999
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Additional Features
Two 45-minute documentaries highlight the Yankee Doodle Dandy two-DVD set. Michael J. Fox hosts James Cagney: Top of the World, a 1992 biography of the film's star that incorporates a rare audio interview with footage and photos from his film and stage career. Let Freedom Sing! The Story of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a 2003 exploration of the film itself, including George M. Cohan's tight control over the project (he wanted Fred Astaire to play him) and profiles of the cast and crew (Joan Leslie, who played Cohan's wife, is interviewed and still looks lovely over 60 years later). Of course some material overlaps both documentaries, such as how a Communist accusation compelled Cagney to pursue this ultra-patriotic project, and how news of Pearl Harbor arrived during filming. Other significant features are historian Rudy Behlmer's trivia-laden commentary track and the nightmarish 1943 short "You, John Jones," in which Cagney is forced to envision his daughter (a pre-Meet Me in St. Louis Margaret O'Brien) suffering in wartime conditions around the world. The transfer isn't as eye-popping as on some of Warner's classics, but of course the chief reason to celebrate is that a great musical is finally available on DVD with plenty of interesting features. --David Horiuchi
Amazon.com Essential Video
James Cagney thrills in a rare (and limber) song-and-dance performance as composer-entertainer George M. Cohan. This nostalgic biography is told in flashbacks, covering Cohan's formative years becoming Broadway's brightest star and touching upon his loves, musicals, and artistic triumphs. Director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood) offers Cagney ample opportunities to invent an utterly charming performance in what is practically a one-man show. If you've never seen Cagney as a hoofer, you're in for a treat: his dancing is as dynamic as anything else he's ever done on screen. --Tom Keogh
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
Where has our patriotism gone? July 9, 2004
HutSutRaw (Lanoka Harbor, NJ United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this movie for the first time last night w/ my father. He wanted me to see this movie to see the contrast of what people were like in the 40's-50's and how society is today. I'm 23 years old and to be honest with you, I thought that I wouldn't like this movie. As it turns out, I greatly enjoyed it. It was a wonderful story, full of patriotism - it just makes you proud to be in this country. What movies are out that are like this today? None. And that makes me incredibly sad to see such anti-Americanism. For what? If you want to see a movie that puts a fire in your belly and gets your spirit going, go see this movie - you will not be disappointed!
This is a MUST Own June 24, 2004
Scott FS (Sacramento, CA United States)
There aren't too many movies that I'd say are pretty near perfect...but this is one of them! I've seen it a dozen times, and I'm always amazed at how the movie doesn't fail to hold your interest the entire time. It's rousing, it's stirring, it's high energy, all the time! I've not seen the colorized version, but the black and white is so appropriate to its time, I'm satisfied with the movie as it. As many reviewers have mentioned, James Cagney is so perfect in this role, you can't imagine anyone else in it! He always considered himself a song-and-dance man, though you wouldn't know it if you were a fan of his many gangster flicks. Fred Astaire turned down the role, if you believe the many stories. And, as much as I love Astaire, the film would have suffered for it. The manic energy Cagney displays in the highlight musical numbers just brings his role to perfection. If you are looking for a classic, never-to-be-topped movie about a songwriter, Broadway, great, rousing music, 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' is your film. VERY HIGHLY Recommended! One of the top films of all time. (The American Film Institute lists it at 100th place, but it should be moved up much higher!)
Excellent Musical May 11, 2004
Ouliotta Haemoglobin (Santa Fe)
With gloriously entertaining numbers and top notch direction. Among the best biopics of all time. A great, amazing, brilliant performance from Cagney; and excellent jobs from Walter Huston (Tresure of the Sierra Madre) and Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) who got help in the musical numbers by George M. Cohan himself. Watch for the marvellous performance from Cagney; but the musical numbers are great too. This is a good edition; Warner has been earning great merit in the DVD world lately.
My father thanks you . . . and I thank you January 21, 2004
dvbnyc (New York, NY United States)
I was totally biased to love this film, because it was my late father's unabashed favorite. He adored Cagney, and this is truly Cagney at his best. But bias aside, this is a wonderful, wonderful movie. Yes, it's dated, and the flag-waving may seem over the top, but still it's one of the most enjoyable ways I can think of to kill two hours.I can't help but think that Cagney's talents were largely wasted in his myriad gangster roles, because his athletic, acrobatic dancing in this film is beyond impressive -- I found myself thinking, "Were either Astair or Kelly this good?" And the sequence where he meets Mary, his future bride, is laugh-out-loud hilarious. This is a must-own DVD. I've talked about the quality of film itself, but, happily, the transfer is also of exceedingly high quality. And all the extras are fun and interesting. First rate!
Yankee Doodle Cagney December 6, 2003
brewster22 (Evanston, IL United States)
I didn't expect to like this movie at all, as I'm not much of a flag waver and from the isolated scenes I had seen from this film, that seemed to be all that took place in it. It's still pretty cornball in its approach to American patriotism and fervour, and with the American government currently bullying its way around the world, the "let's be proud we're all Americans" broo-hah-hah on display in the film is even harder to digest. But don't avoid this movie if those are your only reservations about it. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" has an energetic drive to it that many films lack. The 125-minute running time flies by, and the film is never once boring. This energy is due almost entirely to one thing: James Cagney. Cagney tears into the role of George M. Cohan with everything he's got, and just try taking your eyes off of him whenever he's on screen. He can't sing at all, and he's really more of an acrobat than a dancer, but he pulls off the role of a Broadway showman effortlessly. The rah-rah American sentiments are obviously a product of the time, and little more than World War II propaganda at moments, but I could swallow them easier in this film for some reason. Maybe because when they're at their most intrusive (the "Grand Old Flag" number, for instance), the spectacle is so rousing that I would have been just as moved if they'd been singing about cheese and crackers. A deservedly beloved American classic. Grade: A
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