James Cagney nailed this part. He played George M. Cohan with such bravado and charisma, it makes you want to jump up and salute. And dance! Cagney himself was a dancing fool in his younger days, and he really had an opportunity to strut his stuff in this film.

It’s a long movie at 126 minutes. More than a few of the musical numbers are ho-hum, but the overall quality is so good, you can’t stop watching. Even though it’s in B&W, you forget it when the flags start waving. I swear, I’ll remember this film as being shot in vivid red, white and blue.

One funny thing to watch for, at least from a 21st century perspective: Smoking. There are cigarettes lit in nearly half the scenes. Even a doctor lights up. And the president too.