I can see why this insanely patriotic film was so popular when it was released (the beginning of World War II), and it happened to coincide with Cohan’s death, but it didn’t do much for me. Some of the musical scenes were brilliant, but mostly for the stage presentation and not the music. It sparked an interest in Cohan’s remarkable life and career (enough for me to look him up on Wikipedia), but I disagree with its inclusion in so many top 100 lists (most notably the AFI ones), as I didn’t think it was all that great film-wise.

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.