Yankee Doodle Dandy - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Yankee Doodle Dandy or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Yankee Doodle Dandy

[beth]

Among the Broadway theater marquees shown displaying George M. Cohan's post World War I hits was at least one show Cohan did not produce, "Disraeli" starring George Arliss. Arliss subsequently won the Academy Award for best actor in the film Disraeli (1929), the same award Cagney won for this picture.

[norma]

The first time James Cagney attended the premiere of one of his own movies.

[bernice]

At the Academy Awards in 2018 when Guillermo del Toro was accepting his Best Director Oscar for The Shape of Water (2017) he paraphrased a quote from this film when ending his acceptance speech, "I want to say like Jimmy Cagney said once, "my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my brothers and sister thank you, and I thank you. Very much. Thank you."

[nicholas]

In the film George M. Cohan writes a drama called "Popularity", which was a failure in 1906. This is fact. Three years later, in 1909, he rewrote parts of it, added music, and put it on under the title of "The Man Who Owns Broadway", which became a popular hit (128 performances).

[lonnie]

The movie's line "My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you." was voted as the #97 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

[jesse]

In 1959 a statue of George M. Cohan was erected in Times Square, in the heart of the Broadway theater district, with the inscription at the base under his name, "Give my regards to Broadway." It is the only statue of a theatrical performer anywhere in Manhattan.

[sandra]

The film was released on June 6, 1942. George M. Cohan died exactly five months later on November 6, 1942, at the age of 64. He had been battling a serious intestinal problems for almost a year. He died of cancer.

[cassandra]

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on October 19, 1942 with James Cagney reprising his film role.

[nina]

The car the college kids are driving is a 1933 Chevrolet Phaeton "Jalopy". Graffiti from back to front reads: "Exit Here" (arrow pointing to door handle), "Open Here", "Will Stop Quick if a Wheel Brakes", "For Sale", "Frankie & Johnnie", "But Good", "In Case of Fire Scream".

[harry]

James Cagney hated working with character actor S.Z. Sakall, who he felt upstaged him at every turn. He complained to director Michael Curtiz about him but Curtiz took no action, as he had great respect for Sakall, who was once Hungary's leading actor. Cagney refused to work with Sakall again.