Patriotism, etc.

Happy 4th of July! Enjoy this clip from the patriotic overload that is "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942).



I actually get a little embarrassed when I watch this video. When I was 11, I saw James Cagney play a mentally warped gangster in "White Heat" (1949) and I thought he was the coolest. Watching him play a song and dance man is just a little painful, especially since he doesn't really sing, per se, and his dancing is kind of weird!

Apparently, the only reason that Cagney made this movie was because he was under suspicion of being a communist, and didn't want to get blacklisted. He felt compelled to prove his love of America and save his career by starring in the most saccharine jingoistic movie ever made.

USA! USA!

The part where they do the giant history montage is pretty ridic though, in a good way. I particularly enjoyed the Teddy Roosevelt part, and the African Americans bowing down to the Lincoln memorial is kind of thought provoking. Funny how you don't see those black actors, who can clearly sing better than Cagney, chilling with everybody else at 5:53.