Editing James Cagney (section)

====''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942)====
[[File:James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy trailer.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Cagney as [[George M. Cohan]], performing "[[The Yankee Doodle Boy]]" from ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'' (1942)]]
{{Quote box
| quote = "Smart, alert, hard-headed, Cagney is as typically American as Cohan himself... It was a remarkable performance, probably Cagney's best, and it makes ''Yankee Doodle'' a dandy"
| source = ''Time magazine''<ref name="Warren, page 155"/>
| width = 150px
| align = left
}}
In 1942, Cagney portrayed [[George M. Cohan]] in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'', a film Cagney "took great pride in"<ref>Cagney, page 107</ref> and considered his best.<ref name="Warren154">Warren, page 154</ref> Producer [[Hal B. Wallis|Hal Wallis]] said that having seen Cohan in ''[[I'd Rather Be Right]]'', he never considered anyone other than Cagney for the part.<ref name="Warren150">Warren, page 150</ref> Cagney, though, insisted that [[Fred Astaire]] had been the first choice, but turned it down.<ref name="Warren150"/><ref>Cagney, page 104</ref> Many critics of the time and since have declared it Cagney's best film, drawing parallels between Cohan and Cagney; they both began their careers in vaudeville, struggled for years before reaching the peak of their profession, were surrounded with family and married early, and both had a wife who was happy to sit back while he went on to stardom.<ref>McGilligan, page 92</ref><ref>Warren, page 151</ref> The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three, including Cagney's for Best Actor. In his acceptance speech, Cagney said, "I've always maintained that in this business, you're only as good as the other fellow thinks you are. It's nice to know that you people thought I did a good job. And don't forget that it was a good part, too."<ref>Warren, page 165</ref>

Filming began the day after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], and the cast and crew worked in a "patriotic frenzy"<ref name="Warren150"/> as the United States' involvement in World War II gave the workers a feeling that "they might be sending the last message from the free world", according to actress [[Rosemary DeCamp]].<ref name="Warren149">Warren, page 149</ref> Cohan was given a private showing of the film shortly before his death, and thanked Cagney "for a wonderful job,"<ref>Warren, page 152</ref> exclaiming, "My God, what an act to follow!"<ref>Ebert, Roger. [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-yankee-doodle-dandy-1942 "''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' (1942)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210103701/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-yankee-doodle-dandy-1942 |date=February 10, 2022 }}, RogerEbert.com, July 5, 1998, accessed July 4, 2011</ref> A paid première, with seats ranging from $25 to $25,000, raised $5,750,000 for [[war bond]]s for the US treasury.<ref name="auteur94">McGilligan, page 94</ref><ref>Warren, pages 154–155</ref>