Editing Yankee Doodle Dandy (section)

==Production==
Cagney had initially been opposed to a biopic of Cohan's life, having disliked Cohan since the [[1919 Actors' Equity Association strike|Actors' Equity Strike in 1919]] in which he sided with the producers. In 1940, Cagney and 15 other Hollywood figures were named in the grand jury testimony of John R. Leech, self-described "chief functionary" of the Los Angeles Communist Party who had been subpoenaed by the [[House Committee on Un-American Activities]]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' printed a front-page allegation that Cagney was a communist. Cagney refuted the accusation and [[Martin Dies, Jr.]] made a statement to the press clearing Cagney. [[William Cagney]], one of the film's producers, reportedly told his brother "We're going to have to make the goddamndest patriotic picture that's ever been made. I think it's the Cohan story".<ref>{{cite book|last1=McGilligan|first1=Patrick|title=Cagney: The Actor as Auteur|date=1982|publisher=A.S. Barnes & Company|location=San Diego|pages=145–8}}</ref>