This “biography” of George Gershwin, who had tragically died of a brain tumor at the age of 38 in 1937, was a huge hit for Warner Bros. Wallis, and screenwriter Robert Buckner sent a letter to Cohan explaining that bio-pics produced by Warner Brothers often change the facts for dramatic purposes: “Under your construction…the story is concerned largely with your chronology of production, interspersed with personal scenes…We believe that the deep-dyed Americanism of your life is a much greater theme than the success story.” Thirteen years later, Cagney reprised his role of Cohan in a sprightly dance number with Bob Hope in “The Seven Little Foys.” Associate producer William Cagney, the actor’s brother, executive producer Hal B.

Cohan had written and produced some 35 plays and wrote 500 songs including such standards as “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Over There “ and “Mary.” Though Cagney was best known for playing steely-eyed gangsters, he was a song-and-dance before his movie stardom, and the actor is exuberant in his musical numbers especially “Give My Regards to Broadway.” It’s a performance for the ages and Cagney’s only Oscar.Ĭohan had complained about how he was being depicted in the script. Cohan, who was alive when the film was in production and died five months after it was released. The Rolls-Royce of composer-bio pics thanks to Michael Curtiz’ fluid direction and James Cagney’s Oscar-winning powerhouse performance as George M. As Oscar Levant quipped about “Rhapsody in Blue,” the 1945 film about George Gershwin, “even the lies about him were being distorted.” Let’s take a closer look at some of these classic movie musicals. And some of these composers and/or their families were still alive and wanted a certain image presented on the big screen. The Production Code prevented these films from exploring the fact that Cole Porter and Lorenz Hart were gay.

But these bio-pics played fast and loose with the facts.

The composer bio movie genre has long been a favorite of Hollywood, especially during its Golden Age.

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