Category: James Cagney

1942’s ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’

NR | 2h 6m | Biography, Family, Drama | June 6, 1942 As I researched classic musicals, “Yankee Doodle Dandy” popped up. The rather odd thing was that I automatically knew the melody of the theme song and could hum it on a whim. After finally watching the 1942 film directed by the great Michael…


‘The Irish in Us’ From 1935: Three Irish Brothers

Commentary St. Patrick’s Day is a popular holiday for celebrating all things Irish, whether your ancestors come from the Emerald Isle or not. You can get in the festive spirit on March 17 by wearing green clothing, eating corned beef and cabbage, and decorating everything with shamrocks. My favorite way of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day…


‘Angels With Dirty Faces’: Hollywood’s Irish Moral Guardians

The commercialism of shamrocks and bunnies frequently overshadows the real meaning of St. Patrick’s Day, which originated as a Christian holiday. To honor the traditional meaning, that is, of morality, I’d like to discuss a serious classic film which is appropriate for the holiday, “Angels with Dirty Faces” from 1938. This film features no shamrocks…