Yankee Doodle Dandy is one of Hollywood's greatest musicals. The film is based on the story of the legendary performer, George M. Cohan. The timing of the film was perfect since America went in to World War II, just before the film was released. Although the film was not created as a piece of American patriotic propaganda, the film helped lift people's spirits and promote patriotism during a difficult time.

Despite the goal to portray Cohan's life, the movie was far from the truth. In fact when Cohan left the premiere, he said, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?" Although Cohan's life was very interesting, and he did win the Congressional Medal of Honor, the studio felt that his story needed to be "improved" for audiences.

James Cagney was actually chosen by Cohan to play his part in the film, though Fred Astaire was first...