The legendary Svengoolie (portrayed by Rich Koz) and the legendary Toony the Tuna of “Toon In With Me!” Reminding everyone to have a safe, healthy & happy Independence Day/Fourth of July!
Safe, healthy and happy Independence Day/Fourth of July to all fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals, all fellow super “Toon In With Me” Tooners, all fellow super “Mystery Science Theater 3000” MSTies, all fellow super classic film aficionados and all fellow super readers of “Silver Screen Reflections” everywhere from the writer/author of “Silver Screen Reflections!” -C.H.
To all fellow super SvenPals/Tooners/MSTies/classic film aficionados/”Silver Screen Reflections” readers everywhere- please be good to each other, stay safe, keep healthy, follow all health/safety precautions and guidelines seriously and stay well. And to our fellow super SvenPals/Tooners/MSTies/classic film aficionados who have not received their vaccines yet, make a plan to get your vaccines against the coronavirus/COVID-19 virus, –C.H.
1958 television syndication leaflet for Associated Artists Productions (A.A.P.), advertising the 1942 film “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” The film was one of many pre-1948 Warner Bros. sound features (including select cartoons and shorts) that was syndicated to local television stations by A.A.P. in the late 1950s. Notice the fine print in the ad: “limited to two showings only.”
A Happy (and safe) Fourth to all fellow classic/cult film fans from the management of “Silver Screen Reflections.”
A re-post from my other classic film and multimedia blog, “At The Matinee.”
Around the Fourth of July, many fans of classic cinema will be looking forward to watching one of the definitive perennial greats in screen entertainment.
Based off the story of real-life songwriter George M. Cohan (1878-1942), the film goes into the life, times and career of the multi-talented entertainer and songwriter, who brought such popular classic songs including “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Over There,” “You’re A Grand Old Flag,” just to name a few.
When the film premiered in New York at the Hollywood Theatre in May 1942, it was tremendous hit, and was one of the top-grossing motion pictures of that year. According to The New York Times, the audience on opening night purchased $5,750,000 worth of war bonds to help America’s war effort during the Second World War.
1942: A prolific box office year for Warners
For Warner Bros. (who acquired the rights from Cohan for his life story, where Warners’ competitors declined Cohan’s story throughout the latter years of his life), it would be the studio’s top-grossing film at the time (along with Warners’ other popular noteworthy films released that same year, including “Casablanca,” “Air Force,” “George Washington Slept Here” and “Now, Voyager.”
Winner of three Academy Awards
The film won three Academy Awards for Best Actor (James Cagney), Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson and the Warner Bros. sound department), and Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture (Ray Heindorf and and Heinz Romfeld).
Warner Archive Blu-Ray
Warners has released Yankee Doodle Dandy on Blu-Ray (through the studio’s “Archive” line), from a new high-definition transfer (along with several extras ported over from the DVD release). It is also available for streaming on Amazon, iTunes and Warners’ YouTube VOD service.
Why you should watch “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (1942)
1958 advertisement for Associated Artists Productions (A.A.P.), advertising the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy, one of many pre-48 Warner Bros. feature films (along with shorts and select cartoons) that were available for syndication to local television stations.
To all fellow readers- if you haven’t seen “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” see it when you have the chance to. It is an entertaining and enlightening motion picture about the life and times of George Cohan, portrayed by James Cagney (in one of his few non-gangster roles on the screen).
“Yankee Doodle Dandy” is one of the best examples of uplifting screen entertainment. You won’t be disappointed!
1959 Trade ad for United Artists (which bought A.A.P. in late 1958) and their package of pre-1948 Warner Bros. features (for TV), showcasing the 1942 James Cagney musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. NOTE: This was when UA had the rights to the pre-1948 WB features.
Other films that will be shown will include the 1972 film adaptation of the musical “1776” (featuring William Daniels, Howard Da Silva and Ken Howard) at 1 a.m., followed by “Thousands Cheer” (1943, featuring Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly and Mary Ator) at 4 a.m.
Before the primetime offerings, the network will show various classics related to Americana, including “Judge Hardy and Son” (1939, featuring Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone and Ann Rutherford) at 6 a.m., “The Howards of Virginia” (1940, with Cary Grant & Sir Cedric Hardwicke) at 7:30 a.m., “John Paul Jones” (1959, with Robert Stack) at 9:30 a.m., “The Scarlet Coat” (1955, with Cornel Wilde, Anne Francis, and George Sanders) at 11:45 a.m., “The Devil’s Disciple” (1959, with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Lawrence Oliver) at 1:30 p.m., Frank Capra’s “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939, with James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Edward Arnold and Claude Rains) at 3 p.m. and Robert Wise’s film adaptation of the musical “West Side Story” (1961, with Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris) at 5:15 P.M.
Silver Screen Reflections 