At first I was dissapointed that George m. Chohan didn't win honor of greatest American ever (especially after seeing this movie), but Cohan didn't even make the list of 100 done by the discovery channel. Can some one explain how Ellen DeGeneres (while still a good gal) is more "American" than Cohan?!?!? Or anyone. Hey was the greatest patriot the country ever known. His works really did help fight the wars. God Bless him what a great movie!
shareBecause the majority of this country are unfortunatly uninformed of their past and have the attention span of goldfish. They voted Reagan as the greatest american ever, greater than the founders of this country or the great inventors and expansionists who grew this country westward. If reagan hadn't recently died naturally he'd have never been voted to the top 50. Thomas Edison didnt even make the top 50 and all he did was invent the light bulb, phonograph and film... all of which we dont use anymore, of course. The list was a sham and just goes on to prove that if it wasnt made yesterday, no one cares. Look at even the top 250 list on this website, less than 60 of them are from films prior to the 70's. Just look at film and music today as proof further that talent is nothing and image is everything, people want simple films and simple music, no one wants to be challanged.
and before you say I am some old guy bashing the young, I am 26.
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Very, very true. And don't forget: not having a sense of history robs from your understanding, no matter how young or old you are.
The dancing and singing in this movie are absolutely terrific.
By the way, those lists of 100 are always stupid and arbitary. They have to be.
I think we forget, or don't know, about the giants who made our country.
"greatest patriot"?
Ever hear of a thing called "Constitution of the United States"? How about the "American Revolution"?
How about George Washington?
How about Abraham Lincoln?
Take an adult course in history.
Those kinds of lists (although you'd expect more from the Discovery Channel) are mostly popularity contests based on someone's current whims. Now, if the Smithsonian came out with a list. . .
As God is my witness,. . .I thought turkeys could fly!
I would add my agreement that lists of this sort often end up being despicable (though, just by the by, I would strongly disagree that Reagan shouldn't be included).
Drones
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Just a guess here, but Cohan was VERY against the formation of Actor's Equity in 1919, the Union that helped Actors become more than just flunkys.
<snips from a great website> http://www.musicals101.com/cohanbio3.htm
Most producers treated actors like cattle, rehearsing them for weeks without pay, subjecting them to exhausting tours, forcing them to work extra unpaid performances during holidays, and firing them without notice. Actors were even expected to provide their own costumes for most productions. Once WWI was over, a number of actors banded together to form The Actor's Equity Association. When producers ignored demands for better working conditions, Equity called the first-ever actor's strike in the summer of 1919.
.. (Cohan) was genuinely surprised when his fellow actors branded him a traitor. Many openly wondered if Cohan's millions had helped him forget the treatment most performers were regularly subjected to...Letting his emotions get the better of him, Cohan lashed out at Equity in speeches and in print.
....Sam Harris led a delegation of producers that agreed to meet Equity's demands. Actors were jubilant, but the once-beloved Cohan had become one of the most despised men in the theater. Rather than cause problems for Harris (and no doubt dismayed that Harris had acquiesced to Equity) Cohan ended their longtime partnership....he stuck to his guns and refused to join Equity. When the union granted Cohan a dues-free lifetime membership, he refused to accept it. Equity decided to avoid further controversy. For the rest of his life, Cohan was the only actor on Broadway who worked under a non-Equity contract.
(And speaking of Ronnie (who said ketchup counts as a vegetable for poor kids) Reagan, he once was a strong Democrat and Union leader in Hollywood, whose family was helped by FDR policies during the Great Depression). Some people forget what is was like once they make it to the top and have money.
This is my guess of why Cohan is not highly ranked. Some people have longer memories than you can imagine and don't get swept away by Faux facts in these biographical movies. I still love this movie anyway, love the patriotism, and think back to all my ancestors who fought for this country, back to the 1st one killed in 1654 in NY.
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Angie
'...ten thousand midnights ago...'
Cohan didn't treat actors like that. And nobody should be forced to join a union -full stop. Why does America of all places tolerate it?
share I'm going off topic with with one because I feel I must. Cheers to bunny226622 for making me remember one of the funniest moments in TV history with his sig. I cant go through a single thanksgiving without thinking of
r. Carlson. ^_^
I loved that show (I'm from Cincinnati), but I believe it was Less Nessman who thought turkeys could fly! =^}
shareNaw, it's when Mr. Carlson and Herb come in to the lobby that Mr. Carlson looks at the camera and says "As god is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly". He's the one who said it, becuase he's the one that came up with the brilliant idea of dropping live turkeys from the chopper. Anyway, here's a link to the best parts of that episode on youtube. Mr. Carlson give the classic line at the very end, but it really wokrs because of all the goofy lines that Less gives just before. "It was almost as if.....the turkeys mounted a couter attack" ROFL!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dwQvZ_82V30
As I remember (can't get WKRP DVDs because of music royalties) Les was imitating the WLS reporter on the scene of the Hindenberg roast, "Oh, the humanity...."
Back to subject or specifically popularity charts: they only matter with registered voters who know how to fill in a ballot....unless you're in Chicago.
I'm not saying we won't get our hair mussed!share
yea - and how many of the 100 'greatest' won the Congressional Medal of Honor.
It is the trends of the day. Had to include a balance of women, latinos, african americans, gays/lesbians, asians, etc etc.
By the time they were done, was only room on the list for one of each category.
Whose list was that? If it was a public poll, a lot of Americans think that the history of this country began on the day they were born.
Actors' Equity is part of the reason movie tix are 10 bucks a pop now.
"Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"