Did George M. Cohan himself ever see this film?
This film came out a few months before George M. Cohan died. I was wondering if he ever got the chance to see it, and if so, what he thought of it. Does anyone know?
shareGood news. I just read Mr. Cohan's bio and it says he did see the movie before his passing and loved it. He made a comment like, "I could never top that!" Glad to hear that he saw it and enjoyed it too.
shareCohan was suffering from I believe bladder cancer when he saw this movie at a private screening. They had to stop it every so often because he had to visit the bathroom due to his condition, but he did like the film. (He was also probably pleased that the film perpetuated so many of the myths he had built up about himself, starting with the falsehood about his being born on the 4th of July.)
I assume Cohan would have been glad to have seen Cagney win the Oscar, mostly because it would have added to his (Cohan's) luster. The man had a massive ego, much like Al Jolson, who reacted in a similar way when The Jolson Story was released four years later.