An American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. He was considered the father of American musical comedy. A remarkable talent who displayed theatrical longevity, appearing in films until the 1930s, and continuing to perform as a headline artist until 1940.
His name was George Michael Cohan, born in 1878 in Providence, Rhode
Island, to Irish Catholic parents. A baptismal certificate (which gave
the wrong first name for his mother) indicated that he was born on July
3, but Cohan and his family always insisted that George had been "born
on the Fourth of July!" George's parents were traveling vaudeville
performers, and he joined them on stage while still an infant, first as a
prop, learning to dance and sing soon after he could walk and talk.
Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans." Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, he wrote, composed, produced, and appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals. Cohan published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag". As a composer, he was one of the early members of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) -->
Cohan, known in the decade before World War I as "The Man Who Owned Broadway!". His life and music were depicted in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan in Times Square in New York City commemorates his contributions to American musical theatre.
Although Cohan is mostly remembered for his songs, he became an early
pioneer in the development of the "book musical", bridging the gaps in
his libretti between drama and music, operetta and extravaganza. More
than three decades before Agnes de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, Cohan
used dance not merely as razzle-dazzle but to advance the plot. The
engaging books of his musicals supported the scores that yielded so many
popular songs. As a storyteller, Cohan's main characters were "average
Joes and Janes." Characters like Johnny Jones and Nellie Kelly appealed
to a whole new audience.
He wrote for every American instead of highbrow Americans.
Cohan was called "the greatest single figure the American theatre ever produced – as a player, playwright, actor, composer and producer." On June 29, 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented him with the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale, in particular the songs "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There." Cohan was the first person in any artistic field selected for this honor, which previously had gone only to military and political leaders, philanthropists, scientists, inventors, and explorers.
In 1959, at the behest of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, a $100,000 bronze statue of Cohan was dedicated in Times Square at Broadway and 46th Street in Manhattan. Cohan was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6734 Hollywood Boulevard. George Micheal Cohan, an sincere American who had given his utmost Regards To Broadway!;
"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you!"--- George M. Cohan
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Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act known as "The Four Cohans." Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, he wrote, composed, produced, and appeared in more than three dozen Broadway musicals. Cohan published more than 300 songs during his lifetime, including the standards "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway", "The Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag". As a composer, he was one of the early members of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) -->
Cohan, known in the decade before World War I as "The Man Who Owned Broadway!". His life and music were depicted in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan in Times Square in New York City commemorates his contributions to American musical theatre.
Although Cohan is mostly remembered for his songs, he became an early
pioneer in the development of the "book musical", bridging the gaps in
his libretti between drama and music, operetta and extravaganza. More
than three decades before Agnes de Mille choreographed Oklahoma!, Cohan
used dance not merely as razzle-dazzle but to advance the plot. The
engaging books of his musicals supported the scores that yielded so many
popular songs. As a storyteller, Cohan's main characters were "average
Joes and Janes." Characters like Johnny Jones and Nellie Kelly appealed
to a whole new audience.He wrote for every American instead of highbrow Americans.
Cohan was called "the greatest single figure the American theatre ever produced – as a player, playwright, actor, composer and producer." On June 29, 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented him with the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to World War I morale, in particular the songs "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There." Cohan was the first person in any artistic field selected for this honor, which previously had gone only to military and political leaders, philanthropists, scientists, inventors, and explorers.
In 1959, at the behest of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, a $100,000 bronze statue of Cohan was dedicated in Times Square at Broadway and 46th Street in Manhattan. Cohan was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 6734 Hollywood Boulevard. George Micheal Cohan, an sincere American who had given his utmost Regards To Broadway!;
"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you!"--- George M. Cohan
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| "and I thank you!" |
The REVIEW Accommodates Many VOICES! Thanks for Visiting!!!
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