Yankee Doodle HubNuggets
This week, some of us celebrated Canada Day on July 1, and even more of us celebrated American Independence Day on July 4. This week, in their own celebration, the cable and satellite networks have played such films as Independence Day, The Alamo, The Day After Tomorrow, and The Last Boy Scout back-to-back, almost non-stop.
The films don't all zero in on the Independence Day theme, but all of them feature larger-than-life, All-American heroes, as only American films can portray them. Perhaps America needs heroes right now, with its current economic woes, but regardless of the current political climate, summer is a banner season for block-buster, action-packed movies - a cinematic battleground where American heroes can flex their muscles and save the world for us once again.
Title by RedElf from photo by U.S. Navy Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Rusty Black [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Two 'All-American' Classics
George M. Cohan: songwriter, patriot
"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy,
A Yankee Doodle, do or die;
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam,
Born on the Fourth of July"
With these words, so familiar to us all, George M. Cohan proudly declared his regard for his country way back in 1904. His patriotic ode, also known as "The Yankee Doodle Boy," was written for the Broadway musical "Little Johnny Jones."
The play, which opened at the Liberty Theater, was based on the life of real-life jockey Tod Sloan, and chronicled the trials and tribulations of a (fictional) All-American jockey Johnny Jones, who rides a horse named Yankee Doodle in the English Derby.
Made even more widely popular to the generation facing WWII, probably the best known version of Cohan's song appears in his film biography, ably voiced by the equally patriotic James Cagney.
More George Cohan music
Typical of George Cohan's writing, this song incorporates snippets of several popular traditional American songs into its lyrics. Here are the verses of Cohan's playful yet patriotic paean, "(I'm a) Yankee Doodle Boy"
I'm the kid that's all the candy
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
I'm glad I am
(So's Uncle Sam)
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle,
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony;
I love to listen to the Dixie strain,
"I long to see the girl I left behind me"
And that ain't a josh,
She's a Yankee, by gosh;
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about a Yankee that's a phoney?)
Chorus
Father's name was Hezikiah
Mother's name was Ann Maria
Yanks through and through
(Red, white and blue)
Father was so Yankee hearted
When the Spanish War was started
He slipped upon his uniform and hopped up on a pony
My mother's mother was a Yankee true
My father's father was a Yankee too
And that's going some
For the Yankees, by gum
(Oh, say can you see
Anything about my pedigree that's phoney
Chorus
George Cohan penned many flag-wavers during his career. He was an unabashed patriot, proud to be an American, and proud to write about his beloved country.
George Michael Cohan (pronounced Ko-han); July 3, 1878 – November 5, 1942
Born in Providence, Rhode Island to Irish Catholic parents, Cohan and his family always insisted that Geaorge had been born on the fourth of July. George M. Cohan, a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer, is credited with being the father of the modern, American musical.
Though our HubNuggets nominees are not yet as well-known in the fields of their endeavors as Mr. Cohan was in his, they have been selected by the team this week as up-and-coming HP writers and well worthy of notice. We had a lot of fun selecting them for you this week, and we hope you enjoy reading and voting for your favorites. Perhaps you will find some writers whose work you wish to follow... perhaps you might find a genuine HP hero among them. Happy Independence Day!
Which one of this week's Games, Toys, and Hobbies nominees is your favorite?
- 10% Orks in 6th Edition Warhammer 40k
- 15% The Best Computer Games You Can Play for Free
- 18% Fun Summer Activities That Cost Little to No Money
- 13% Pen and Paper: Character Creation
- 13% Super Smash TV, I'd Buy That for a Dollar!
- 33% The Greatest Video Game Designers of All-Time
This poll is now closed to voting.
The Games, Toys, and Hobbies Nominees
- Orks in 6th Edition Warhammer 40k
The 6th edition of Warhammer 40K was released in June 2012, bringing with it a host of new rules and changes to old rules. This article will look at how some of those new or changing rules will affect the Ork armies we've used to stomp across the... - The Best Computer Games You Can Play for Free
A list of free computer games available for download, along with short reviews. - Pen and Paper: Character Creation
Character creation can either be a chore or tons of fun. I go through the process or helping new players build a character in Savage Worlds.
Which one of this week's Family and Parenting nominees is your favorite?
- 17% Sleep training your baby
- 27% Epidural? Or No Epidural? Is That Even a Question?
- 15% Parenting Tips: Don't fight with your teenagers
- 19% Five Simple Ways To Ignite Your Child's Creativity and Imagination
- 6% Family Research and Documenting Your Sources
- 15% Love Letters from a Grandmother
This poll is now closed to voting.
The Family and Parenting Nominees
- Family Research and Documenting Your Sources
Genealogy data is only useful if it is accurate and can be proven. In this hub I share sources for verifying data and offer suggestions on handling conflicting data. - Love Letters from a Grandmother
Are you looking for a gift to your children from your parents that will last longer than the trendiest toy? Here is a project that grandparents can do for their children that will give them a lasting memory forever.
Which one of this week's Business and Employment nominees is your favorite?
- 16% Why I Hate Shopping at Wal-Mart
- 6% 7 essential tips how to succeed at a job interview
- 59% Advertisements Under Constraints
- 13% Enhancing Careers Through Customer Service Training
- 5% Should You Sell Your Books On Amazon Or Ebay?
- 1% Computer talk, explaining computer terms!
This poll is now closed to voting.
The Business and Employment Nominees
- Why I Hate Shopping at Wal-Mart
Several reasons I despise entering, being in, and exiting a Wal-Mart store - Advertisements Under Constraints
creative guys create magic under constraints. - Should You Sell Your Books On Amazon Or Ebay?
Should you sell your books on Amazon or Ebay? It's a good question. Amazon is the king of books, but Ebay has much less competition. I prefer to sell my books as well as a lot of other media on Amazon because it is much easier to sell things that hav
What's a HubNugget?
HubNuggets were a way for hubbers to support and celebrate new-to-us writers through the weekly HubNuggets contest:
- About the HubNuggets Program
Each week 18 great Hubs written by new Hubbers were nominated in the HubNuggets contest. We invite the HubPages community to vote for their favorites, and the winners were featured in our newsletter.
The HubNuggets Team: SimoneSmith, KoffeeKlatch Gals, Patty Inglish MS, Maddie Ruud, Jason Menayan, ripplemaker, RedElf, ladyjane1, Enelle Lamb
© 2012 RedElf
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