Forget fireworks.
For TigerBlog, no Fourth of July is complete without a rewatch of one of the greatest movies ever made: "Yankee Doodle Dandy." As a caveat, you probably have to be at least 50 or so — or maybe even 60 or so — to agree with TB.
If you are, then the mere thought of how James Cagney dances and sings his way through the movie makes you smile. It certainly does for TigerBlog.
How can you not love this:
Right? Of course.
That scene is the best in the movie, though there is one song after another that is classic Americana. And so even though today is July 7, TB will stick with "Yankee Doodle Dandy" for today.
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GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY
The movie, from 1942, tells the story of the life of George M. Cohan, who was born on July ... 3rd, in 1878. Cohan was from a vaudeville family who went on to become one of the biggest stars in Broadway history, as well as one of the most patriotic Americans who has ever lived.
During the course of the movie, Cagney, who won the Academy Award for playing Cohan, sings and dances to that incredibly famous song, one that you've probably heard even if you're younger than 60.
Yankee Stadium sits not far from Broadway. In addition to being the home of the New York Yankees, it is also the place where New York City FC of Major League Soccer hangs its collective hat.
This past weekend, NYCFC defeated Toronto 3-1 at Yankee Stadium. The home team was up 2-0 before a goal by Toronto in the 64th minute turned the momentum around. Would this one get away? No, it wouldn't.
And why? Because in the 74th minute, Kevin O'Toole finished a pretty play to put NYCFC up 3-1, which would be the final. O'Toole, of course, was a two-time Ivy League men's soccer Player of the Year and the 2022 Roper Trophy winner as the top male athlete at Princeton.
You can see his goal HERE (at the six minute mark of the video).
This was a quote from his Princeton head coach Jim Barlow from a feature story that TB wrote about O'Toole after the Tigers clinched the Ivy League title his senior year:
“He’s so easy going and calm. He’s so calm under pressure. He doesn’t get rattled. He embraces the moment, and he never forces anything. It’s clear how much fun he’s having when he plays. He just makes really big plays in really huge moments.”
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The patriotism theme is all over the movie, beginning with when Cohan is summoned to the White House to meet with FDR and running all the way through to the very end, when Cohan — having shared his life story with the President in flashbacks — leaves the White House, dancing down the stairs and out into the street, where a military parade is passing by while everyone sings "Over There."
Cohan, who wrote the song, is asked if he knows the words, to which he responds: "Yes, I believe I do," which are the final words of the movie.
Beth Yeager, a rising senior on the Princeton field hockey team and a three-time first-team All-American, played two games this weekend for the USA national team against New Zealand. The Americans won Saturday 3-0 and then again yesterday 3-0, and Yeager scored two of the three goals in the game yesterday.
Both of her goals came on drag flicks on penalty corners. If you've been following Princeton field hockey at all, you've seen that before from Yeager.
Both of her goals can be seen HERE.
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YANKEE DOODLE BOY
The scene that TB shared above shows jockey Johnny Jones as he heads to England for the big race. It's the show-stopper.
If you haven't watched the clip yet, check out how Cagney dances. He studied Cohan's actual dancing and imitated it, twice suffering from an ankle sprain during filming.
The big races this weekend in England were at the Henley Royal Regatta, an event TB has attended in the past. If you've never been, it's definitely worth a trip.
Princeton's heavyweight rowing program produced two winners this weekend. Tristan Wenger, a rising sophomore, was part of the winning team in the Visitors' Challenge Cup with the powerhouse Leander Club and Tideway Scullers School.
Incoming freshman Joe Wellington was in the winning boat in the Fawley Cup with the Windsor Boys' School.
Princeton also had a runner-up boat in the Silver Goblets doubles, with Theo Bell and Marcus Chute.
All of those Princetonians, by the way, are British, so they probably weren't too upset with the fact that Johnny Jones lost his big race.
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