Cohan, << koh HAN, >> George M. (1878-1942), was a leading figure in the American theater during the early 1900’s. Cohan wrote more than 40 plays and musicals, and he produced, directed, and starred in most of them. His shows were noted for their high spirits, dazzling showmanship, and distinctive American flavor.
Cohan’s plays include Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1910), Broadway Jones (1912), Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913), The Tavern (1920), and The Song-and-Dance Man (1923). He wrote such musicals as Little Johnny Jones (1904), Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (1906), and George Washington, Jr. (1906). Cohan’s shows are seldom performed today, but several of his songs remain popular. They include “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Give My Regards to Broadway,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Mary’s a Grand Old Name,” and “Harrigan.” In addition, Cohan wrote “Over There,” the most popular American patriotic song of World War I (1914-1918). Cohan also gained praise for his acting in Eugene O’Neill’s nostalgic comedy Ah, Wilderness! (1933) and as President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart musical comedy I’d Rather Be Right (1937).
George Michael Cohan was born on July 3 or 4, 1878, in Providence, Rhode Island. As a child, he performed with his parents and sister in a popular vaudeville act called “The Four Cohans.” Cohan began to write songs and vaudeville sketches while a teen-ager. He died on Nov. 5, 1942.
