Evening star., 1942-11-05
Cohun
Continued From First Page.

Helen and Georgette Cohan; his son,
Pvt. George NJ Cohan, jr, and wife,
and his close friend, Gene Buck.
Pvt. Cohan had been stationed in
Texas, but was transferred to Fort
Jay here recently.
Mr.. Cohan, who called himself "a
song and dance man. was just that
and king of them ALL Since he was
7 years old he sang and danced on
the stage. -~A-
Saw Own Life In Movies.
Before he died. Mr.. Cohan had,
among the thousands of other trib-
utes paid him, the privilege of seeing
his own life in pictures. This was
In the movie of Yankee Doodle
Dandy" and Mr.. Cohan picked
James Cagney to play the role OF
Mr.. Cohan. In the picture he heard
some of his best-known songs.
When Yankee Doodle Dandy"
had it's premiere on Broadway the
tickets of admission were War
bonds, some of the seats selling for
as much as $4,000, and when the
gross was added there were $780,
600 bonds sold.
So Mr.. Cohan died with the COM
fort of knowing that he had
achieved the largest box office busl-
ness in theatrical history and that
he had done it for his country.
Liked I'D Rather Be Right
One of Mr.. Cohan's last roles on
Broadway was one that he partlcu-
larly liked, that being his imper-
sonation of President Roosevelt IN
the musical show I'D Rather Be
Right" Mr.. Cohan, when he put on
eyeglasses and did a little makeup
on his face, looked remarkably like
the President.
I'm his passing part OF our Ma
ton has died" Mr.. Buck, who Is
president of the American Society
of Composers Authors and Publish
ers, said today of his intimate
friend. "He was a great American
He stood for the best in the theater
by way of entertainment and taste. y
Mr.. Buck spoke Of Mr.. Cohan as
"the greatest single figure the Amer
lean theater ever produced-as a
player, playwright, actor, composer
and producer"
Was Drama Practitioner
Mr.. Cohan, once aptly described as
( drama practitioner" was dancer
actor, dramatist, producer, manager
composer and lyricist, motion picture
and talkie star in career that ex-
tended over more than so years. Also
he was something of a poet and was
always a baseball fan.
DR.. Nicholas Murray Butler, quot
inp Victor Hugos dictum that melo-
drama was for the crowd, tragedy
for women and comedy for the
thinker, once said that Conan
genial satire and provoking
lines and antics had helped men
and women to become thinkers In
the modern American theater.
Mr.. Cohan's efforts ran the gamut
from being boy prodigy violinls'
at the age of S to recognition in his
mellow years as Americas keenes'
stage interpreter of contemporary
life. There aren't 20 people who
really know the man." one COM
mentator wrote, "but he knows more
than 5000 intimately"
In New York he was "the mar
who owns Broadway To thu
theatergoers of generation ago ir
other cities he was the embodiment
of his Yankee Doodle Boy" song II
"Little Johnny Jones'" To his coun'
trymen generally he was the COM
poser Of the World War song "Ovel
There"
All told he wrote some 40 plays
collaborated in the framing OF 81
more, turned out more than l0(
songs, close to 200 vaudeville sketches
and about score Of poems.
Mr.. Cohan was born in Providence
r. l., to the popping Of firecracker
and the waving Of flags on July 4
1878. HIS parents were troupers o
school variety shows. Jerr.
Conan and Helen Costiean. 1
/ daughter, Josephine, was also bori
20 them and the family later be
came noted for Its "Act" as tn
Four Cohans.
But before that stage was reaches