(July 3, 1878 - November 5, 1942)
George M. Cohan, often touted "Broadway's Best Man" or "the man who owned Broadway,"1 is perhaps one of the most famous Broadway stars of all time. In an age when media publicity and communication was in its infancy, Cohan made a name for himself from coast to coast. He was a composer, lyricist, actor, dancer, singer, entertainer, playwright, and producer. He grew up in a performing family and was a part of The Four Cohans, one of the most popular family acts on the vaudeville circuit, for years.
Cohan performed with his family throughout his youth, eventually becoming the family's manger when he was only in his teens. Until Cohan, few male dancers could make a living on the vaudeville circuit, but Cohan's grace and agile ability helped to make room for him as a dancer. According to most sources, his dances were a sight to behold. At some time (date unknown) during his vaudeville tours, "George Cohan and a partner did black face in what was billed an idealized minstrel show"2 at the Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio. Towards the end of his vaudeville circuit (late 1800s), Cohan began writing librettos and songs and quickly his father recognized his son's ability; Cohan's music and songs helped to skyrocket the family income to four thousand dollars a month (in the 1890s!).3
Quickly Cohan became known for his patriotic songs and vaudeville banter. His musicals succeeded for years based on these qualities. While many of his earliest musicals failed Broadway, they did much better outside of the city in more conservative venues. Many of his best songs came from this era of his work:
In 1919, Cohan battled with the newly forming Actor's Equity Association. He feared that future Equity Houses would be able to hire only Equity Actors (he was right). The debate was fierce and many actors felt that Cohan was a traitor. From this point on, it seems that Cohan had reached the high point of his career. He continued writing and maintained a strong audience base, and produced a number of successful shows. Still, "in the cynical postwar Jazz Age, Cohan's optimistic patriotism was seen as quaint, if not downright naive." 4 Even so, he performed and wrote until his death in 1942.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M_Cohan
2. The Toledo Blade. 3 October 1999.
3. http://www.musicals101.com/cohanbio2.htm
4. ibid
Resources
Cohan, George. Twenty Years on Broadway. 1923. Westport: Greenwood P, 1953.
Readable autobiography.
"George M. Cohan" Internet Broadway Database. http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=5829 30 August 2007.
See this site for an extensive production history.
"George M. Cohan" Musicals101.com. http://www.musicals101.com/cohanbio1.htm 30 August 2007.
See this site for a highly readable and interesting brief biography of Cohan. The biography is more substantial than Wikipedia or other online encyclopedia sources.
"George M. Cohan" Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M_Cohan 30 August 2007.
McCabe, John. George M. Cohan: The Man Who Owned Broadway. New York: Doubleday, 1973.
Readable biography with an extended performance history in the appendix.