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James Cagney

James Cagney: From Street-fighter to Bewigged Vaudevillian to Reluctant Film Screen Legend

By Ray Cavanaugh

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The life of actor James Cagney provides an interesting case study in defying expectations. Aside from finding success meteorically beyond his impoverished background, he was a battle-tested fighter who not only liked painting and poetry but did not hesitate to dance around in a skirt and wig. Upon later becoming a superstar, he seemed to shun the attention which stardom brings. … [Read more...] about James Cagney: From Street-fighter to Bewigged Vaudevillian to Reluctant Film Screen Legend

George M. Cohan: “Born on the Fourth of July”

By M.V. Quinn, Contributor

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The life of George M. Cohan, the greatest song and dance man of all time. Not far off from his song's boast, George Michael Cohan was born on July 3, 1878, according to his birth certificate, however his mother always claimed that he was born on the 4th, and as he proved again and again in his plays and songs, he remained “a real live nephew” of America’s Uncle Sam throughout … [Read more...] about George M. Cohan: “Born on the Fourth of July”

The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Stage and Screen

By Irish America Staff

November 1999

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James CagneyScreen Giant "If you listen to the clowns around you're just dead. Go do what you have to do."  Born July 17, 1899 on New York City's Lower East Side, James Francis Cagney was the second of seven children, two of whom died in infancy. His father was a saloonkeeper in the tough neighborhood where many of Cagney's contemporaries ended up in prison. In an interview … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Stage and Screen

The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Writers and Media

By Irish America Staff

November 1999

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Nellie BlyNewshound "Energy rightly applied can accomplish anything."  Nellie Bly's biographer, Brooke Kroeger, captured the essence of his admirable subject when he wrote: "In the 1880s, she pioneered the development of 'detective' or 'stunt' journalism, the acknowledged forerunner to full-scale investigative reporting." Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 to Michael … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Americans of the Century: Writers and Media