A screen-worn three-piece suit worn by Cagney as George M. Cohan in the 1942 Warner Bros. classic Yankee Doodle Dandy. Light green and gray wool striped period suit has a single-breasted jacket, with a three-button front and a breast pocket, and trim on the cuffs, with a Warner Bros. Pictures costume label sewn into the inside pocket, with “James Cagney,” written on the second line, and “11-17-41,” and “Prod. 387,” written on the first line; a matching button front vest, with several studio stamps to the lining; a pair of matching pants, with two sewn-in blue cloth suspenders, as well as a Warner Bros. Pictures costume tag sewn into the waist with, “James Cagney” written on the second line and “11-17-41,” on the first line as well as “Prod. 387”; cream-colored long-sleeve dress shirt, with an “Arrow, Paddock Club” label sewn into the collar; and his orange and brown silk tie, with a polka-dot design and a “Len’s Men’s Wear,” tag sewn on the reverse. The suit was worn in the montage scene that highlights Cohan’s huge success on Broadway as years pass. When exiting through a stage door of a theater a group of reporters approach with one asking what he attributes his success to; he simply replies that he is just an ordinary guy and knows what ordinary guys like to see. In fine condition. Cagney's own background as a struggling vaudeville song-and-dance man made him the ideal choice to play Cohan, and it allowed him a break from the tough-guy gangster roles that made him a household name early in his career. Provenance: Sotheby's Planet Hollywood, Selections From the Vault, Lot 105, Dec. 14, 2002. RR Auction COA.
