YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, 1776 & THE MUSIC MAN
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, TCM presents a triple feature of patently patriotic movies – all of them glorifying, in various degrees, the flag, the country, and small-town America. First up is James Cagney’s portrayal of showman George M. Cohan in this 1942 musical biography, where Cagney steamrolls through every scene with a crackling overdose of energy. The 1972 musical 1776, starring William Daniels as John Adams (pictured) in a tuneful exploration of the writing of our country’s founding document, arrives next at 10:15 p.m. ET. And finally, at 1:15 a.m. ET, TCM presents 1962’s The Music Man, culminating in a number as patriotic as anything in Yankee Doodle Dandy or 1776 – which, trust me, is saying something.