James Cagney Yankee Doodle Dandy tap dance

by Viral Ivory: Movies

In 1942, James Cagney was instructed to simply walk down the stairs in 'Yankee Doodle Dandy.' But he chose to improvise a tap dance on the slippery marble steps instead. The crew attempted to dissuade him because of the serious injury risk. He ignored their warnings and nailed the scene in a single take.