Still stuck in my Paul Lukas mood, so might watch a few more of his films, tonight. Haven't seen LADIES IN LOVE nor THE KISS BEFORE THE MIRROR in a while and I can always watch WATCH ON THE RHINE. :-)
Fiddler is definitely an imperfect movie. Way too long (3 hours) and too slow. My husband thinks it is Topol who slows it down but I think the direction is slow. Topol played it in London for a long time and I think it shows - in a good way. I actually like Leonard Frey in the movie. Remember when we talked about him in Boys in the Band? Quite a different performance - much more sinister. Gone way too soon although I don’t think it was AIDs.
You’re right that Cagney’s dancing imitated Cohan which was based on Irish clog dancing - stiff upper body and only the legs moving. My mother was taught dancing by Pat Rooney, an Irish-American dancer, and he wanted her to join his troupe but she didn’t (I don’t know why). It’s not my favorite style (I can’t stand Riverdance) but it was shown to good effect in Yankee Doodle Dandy. I love the sequence in The Seven Little Foys when both Bob Hope and James Cagney dance on a table top - one as Cohan and the other as Foy. Wow.