Americans in the Myth

The Yankee Doodle DandyBefore our movies got all real and cynical and ironic, they were idealistic and aspirational..often filled with what was derisively called Capra corn. They were less reality based than mythical...mythic meaning envisioning ourselves at our best. In acknowledgement of this most inauspicious Independence Day, here's a small selection of dialogs from old movies that captured what we thought of ourselves...not exactly who we were, but who we wanted to be...
No, we don’t make movies like that anymore...and we’re a lesser country because of it. We’ve lost our rosebud, and so its a sadder birthday than ever was.