Considering the year and political climate of the time, this was a remarkable film. Today (2001) it is rather passe to have a black actor in a major role, jazz as the defining music, unstructured modern dance a la Martha Graham, and progressive political ideas bantered about. I am amazed that this film was not blocked by the McCarthy witch hunting. Additionally, this movie evokes the feeling of optimism percolating within post WW2 America. Anything was possible, Korea had not yet erupted, and there was still a homey and "gee wiz" attitude towards the future. A great movie to contrast with "Coming Home" staring Jane Fonda. As an adaptation of the William Saroyan play, Cagney and Bendix et al have captured essence of its anima and message.