SOURCE: "George M. Cohan," in Complete Book of the American Musical Theater, Henry Holt and Company, 1958, pp. 53-60.

In the following excerpt, Ewen chronicles Cohan's rise from vaudeville to Broadway producer and actor.

The son of veteran vaudevillians, George Michael Cohan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 3, 1878. He was only an infant when he made his first stage appearance, carried on as a human prop for his father's vaudeville sketch. When he was nine, George made a more official stage bow, billed as "Master Georgie" in a sketch starring his parents in Haverstraw, New York. In 1888 the act was further extended to include still another Cohan, George's sister, Josephine. "The Four Cohans" soon became headliners across the country, and as time passed it was George Michael who was its spark plug. He was not only the principal performer, but also business manager and the writer of...