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"1. Well, I suppose if you're trying to instill a sense of American devotion in your viewers, you can't get a more patriotic set piece than the Oval Office. The flags flanking Cohen and the various pictures of American naval vessels hanging on the walls are nice touches, but the part that really said \"America\" to me was at the very beginning; Cohen and the attendant climbing the stairs, backed by the portraits of previous presidents. It's representative of the American people, ascending the stairway of success, overlooked by the greatest leaders of their day. It's a subtle bit, but effective. And if subtlety's not your thing, there's a big 4th of July parade near the end just to sell you on the whole \"America is awesome\" thing.\n \n\n\n\t2. The very fact that Cohen started out as a \"cocky kid\" who was always \"waving a flag in a parade or following one,\" then went on to become one of the nation's greatest showmen; it's a message to the younger generation. The next American sensation could be YOU, young patriot! Follow that star-spangled parade to fame and fortune! American exceptionalism is scattered all throughout the dialogue, particularly in Roosevelt's comment about Cohen's career being based upon telling \"the other 47 states\" how great this country is.\n \n\n\n\t3. The film could have just as easily opened on the parade scene as it did on the Oval Office, it simply wouldn't have been as engaging. With the Oval Office opening, we are treated to a glimpse of who we're focusing on, and we're then left to wonder throughout the film how this man got to where he is now. How did a kid from Massachusetts get all the way to a Presidential meeting at the White House? It keeps us intrigued and gives us a stronger attachment to our main character. Had the film opened with the Independence Day celebration, we get an unclear picture of what the film is about. Is it about America? Well sure, that's part of it, but it's mainly about Cohen. Is that Irish dancing fellow the central character? Not likely; the movie poster clearly advertised James Cagney as the lead. Without the establishing scene of Cohen's meeting with Roosevelt and the framing device thereof, the film starts off on rough ground. It begins perfectly well the way it is.\n "
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