George M Cohan Statue

By the TKTS booth you'll see a statue of George M Cohan, American entertainer, composer, playwright, actor, singer, dancer and producer. He started in the business when he was 8 years old and continued until his death at 64, in 1941. He received the Congressional Medal from President Franklin Roosevelt for his song, “Over There”, which was considered the rallying cry for soldiers during WW1 and sold over 1,5000,000 copies.

For the Broadway community, he is esteemed for writing one of our theatrical anthems; “Give my regards to Broadway”. “Give my regards to Broadway, remember me to Herald Square. Tell all the gang at 42nd Street That I will soon be there. Whisper of how I’m yearning. To mingle with the old-time throng. Give my regards to old Broadway and tell them I’ll be there ‘ere long.” He is considered a national treasure for his patriotic songs, “Grand Old Flag” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy”. In 1942 James Cagney starred in a movie musical about Cohan’s life called Yankee Doodle Dandy, which won Cagney the Oscar for Best Actor.

Now, we’ll be heading down to 41st Street and the start of the Theatre District. As you’re walking, notice all the billboards. There are approximately 238 billboards in Times Square and the costs for each billboard ranges between 1.5 and 5 million dollars a year.