By all accounts I've ever read, Broadway legend George M. Cohen was a sincerely patriotic man. The jingoistic fervor he put into such songs as "She's a Grand Old Flag" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was genuine enough. And yet, there is a remark that's been attributed to him which, if not cynical, is at least savvy.

He said, "Many a bum show's been saved by waving the flag."

He knew that even if the show was mediocre and the audience ready to leave, he could bring the crowd to its feet with an enthusiastic appeal to their patriotism.