''The Seven Little Foys'' is a

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

VistaVision VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format which was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Paramount never used anamorphic processes such as 2.55: 1, CinemaScope but refi ...

1955

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Melville Shavelson Melville Shavelson (April 1, 1917 – August 8, 2007) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. He was President of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw) from 1969 to 1971, 1979 to 1981, and 1985 to 1987. Biog ...

starring

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

as Eddie Foy. One highlight of the film is an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence with Bob Hope as Eddie Foy and James Cagney as

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

(reprising his role from ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George To ...

''). The story of

Eddie Foy Sr. Edwin Fitzgerald (March 9, 1856 – February 16, 1928Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; and McNeilly, Donald. ''Vaudeville, Old and New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America''. Routledge Press, September 2006, . pp. 406–410), k ...

and the Seven Little Foys inspired a TV version in 1964 and a stage musical version, which premiered in 2007.

Plot

Vaudeville entertainer Eddie Foy (

), who has vowed to forever keep his act a solo, falls in love with and marries Italian ballerina Madeleine (

Milly Vitale Camilla "Milly" Vitale (16 July 1933 – 2 November 2006) was an Italian actress. She was the daughter of Riccardo Vitale (Rome Opera House Director, deceased 1979) and choreographer Natasha Shidlowski Vitale (deceased 1994). She appeared in n ...

). While they continue to tour the circuit, they begin a family and before long have seven children. After the tragedy of the Iroquois Theater Fire threatens to stall Eddie's career, he comes to realize that his children are worth their weight in gold. The second eldest Foy, Charley, narrates the film. James Cagney reprises his role as

from the film ''

'' for an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence.

Cast

as Eddie Foy *

as Madeleine Morando Foy *

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...

as Barney Green * Angela Clarke as Clara Morando *

Herbert Heyes Herbert Harrison Heyes (August 3, 1889 – May 31, 1958) was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 100 films between 1915 and 1956, including the famed 1947 film '' Miracle on 34th Street'', in which he played an ahistorical "Mr. Gimbel ...

as Judge * Richard Shannon as Stage Manager * Billy Gray as Bryan Lincoln Foy * Lee Erickson as

Charley Foy Charley Foy (June 12, 1898 – August 22, 1984) was an American actor of both the vaudeville stage and film. Son of Eddie Foy Sr., he was one of the famous "The Seven Little Foys", the seven children of the senior Foy, who joined him on stage in ...

* Paul De Rolf as Richard Foy * Lydia Reed as Mary Foy * Linda Bennett as Madeleine Foy *

Jimmy Baird Jimmy Baird (born 1948) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Pee Wee Jenkins in the American western television series '' Fury''. Life and career Baird was born in Seattle, Washington. He began his screen career i ...

Eddie Foy Jr. Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. (February 4, 1905 – July 15, 1983), known professionally as Eddie Foy Jr., was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Edwin Fitzgerald Jr. was born on February 4, 1905, in New Rochelle, New York, the ...

* Tommy Duran as Irving Foy * Jimmy Conlin as Stage Mgr * James Cagney as

* Marian Carr as Chorine *

as Narrator *

Jerry Mathers Gerald Patrick Mathers (born June 2, 1948) is an American actor best known for his role in the television sitcom '' Leave It to Beaver'', originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, in which he played the protagonist Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the y ...

as Bryan Lincoln Foy (uncredited) NOTE: Mathers played Bryan Lincoln Foy as a 7-year old (Iroquois Theater Fire scene); Gray played the older Bryan Lincoln Foy in the rest of the movie.

Reception

* The writers

and Jack Rose were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story and Screenplay at the

28th Academy Awards The 28th Academy Awards were held on March 21, 1956 to honor the films of 1955, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California. At just 90 minutes, '' Marty'' became the shortest film to win Best Picture, as well as the second to hav ...

, held on March 21, 1956.

Other versions

* Bob Hope hosted an hour-long TV version of ''The Seven Little Foys'' on January 24, 1964, as part of the NBC series ''

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...

''. The television version featured Eddie Foy Jr. playing his father, Mickey Rooney as George Cohan, and

The Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

as Mr. Foy's children. The junior Foy originally played his father in the ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' film. * In 2007, the first stage musical version of ''The Seven Little Foys'', written by

Chip Deffaa Chip Deffaa is an American author, playwright, jazz historian, songwriter, director, and producer of plays and recordings. For 18 years, he wrote for the ''New York Post'', covering jazz, cabaret, and theater. He has contributed to '' Jazz Tim ...

(featuring songs made famous by the Foys, as well as originals by Deffaa), had its world premiere at Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury, Connecticut. This version was presented at the York Theater in New York City, as part of its Developmental Reading Series in July 2012.

References

External links