Main Cast: Bob Hope, James Cagney, Milly Vitale, Angela Clarke, George Tobias
Release Year: 1955
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
Plot
With his movie career fading in 1955, Bob Hope was amenable to writer/director Mel Shavelson's suggestion that Hope try something different. The Seven Little Foys was the first of Hope's two "straight" biopics (the second was 1956's Beau James). Though not completely abandoning his patented persona, Hope does an admirable job of impersonating legendary Broadway song-and-dance man Eddie Foy, right down to the soft-shoe shuffle and affected lisp. A successful "single" in vaudeville, Foy meets and marries lovely Italian songstress Madeleine Morando (Milly Vitale). The union results in seven children, moving the Foys' priest to comment "we're running out of Holy water" after the seventh baptism. Hardly an ideal family man, Foy leaves Madeleine and her sister Clara (Angela Clarke) behind in their Connecticut home to raise the kids, while he rises to spectacular career height. Returning home after attending a testimonial for George M. Cohan (James Cagney, who played this unbilled cameo on the proviso that Hope turn over Cagney's salary to charity), Foy discovers that his wife has died of pneumonia. Months pass: Foy sulks in his rambling house, while his seven kids run roughshod. Foy's manager (George Tobias) suggests that the entire family be assembled into a vaudeville troupe called The Seven Little Foys. Though the kids are profoundly bereft of talent, the act gets by on its charm, and before long Foy is a bigger success than ever. But when Foy and the kids are booked into the Palace on Christmas Day, Aunt Clara decides that the kids are being cruelly exploited, and arranges for the authorities to arrest the act on charges of violating a state law barring children from singing and dancing. The authorities decide to drop the charges when the kids rally around their father, declaring their genuine love for him--but the deciding factor is a quick demonstration that the kids can't sing or dance to save their lives! The Seven Little Foys is a standard Hollywood whitewash job, emphasizing Eddie Foy's virtues (including his on-stage heroism during the infamous Iroquois Theatre fire of 1903) and soft-pedaling or ignoring his faults (e.g. his capacity for alcohol). Wisely, the scenes between Bob Hope and the seven children playing the Little Foys (including Father Knows Best's Billy Gray, The Real McCoys' Lydia Reed and Leave It to Beaver's Jerry Mathers) are refreshingly free of cloying sentiment. Also, Hope is a good enough natural actor to convince us that he deeply cares for his children without gooey effusions of emotion. The film's hands-down highlight is the "challenge dance" between Foy (Bob Hope) and Cohan (James Cagney)--a lasting testament of the superb terpsichorean talents of both men. The Seven Little Foys was narrated by Eddie's son Charley Foy, a fine comedian in his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Seven Little Foys provides a rare moment for Bob Hope to step out of his carefully crafted stage and screen persona to biographically portray legendary vaudevillian entertainer Eddie Foy. Although this alone makes the film interesting, the truth is that there appear to be very little differences between the two men, which is perhaps why Hope fits the role so well. A tribute to the concept of show business as well as to Foy himself, the film is filled with the prerequisite one-liners, songs, and sight gags, many taken straight from Foy's routines. The wisecracking also extends to the children portraying the seven kids, all of whom are dragged into the act by their applause-hungry father when their mother passes away. The highlight of the film is the appearance of James Cagney, reprising his role as George M. Cohan, during a "dance-off" sequence that not only puts his hoofing skills back on display, but also shows what a fine song-and-dance man Hope was as well. To lend an era of authenticity, the film is narrated by Charlie Foy, number two of the seven. His simple unassuming but heartfelt delivery, which is more tongue-in-cheek roasting of his old man than not, sets the tone for the film's earnest desire to have us like and admire Foy, even though he will never be held up as a model parent. The film also features an appearance by a pre-Leave It To BeaverJerry Mathers as one of Foy's sons. Milly Vitale is in good form as the put-upon Mrs. Foy, but her character is unfortunately superfluous to the theme of show business parenting. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide
Lee Erickson - Charley; Herbert Heyes - Judge; Paul de Rolf - Richard Foy; Linda Bennett - Madeleine Foy; Lydia Reed - Mary Foy; Tommy Duran - Irving; Jimmie Baird - Eddie Foy, Jr.; Oliver Blake - Santa Claus; George Boyce - Elephant act; Marian Carr - Soubrette; Harry V. Cheshire - Stage Doorman at Iroquois; Jimmy Conlin - Stage doorman; Noel Drayton - Priest; Joe Evans - Elephant act; Joe Flynn - 2nd Priest; Eddie Foy, Jr. - Narrator; Milton Frome - Driscoll; Billy Gray - Brynie; Dabbs Greer - Tutor; Lewis Martin - Presbyterian Minister; Jerry Mathers - Brynie (age 5); Lester Matthews - Father O'Casey; Billy Nelson - Customs inspector; Richard Shannon - Stage Manager; Renata Vanni - Italian Ballerina Mistress; King Donovan - Harrison; Jack Pepper - Theatre Manager; Betty Uitti - Dance Specialty Double
Credit
John B. Goodman - Art Director, Hal Pereira - Art Director, Nick Castle - Choreography, Charley Foy - Consultant/advisor, Edith Head - Costume Designer, Melville Shavelson - Director, Ellsworth Hoagland - Editor, Joseph Lilley - Musical Direction/Supervision, John F. Warren - Cinematographer, Jack Rose - Producer, Melville Shavelson - Screenwriter, Jack Rose - Screenwriter
Vaudeville entertainer Eddie Foy, who has vowed to forever keep his act a solo, falls in love with and marries Italian ballerina Madeleine. While they continue to tour the circuit, they begin a family and before long have seven little Foys to clutter the wings. After tragedy threatens to stall Eddie's career, he comes to realize that his little terrors are worth their weight in gold.
