One Good Foy Deserves Another

Yesterday, I posted the video of James Cagney reprising his role as George M. Cohan in a cameo from the 1955 movie, The Seven Little Foys, that starred Bob Hope.  I wrote about how one of those "seven," Eddie Foy Jr. grew up to have a respectable acting career, including a major role in the movie version of the musical, Bells are Ringing.  

Reader Douglass Abramson noted that Eddie Jr. also played his father for a scene with Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy -- adding how Cagney was ever-grateful for the help and support Eddie Foy Sr. had given him early in his career.

Doing a bit of research, I found that that wasn't the only time Eddie Foy Jr. played his father.  In fact, the tale gets even more convoluted.  That's because in 1964, only nine years after the feature film was released, they did a remake of The Seven  Little Foys for television -- and Eddie Jr. starred as his father.  It was adapted by Melville Shavelson, who co-wrote the movie version.  And Bob Hope was involved in it, as well, albeit mostly tangentially, since it was done under the auspices of "Bob Hope presents the Chrysler Theatre."  However, he also does appear in a couple of ways, doing voiceover narration at the beginning -- and then even briefly appears on camera...as himself, hoofing in the early days of vaudeville.  And who played the five boys?  The Osmond Brothers.  (Jay Osmond played Eddie Foy Jr.  Donny was Irving Foy.)  And Mickey Rooney played George M. Cohan.

Okay, got that?  Because it will all be on the test.

Before I get to another video I was planning to post, I thought it would be fun to see the actual Eddie Foy Sr. and the Little Foys in a short film they made in the early days of the talkies, 1928.  It's The Foy Family in Chips of the Old Block.  And it's pretty weird, though oddly fun, at least in parts.  It only runs about 7 minutes, so all's well.  By the way, Eddie Foy Jr. is the fellow on the far right, in tails with a boutonnière.  He also is the one doing the "Russian dance" near the end..

And this is Eddie Foy Jr. grown up and in the aforementioned movie of Bells are Ringing.  It's the song, "It's a Simple Little System," where his character, the con man Sandor, explains to his cronies his plans for taking gambling bets in the telephone service office.  
​