With the passing of
Irving Foy in 2003,
another era in American show business comes to a close. Eddie Foy & the
Seven Little Foys appeared on screen together only once, in 1915 in
A Favorite Fool (1915), while
Eddie Sr., without his progeny, appeared on screen in
Actors' Fund Field Day (1910)
and
Yankee Doodle in Berlin (1919).
In the screen biography
The Seven Little Foys (1955),
Eddie Foy was portrayed by
Bob Hope, while
Billy Gray (of
Father Knows Best (1954)
fame) portrayed
Bryan Foy (1896-1977),
Lee Erickson portrayed
Charley Foy (1898-1984),
Paul De Rolf portrayed
Richard Foy (1905-1947),
Lydia Reed portrayed
Mary Foy (1901-1987),
Linda Bennett portrayed
Madeline Foy (1903-1988),
Jimmy Baird portrayed
Eddie Foy Jr., (1905-1983) &
Tommy Duran portrayed
Irving Foy (1908-2003).
Bryan became a successful producer at Warner Brothers, the same studio
that employed Charley (who narrated
The Seven Little Foys (1955)
). as an actor. Mary also appeared in a number of films during the 20s
and 30s but it is Eddie Jr. who is best remembered for his screen
appearances. But now, the Seven Little Foys only live on in memories.
He appeared as his father in the following:
Frontier Marshal (1939) about
Wyatt Earp,
Lillian Russell (1940) about the
vaudeville star,
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
about Broadway showman
George M. Cohan &
Wilson (1944) about the United States
president, Woodrow Wilson. Eddie, Jr. also played his father in the
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1963)
1964 television production of The Seven Little Foys (#1.14) with
Mickey Rooney as
George M. Cohan. He was also a song and
dance man in numerous films & stage productions.
