Mes sept petits chenapans

***1/2 for this Bob Hope vehicle made in 1955.

The biography details the life of song and dance man Eddie Foy. Hope has the usual right wit and sarcastic blend to produce a wonderful performance. His dancing is exactly the right step as well.

He meets and marries a ballerina played by Millie Vitale. The children start coming real fast. Each time, Vitale's sister, a tough-looking strong woman named Clara, announces: "We're pregnant!"

7 little Foys enter the world. Eddie is too busy in his show business career and is rarely home. Go know that Vitale's cough is more serious than a cold. One night he arrives home to the news that his beloved wife had died during the day. Stricken with disbelief and sadness, Eddie vows to keep the family together and engages the children to appear in his act.

Meanwhile, Aunt Clara schemes to have Eddie declared unsuitable so that she can gain control of the children.

A fine musical and dance sequence with James Cagney reprising his role of George M. Cowan is shown in this delightful film.

Companion film to Jimmy Cagney's Yankee Doodle Dandy, with Bob Hope as Broadway's Eddie Foy. Jimmy Cagney reprises his Yankee Doodle role as Foy's friendly rival George M. Cohan in a spectacular dance sequence. A far cry from his lighter other comedies, Bob Hope has never been better. Great for anyone seeking a great family entertainment or a colorful musical.

There is really nothing good to say about this film. Once more, Hollywood can find nothing more imaginative to write about than its own entertainment trade. It's almost musical; but absolutely no music worth listening to. I suspect it was intended to be a comedy; but I defy anyone to laugh. I have no doubt the Cagney tribute was sincere and that the real Foy was a generous supporter of young actors, but nothing about the character portrayed keeps audience attention for very long. Bob Hope is competent, but really, this script is complete rubbish. The only moment it strikes a confident chord is when Cagney starts his Yankee Doodle Dandee reprise. It's confident, but am I the only person who finds the Cagney duck walk embarrassing?

Hope is lovely as vaudevillian Eddie Foy, but the highlight of the film is the wonderful dance scene with Hope's Foy and James Cagney's George M. Cohan. The film was nominated for Best Screenplay of 1956.

In 1913, vaudeville comic Bob Hope (as Eddie Foy) and "The Seven Little Foys" are a successful act. Second child Charley Foy (as Charley Foy) introduces himself as narrator and takes us back to 1898, where Mr. Hope is a solo act uninterested in women. This changes when beautiful Italian ballerina Milly Vitale (as Madeleine Morando) arrives on the scene. Although Mr. Hope is a tough nut to crack, the two somehow forms a family. A tragedy occurs and there are hardships on the road. The act becomes famous. Principal players include Hope's faithful agent George Tobias (as Barney Green), comic foil aunt Angela Clarke (as Clara), and eldest son Billy Gray (as Bryan Lincoln Foy). In a cameo highlight, James Cagney reprises his "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942) role of George M. Cohan.

***** The Seven Little Foys (6/1/55) Melville Shavelson ~ Bob Hope, George Tobias, Angela Clarke, Billy Gray