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The Seven Little Foys [1955]
![The Seven Little Foys [1955]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5171BH9N27L._SL160_.jpg)
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They dont make them like this any more!
Review date: 2005-12-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is the story of Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys and their path to Broadway fame. The film is a child of its time - a piece of pure escapism. Many of the biographical details have been tweeked to make the story flow but who cares? With Bob Hope in the movie you dont expect realism. A highlight of the film is Jimmy Cagney reprising his role as George M Cohan and tapdancing and then performing a soft shoe shuffle with Bob Hope. Hope is good in this film. One of the rare occassions he is acting and not just being Bob Hope. For pure entertainment this should not be missed.
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Reviews
BUY THIS FILM
Review date: 2004-01-22 Rating: 8 out of 10
This is one of Bob Hope's best movies despite, or perhaps because,it is not an out and out comedy.
Hope portrays the vaudevillian Eddie Foy,a major star of the American stage in the Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries.Although the film glosses over perhaps the worst realities of Foy's character it nevertheless does show him in a less than flattering light and is something of a departure from your average Hollywood bio-pic of the time.Foy was a Broadway star when his wife died and had known only the rather selfish life of a performer when he was forced to be a real father to his seven children,a role the script,and Hope,make plain he was not naturally suited to.
Hope portrays Foy as a cynical,hard drinking,comedy hoofer,who was career-minded to the point of obsession,a description that,hard drinking aside,might also apply to Hope himself. The film follows Foy from his early days in vaudeville,through romance and marriage,stage tours of the Wild West,the death of his wife;his third,although this is not mentioned in the film,and the recruitment of his seven children into his his stageshow.His solo act,though amusing, is so dated as to seem almost bizarre,but the routines with his children are terrific and could easily be performed onstage today.A particular highpoint is when Hope is joined by James Cagney,who reprises his role as George M. Cohan,in a spirited rendition of Yankee Doodle Dandy that they actually both look like they are enjoying.
Despite the,at times,serious nature of the film,it is after all essentially about a man whose wife dies,Foy,like Hope, was a comedian and there are plenty of jokes and pratfalls to enjoy along with the song and dance numbers.The acting is very good all round, especially from Bob Hope,who manages to make Foy appear lovable despite playing him to some extent warts and all.The sets are most colourful and the musical items catchy and amusing,which help the picture deftly move between comedy and tragedy.
All in all there is not much wrong with this film and it is a shame that the UK has had to wait 'til after Hope's death before it's release here on dvd.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Angela Clarke
Milly Vitale
George Tobias
Herbert Heyes
Bob Hope
Creators:
Bob Hope (Primary Contributor)
Milly Vitale (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Orbit Media Ltd.
Manufacturer: Orbit Media Ltd.
EAN: 5024166046608
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2004-04-12
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 93 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1955-05-31
Language: English (Original Language)