The Seven Little Foys1955

“It just seems like a dirty trick to play on a kid.. having me as his old man.” This is such a fascinating time of American history that seems almost completely lost. Who is Eddie Foy? Who is George M. Cohan? It seems a shame that the Iroquois Theatre that burned down has a whole Wikipedia article about it, but Mr. Bluebeard, the show that was playing when the fire broke out, does not. It is barely more than a footnote.   So much of tv and entertainment at large stems directly from vaudeville, and it’s all but forgotten. But the people who made this movie remembered and wanted to help other people remember. The big issue is that the peak of vaudeville is from before the rise of popular recording methods. It’s on the cusp of modernity, and thus I think it gets lost in the shuffle of historical popularity.  I love this movie. I think my other review probably says that this is Bob Hope’s best role, and I definitely still agree. It’s clear love and effort were put into this across the board. Bob Hope’s stage costumes are so beautiful. The kids are all really charming and great personalities.  And there isn’t a greater stomach-dropping moment than going from the high of the Foy and Cohan dance sequence to the absolute low of Madeleine’s death. And the bitter irony of Foy’s father of the year award.  This will always be a classic for me that many more people should see. I don’t think this time should be forgotten, and this movie is at least one way to help us remember.