After the costume comedy Casanova's Big Night, Bob Hope decided to tackle a more serious role in the Paramount's 1955 film The Seven Little Foys. Hope plays real-life vaudeville star Eddie Foy, who had always performed as a "single" act on stage. But when his wife passes away, Foy must incorporate his seven children into the act in order to keep custody. Now, not only is he no longer a solo performer, but his adorable children are stealing the limelight. The film's real highlight comes during a friar's roast as Foy's friend George M. Cohan joins him for some impromptu comedy as a show-stopping dance number. James Cagney reprises his Oscar-winning role as Cohan from Yankee Doodle Dandy. The film offered longtime collaborators, Melville Shavelson and Jack Rose, their directing and producing debuts. Previously the two collaborated on such Bob Hope screenplays as Sorrowful Jones, The Princess and the Pirate, and My Favorite Brunette. Shavelson and Rose also received an Oscar nomination for their Foys screenplay.