Jump to content

Jimmy Boyd: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
m →External links: recategorize
SporkBot (talk | contribs)
Bots
1,245,167 edits
m Remove template per TfD outcome
 
(60 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American singer-songwriter (1939–2009)}}
{{other people}}
{{other people}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2009}}


{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| image =
| name = Jimmy Boyd
| name = Jimmy Boyd
| image = Publicity photograph of musician Jimmy Boyd from the 1960 film "Platinum High School".jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| caption = Publicity photo of Jimmy Boyd for the 1960 film ''[[Platinum High School]]''
| birthname = Jimmy Devon Boyd
| birthname = James Devon Boyd
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|1|9}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|1|9}}
| birth_place = [[McComb, Mississippi]]
| birth_place = [[Jayess, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|3|7|1939|1|9}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|3|7|1939|1|9}}
| death_place = [[Santa Monica, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Santa Monica, California]], U.S.
Line 17: Line 17:
*singer
*singer
}}
}}
| yearsactive = 1951–1963
| yearsactive = 1951–1983
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Yvonne Craig]]|1960|1962|end=div}}<br />{{marriage|Anne Forrey|1980|1984|end=div}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Yvonne Craig]]|1960|1962|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Anne Forrey|1980|1984|end=div}}
}}
| children = 1
| children = 1
}}
}}


'''Jimmy Devon Boyd''' (January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his recording of the song "[[I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus]]".
'''Jimmy Devon Boyd''' (Born James Devon Boyd, January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song "[[I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus]]."


==Early years==
==Early years==
Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 in [[Mississippi]] into a musical family, with father Leslie Boyd and mother Winnie Boyd. His father, in turn, was from a family of 21 children of musician Bill Boyd. The family relocated to the [[San Fernando Valley]] of Southern California when Jimmy was a pre-schooler. Jimmy briefly sang with "Texas Jim Lewis and his Lonestar Cowboys". At an early age, he won a local talent show that led to television appearances, including ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', as well as ''[[The Frank Sinatra Show (1950 TV series)|The Frank Sinatra Show]]'' on CBS-TV.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jimmy Boyd Obituary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40916265/jimmy-boyd-obituary/ |access-date=26 September 2022 |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=10 March 2009}}</ref>
Boyd was born in [[Mississippi]] to Leslie and Winnie Boyd. His father was a farmer and picked [[cotton]] to help support the family. When Jimmy Boyd was two years old, Leslie Boyd put Winnie, Jimmy, and one of Boyd's brothers on a train to [[Riverside, California]]. Not having enough money to buy tickets for himself, Leslie Boyd would stow away on freight trains west to rejoin his family.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

Boyd's grandfather, William Boyd (known as "Fiddler Bill"), who had 21 children, played at dances and family gatherings in Mississippi. Leslie Boyd played guitar and harmonica and started teaching Jimmy to play guitar when he was nine years old. Leslie Boyd had been a farmer when a drought hit. As there was no cotton in California to pick finding work was difficult. He eventually got work cleaning up construction sites, and ended up becoming a carpenter.

Leslie and Winnie Boyd would take their children to [[Country and Western|country and western]] dances held in a barn in [[Colton, California]] outside of Riverside. It was at one of these dances when Boyd's older, nine-year-old brother, Kenneth, went up to the bandstand and told the band leader, Texas Jim Lewis, he should hear his little brother sing and play the guitar. Lewis called seven-year-old Jimmy onstage to sing and play. After the dance concluded, Lewis and the manager of a local radio station approached Boyd’s parents to make an offer of $50 per appearance on an hour-long radio show to be broadcast from the dance every Saturday night. While the family was in Los Angeles for Leslie Boyd's cataract surgery, they were told about auditions being held for the ''Al Jarvis Talent Show'' on [[KCOP-TV|KLAC-TV]]. Following his audition, Boyd appeared on Jarvis' show the same night. Winning the contest, Boyd was the subject of numerous telegrams and telephone calls from fans addressed to Jarvis and KLAC.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Jarvis, along with co-host [[Betty White]], had a five-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week talk show on KLAC-TV called ''Hollywood On Television''. After his popular appearance and win on the talent show, Jarvis signed Boyd to appear regularly on ''Hollywood on Television''. With his popularity rising, Boyd started to be seen on other television shows, including CBS-TV's ''[[The Frank Sinatra Show (CBS TV series)|The Frank Sinatra Show]]''.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}


=="I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"==
=="I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"==
Boyd recorded the song "[[I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus]]" for [[Columbia Records]] in 1952, when he was 13 years old. It became a hit, selling over two and a half million records in its first week's release and Boyd's name became known internationally. Boyd was presented with two [[Music recording sales certification|gold records]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
Boyd recorded the song "[[I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus]]" for [[Columbia Records]] in 1952, when he was 13 years old.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> It became a hit, selling over two and a half million records in its first week's release and Boyd's name became known internationally.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> Boyd was presented with two [[Music recording sales certification|gold records]]. Boyd's record went to number one on the charts again the following year at Christmas, and continues to sell as a Christmas song. Cumulative disc sales by 1966 amounted to over 11 million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book| first=Joseph| last=Murrells| year=1978| title=The Book of Golden Discs| edition=2nd| publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd| location=London| page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/59 59]| isbn=978-0-2142-0480-7| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/59}}</ref>
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/59 59]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/59}}</ref> Boyd's record went to number one on the charts again the following year at Christmas, and continues to sell as a Christmas song. Collective disc sales by 1966 amounted to over 11 million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>


Boyd owned horses, so Columbia presented him with a silver mounted saddle. Inscribed in the silver plate on the back of the saddle were the words, ''Presented by Columbia Records to Jimmy Boyd commemorating his 3,000,000 record of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"''. When first released, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday, and radio stations in several markets banned it.
Boyd owned horses, so Columbia presented him with a silver mounted saddle. Inscribed in the silver plate on the back of the saddle were the words, ''Presented by Columbia Records to Jimmy Boyd commemorating his 3,000,000 record of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"''. When first released, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday, and radio stations in several markets banned it.
Boyd made worldwide news when he went to Boston to explain that, of course, Santa Claus and Daddy were the same man. The following Christmas the ban was lifted.<ref>{{cite news
Boyd made worldwide news when he went to Boston to explain that, of course, Santa Claus and Daddy were the same man. The following Christmas the ban was lifted.<ref>{{cite news| last=Kim| first=Wook| title=Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs| language=en| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date=2012-12-14| url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/17/yule-laugh-yule-cry-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-beloved-holiday-songs/slide/i-saw-mommy-kissing-santa-claus/| access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref><ref name=lat>{{cite news| last=Nelson| first=Valerie J.| title=Jimmy Boyd dies at 70; singer of 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'| language=en| newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]| date=2009-03-09| url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jimmy-boyd10-2009mar10-story.html| access-date=2019-11-01}}</ref>
| last = Kim
| first = Wook
| title = Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs
| language = en
| newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]
| date = 2012-12-14
| url = http://entertainment.time.com/2012/12/17/yule-laugh-yule-cry-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-beloved-holiday-songs/slide/i-saw-mommy-kissing-santa-claus/
| access-date = 2019-11-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Nelson
| first = Valerie J.
| title = Jimmy Boyd, at 70; singer famed for Christmas classic
| language = en
| newspaper = [[Boston Globe]] via [[Los Angeles Times]]
| date = 2009-03-13
| url = https://archive.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2009/03/13/jimmy_boyd_at_70_singer_famed_for_christmas_classic/
| access-date = 2019-11-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| last = Nelson
| first = Valerie J.
| title = Jimmy Boyd dies at 70; singer of 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'
| language = en
| newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]]
| date = 2009-03-09
| url = https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jimmy-boyd10-2009mar10-story.html
| access-date = 2019-11-01}}</ref>

Between February 1953 and November 1954, Boyd made five appearances on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. In one appearance, he replaced the scheduled popular singer of the time, [[Gisele MacKenzie]]. Boyd was in New York on his way to [[Montreal]] for a concert. After the show, Boyd was informed that MacKenzie had been bumped. He was so upset at the turn of events that he personally asked Sullivan to re-book MacKenzie. (MacKenzie ultimately appeared twice on the show.) Over the years, Boyd would make appearances on, among other shows, ''[[Kraft Music Hall]]'', ''[[The Doris Day Show]]'', ''[[The Bing Crosby Show (1964 TV series)|The Bing Crosby Show]]'', ''[[The Bob Hope Show]]'', ''[[The Patti Page Show]]'', ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]'', ''[[The Tonight Show]]'', ''[[Shindig!|Shindig]]'', and ''[[American Bandstand]]''.

Boyd recorded several more hit records: teaming up at age 14, with [[Frankie Laine]] in 1953 on "[[Tell Me a Story (Terry Gilkyson song)|Tell Me a Story]]" (written by [[Terry Gilkyson]]), which reached #4, and "The Little Boy And The Old Man" (#24), and with [[Rosemary Clooney]] that summer on "Dennis the Menace," which reached #25.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

==Relationship with Mitch Miller==
{{unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
Boyd said that although he liked the songs that became hits for him, especially the duets with, among others, Laine, Clooney, and [[Gayla Peevey]], he never wanted to sing many of the novelty songs that [[Mitch Miller]], the head of [[Artists and Repertoire]] of Columbia Records, gave him. As the head of A&R at Columbia, Mitch Miller was in charge of all the recording artists there, including Frank Sinatra. When Mitch Miller signed him to Columbia, Boyd's new roots were in [[country music]]. Boyd's first hit at Columbia under Miller, "God's Little Candles", was in the country field. At the time, 250,000 records was the mark of a country hit, but "God's Little Candles" nearly reached the million mark. Years later, [[Kris Kristofferson]] introduced himself to Boyd and told him he had borrowed the music from the bridge of "God's Little Candles" to write one of his songs. Boyd was a fan of Kristofferson and was so overwhelmed that when he had introduced himself, he forgot to ask Kristofferson which song he used it in. Despite this success, Miller moved Boyd into the [[pop music]] genre since country music was an isolated field at the time and very small in the overall record-buying fan base.

[[Rock and roll]] was starting to change the industry, and Boyd wanted to sing rock music. Miller passionately hated rock and roll and publicly stated it was a passing fad. He forbade anyone with Columbia Records to record rock music. Although Boyd says he loved Miller like a father, he felt his era was passing; Boyd was later to be proven right.

After a number of novelty songs that Boyd did not like and that did not reach the top ten ("I Wanna Haircut With A Moon On Top", "I'll Stay In The House And Live In My Grandma's Kitchen", "Owl's Lullaby", etc.), Miller called Boyd and told him that he had a new song and would be arriving in Los Angeles to play it for him. Miller set up a meeting at the [[Beverly Hills Hotel]] with [[Percy Faith]]. The hotel provided a room with a piano for Faith to play the song, and Miller gave Boyd the lyrics to read. After reading the first lines of the song, Boyd, without hearing the music, told Miller he did not want to sing these kind of novelty songs any more, and turned it down. Miller and Faith recorded the song with another Columbia artist named [[Jo Stafford]]. The opening lines were "Goodbye Joe, Me gotta go, Me-O My-O. Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou." The song, "[[Jambalaya (On the Bayou)]]," went to number three on the Billboard charts. Ironically, the novelty song that Boyd declined to record had been written by country music legend [[Hank Williams]].

Frank Sinatra declared that Miller's choices of songs had ruined his career, and he promptly switched over to [[Capitol Records]], where he chose his own songs and began making hit records again. However, Boyd felt a great deal of loyalty to Miller. He did not follow through with his own wish to go to Memphis and record with [[Sam Phillips]] at his [[Sun Records]], where the dawn of rock and roll was beginning with many of the new rock artists of the time. Instead, he concentrated more on movies and television, and finishing his education. In retrospect, Boyd said he wished that he had gone to Sun Records.


==Other recordings==
==Other recordings==
Boyd's next-biggest hit was "[[Tell Me a Story (Terry Gilkyson song)|Tell Me a Story]]," a duet with [[Frankie Laine]], which peaked at number 4 on the charts during 1953.
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2021}}
The same year, he recorded "Dennis the Menace," a duet with [[Rosemary Clooney]], which peaked at [[Rosemary Clooney discography|number 23]] on the charts.
In 1966, Boyd had a #3 hit in [[Brisbane, Australia]] with "I Would Never Do That", produced by [[Leon Russell]] and [[Snuff Garrett]] and engineered by [[J.J. Cale]] for [[Imperial Records]]. The flip side, "Will I Cry", was co-written, engineered, had backup vocals and guitar instrumentals by J.J. Cale. Another favorite recording session of Boyd's was a song written by [[Barry Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]], "That's What I'll Give to You". [[Terry Melcher]] produced the session for Boyd on [[Vee-Jay Records]]. Vee-Jay was the first company to release all the early [[Beatles]] records in the United States. Before Boyd's single was released, Vee-Jay was sued by Capitol and lost all the royalties and rights to the Beatles; the company went bankrupt. The song was eventually released on [[Rhino Records]]. [[Herb Alpert]] had visited the session at Vee-Jay and liked it so much he asked Boyd and Melcher to record for [[A&M Records]]. While recording the album, the Manson murders occurred at a house in which Melcher had previously lived, prompting Melcher to abandon the project and go into seclusion. The album was never finished.

[[Bobby Darin]] wrote and produced a record, ''Made In The Shade'', for Boyd. Although they had met briefly at different events, Boyd and Darin became friends while working on different movies at [[Universal Studios]]. Unfortunately, Boyd stated, "It was released at the same time as [[Phil Spector]]'s first amazing "[[Wall of Sound]]" recordings. Our record was more like a mound of sound and was lost somewhere behind the wall ... Bobby was one of the most talented people I've ever known," says Boyd. "Had he lived he would have sustained the same kind of legendary career that Sinatra had ... He could do it all. He could write and sing rock and roll, folk, jazz, or croon with Sinatra. And in each genre be as good or better than the best in each field. And if that wasn't enough, he was very witty and funny. If I didn't like him so much I could've hated him for being so talented."

==Work in film, television and Las Vegas==
Boyd showed he had comedic talents in recurring roles in the [[television series]] ''[[Bachelor Father (US TV series)|Bachelor Father]]'' (as Howard Meechum, the boyfriend of the [[Noreen Corcoran]] character), ''Date with the Angels'', ''[[The Betty White Show]]'', ''[[Broadside (TV series)|Broadside]]'' (in the role of Marion Botnik), and ''[[My Three Sons]]''. He also appeared in a number of motion pictures, including ''[[Inherit the Wind (1960 film)|Inherit the Wind]]'' (1960). In that film, Boyd portrays Howard, a student who is called as the first witness in the trial of teacher Bertram Cates.

One of his surviving performances available online is with [[Betty White]] on ''[[The Betty White Show]]'' in the mid-1950s.<ref>{{YouTube|EEifjymF6K8}}</ref>

At the time, Boyd was the youngest entertainer ever allowed to appear in [[Las Vegas Strip|Las Vegas]], starring at the famed [[Sands Hotel]]'s "Copa Room" at age thirteen during Sinatra's "[[Rat Pack]]" era. On Boyd's opening night show, he was applauded back onstage by the audience for multiple encores. With the audience still cheering and whistling, Sands boss, [[Jack Entratter]], standing backstage, caught Boyd and stopped him from going back on stage after his third encore. Entratter asked Boyd if he could please go back for only one encore during his performances, and explained that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning and that the hotel needed the people to go back to the casino and gamble. Boyd also appeared at the Golden Hotel in [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]], [[Nevada]].

Boyd, along with his music, did stand-up comedy. He played the theater circuit for several years that was popular at that time—including The Capital, Paramount, and Seville theaters in New York City, [[Chicago]], [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], [[Montreal]], and [[Toronto]]. Following entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, [[Tony Bennett]], [[Peggy Lee]], Frankie Laine, [[Johnnie Ray]] and [[Eddie Fisher (singer)|Eddie Fisher]] with his own show, he performed at 90,000 seat-plus venues such as Soldier Field, The Rubber Bowl, The Plantation, Red Rocks and others, in Chicago, Ohio, Colorado, Hawaii and Canada, along with hundreds of one-nighters on the road throughout the U.S., Canada, and England.


One of his surviving performances available online is with [[Betty White]] on ''[[The Betty White Show (1952 TV series)|The Betty White Show]]'' in the mid-1950s.<ref>{{YouTube|EEifjymF6K8}}</ref>
A seasoned performer at fourteen, he took time off to return to Hollywood to star in a horse racing movie called ''Racing Blood'' for [[20th Century Fox]]. Boyd found Hollywood to be far less grueling than life on the road. At sixteen years of age he returned to Hollywood again to appear in ''The Second Greatest Sex'' with [[Jeanne Crain]], George Nader, and [[Bert Lahr]] for Universal Pictures. Then it was on to New York to do a musical version of ''Tom Sawyer'' for ''The [[United States Steel Hour]]'' on CBS, with [[Florence Henderson]] as Becky. The next year he was asked back to do the title role in ''The United States Steel Hour'''s musical version of ''Huckleberry Finn'', co-starring with [[Basil Rathbone]] and [[Jack Carson]] as the carpetbaggers.


==Acting career==
Not wanting to go on the road again, and enjoying doing TV and movies, Boyd hung up his guitar at least temporarily and started having fun as a regular on comedy shows like ''Date With The Angels'', ''Bachelor Father'' with [[John Forsythe]], and ''Broadside''. He starred with [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Terry Moore (actress)|Terry Moore]], [[Dan Duryea]] and [[Yvette Mimieux]] in the film ''Platinum High School'' for MGM. Boyd was shooting ''Bachelor Father'' with Forsythe and simultaneously filming ''Inherit the Wind'' with Spencer Tracy, [[Gene Kelly]] and [[Fredric March]] for Universal Studios. Boyd co-starred in the national touring company of [[Neil Simon]]'s play ''[[The Star-Spangled Girl]]'' with [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]] and [[Deana Martin]]. Neil Simon's brother [[Danny Simon]] stated, "Initially Jimmy didn't want to do ''The Star-Spangled Girl''. It meant he would have to leave L.A. for a year, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do the same show night after night. Neil and I took him out to dinner and coerced him into it. Jimmy got rave reviews, and was glad he did the play."
In 1956, Boyd played [[Huckleberry Finn]] in the [[United States Steel Hour]] production of [[Frank Luther]]'s musical adaptation of [[Tom_Sawyer_%281956_musical%29|"Tom Sawyer"]]. Boyd reprised the role a year later when Luther adapted [[Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn|"Huck Finn"]] as a musical.


Boyd was a regular cast member on the situation comedy ''[[Date with the Angels]]'', starring [[Betty White]], playing the role of Wheeler. After the show was cancelled midway through its only season (1957–58), he went on to become a regular on ''[[Bachelor Father (American TV series)|Bachelor Father]]'' for the remainder of its five-year run (1957–62). The popular situation comedy starred [[John Forsythe]] and featured [[Noreen Corcoran]] and [[Sammee Tong]]. Boyd played the role of Howard Meechum, awkward classmate and sometime boyfriend of Corcoran's character Kelly.<ref name="auto">{{cite news |title=Jimmy Boyd Obituary |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40916265/jimmy-boyd-obituary/ |access-date=11 March 2023 |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=10 March 2009}}</ref>
==Personal life==
In 1960, Boyd married actress [[Yvonne Craig]] (TV's ''[[Batgirl]]''). After a year of marriage, Boyd was drafted into the Army and was stationed in Texas. Separation proved unfortunate to his marriage, which ended in divorce in 1962. Boyd went to the [[Republic of Vietnam]] in 1965 with his own show for the [[United Service Organizations|USO]]. In February 1967 he also joined in [[Nancy Sinatra]]'s USO trip to entertain American troops in South Vietnam.


During the same period, Boyd appeared in several films, often in dramatic roles. These included the role of schoolboy Howard in [[Inherit the Wind (1960 film)|''Inherit the Wind'']] (1960), a drama starring [[Spencer Tracy]], based on the [[Scopes trial|Scopes Monkey Trial]] of 1925.<ref name="auto"/>
Boyd married a second time in 1980. He and Anne Forrey Boyd had a son together, but divorced in 1984. He remained single for the rest of his life.<ref name="ny_times_obit">


Boyd's acting career was interrupted by military service when he was drafted into the [[United States Army|US Army]] in 1960. Later in the 1960s, he went to Vietnam, but as a celebrity rather than a soldier, appearing alongside other actors and singers in two [[United Service Organizations|USO tours]].<ref name="auto"/>
{{cite news
| last = Hevesi
| first = Dennis
| title = Jimmy Boyd, Actor and Child Singer, Dies at 70
| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
| date = 2009-03-09
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/arts/10boyd.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
| access-date = 2009-03-15}}


==Personal life and death==
</ref> When asked, "What's the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?" his reply was, "The birth of my son."
In 1960, Boyd married actress [[Yvonne Craig]] (later TV's ''[[Batgirl]]''). The marriage ended in divorce in 1962. Boyd married a second time in 1980 to Anne Forrey. They had a son together, but divorced in 1984. He remained single for the rest of his life.<ref name="ny_times_obit">{{cite news| last=Hevesi| first=Dennis| title=Jimmy Boyd, Actor and Child Singer, Dies at 70| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=2009-03-09| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/arts/10boyd.html?partner=rss&emc=rss| access-date=2009-03-15}}</ref>


Jimmy Boyd died of [[cancer]] in 2009 at the age of 70.<ref name=lat/>
Jimmy Boyd died of [[cancer]] in 2009 at the age of 70.<ref name ="obit">{{cite news | last =Nelson | first =Valerie J. | title =Jimmy Boyd dies at 70; singer of 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' | work =Los Angeles Times | date =2009-03-09 | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-jimmy-boyd10-2009mar10,0,6186981.story | access-date =2009-03-11}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards==
For his contributions to the recording industry, Boyd was awarded a star (located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.) on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1959. It made Boyd (at age 20) the youngest-ever recipient of the honor for 45 years, until actress twins [[Mary-Kate Olsen]] and [[Ashley Olsen]] (then 18) were jointly awarded a star in 2004.
For his contributions to the recording industry, Boyd was awarded a star (located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.) on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1959. It made Boyd (at age 20) the youngest-ever recipient of the honor for 45 years, until actress twins [[Mary-Kate Olsen]] and [[Ashley Olsen]] (then 18) jointly received a star in 2004.


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 162: Line 93:
==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0101808}}
*{{IMDb name|0101808}}
*{{Amg name|7807}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 181: Line 111:
[[Category:People from Riverside, California]]
[[Category:People from Riverside, California]]
[[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]]
[[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Songwriters from California]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Mississippi]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Country musicians from California]]
[[Category:Country musicians from California]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Mississippi]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:People from McComb, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]

Latest revision as of 17:14, 22 December 2024

For other people named Jimmy Boyd, see Jimmy Boyd (disambiguation).
Jimmy Boyd
Publicity photo of Jimmy Boyd for the 1960 film Platinum High School
Born
James Devon Boyd

(1939-01-09)January 9, 1939
Jayess, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMarch 7, 2009(2009-03-07) (aged 70)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • musician
  • singer
Years active1951–1983
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1962)​
Anne Forrey
​
​
(m. 1980; div. 1984)​
Children1

Jimmy Devon Boyd (Born James Devon Boyd, January 9, 1939 – March 7, 2009) was an American singer, musician, and actor known for his 1952 recording of the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."

Early years

[edit]

Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 in Mississippi into a musical family, with father Leslie Boyd and mother Winnie Boyd. His father, in turn, was from a family of 21 children of musician Bill Boyd. The family relocated to the San Fernando Valley of Southern California when Jimmy was a pre-schooler. Jimmy briefly sang with "Texas Jim Lewis and his Lonestar Cowboys". At an early age, he won a local talent show that led to television appearances, including The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as The Frank Sinatra Show on CBS-TV.[1]

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

[edit]

Boyd recorded the song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" for Columbia Records in 1952, when he was 13 years old.[2] It became a hit, selling over two and a half million records in its first week's release and Boyd's name became known internationally.[2] Boyd was presented with two gold records. Boyd's record went to number one on the charts again the following year at Christmas, and continues to sell as a Christmas song. Cumulative disc sales by 1966 amounted to over 11 million copies.[2]

Boyd owned horses, so Columbia presented him with a silver mounted saddle. Inscribed in the silver plate on the back of the saddle were the words, Presented by Columbia Records to Jimmy Boyd commemorating his 3,000,000 record of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". When first released, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston condemned the song for implying even a tenuous link between sex and the religious holiday, and radio stations in several markets banned it. Boyd made worldwide news when he went to Boston to explain that, of course, Santa Claus and Daddy were the same man. The following Christmas the ban was lifted.[3][4]

Other recordings

[edit]

Boyd's next-biggest hit was "Tell Me a Story," a duet with Frankie Laine, which peaked at number 4 on the charts during 1953. The same year, he recorded "Dennis the Menace," a duet with Rosemary Clooney, which peaked at number 23 on the charts.

One of his surviving performances available online is with Betty White on The Betty White Show in the mid-1950s.[5]

Acting career

[edit]

In 1956, Boyd played Huckleberry Finn in the United States Steel Hour production of Frank Luther's musical adaptation of "Tom Sawyer". Boyd reprised the role a year later when Luther adapted "Huck Finn" as a musical.

Boyd was a regular cast member on the situation comedy Date with the Angels, starring Betty White, playing the role of Wheeler. After the show was cancelled midway through its only season (1957–58), he went on to become a regular on Bachelor Father for the remainder of its five-year run (1957–62). The popular situation comedy starred John Forsythe and featured Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong. Boyd played the role of Howard Meechum, awkward classmate and sometime boyfriend of Corcoran's character Kelly.[6]

During the same period, Boyd appeared in several films, often in dramatic roles. These included the role of schoolboy Howard in Inherit the Wind (1960), a drama starring Spencer Tracy, based on the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.[6]

Boyd's acting career was interrupted by military service when he was drafted into the US Army in 1960. Later in the 1960s, he went to Vietnam, but as a celebrity rather than a soldier, appearing alongside other actors and singers in two USO tours.[6]

Personal life and death

[edit]

In 1960, Boyd married actress Yvonne Craig (later TV's Batgirl). The marriage ended in divorce in 1962. Boyd married a second time in 1980 to Anne Forrey. They had a son together, but divorced in 1984. He remained single for the rest of his life.[7]

Jimmy Boyd died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 70.[4]

Awards

[edit]

For his contributions to the recording industry, Boyd was awarded a star (located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1959. It made Boyd (at age 20) the youngest-ever recipient of the honor for 45 years, until actress twins Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen (then 18) jointly received a star in 2004.

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1954 Racing Blood David
1955 The Second Greatest Sex Newt McClure
1960 Platinum High School Bud Starkweather
1960 Inherit the Wind Howard
1960 High Time Robert Higgson
1961 The Two Little Bears Johnny Dillion
1970 Norwood Jeeter
1975 That's the Way of the World Gary Page
1978 Mean Dog Blues Sonny
1983 Brainstorm Col. Howe (final film role)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Jimmy Boyd Obituary". The Los Angeles Times. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-2142-0480-7.
  3. ^ Kim, Wook (2012-12-14). "Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs". Time. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  4. ^ a b Nelson, Valerie J. (2009-03-09). "Jimmy Boyd dies at 70; singer of 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  5. ^ Video on YouTube
  6. ^ a b c "Jimmy Boyd Obituary". The Los Angeles Times. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  7. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (2009-03-09). "Jimmy Boyd, Actor and Child Singer, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Jimmy_Boyd&oldid=1264616512"