Jimmy Boyd: Difference between revisions
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==Other recordings== |
==Other recordings== |
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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> |
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> |
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==Acting career== |
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Boyd was a regular cast member on the situation comedy [[Bachelor Father]] throughout the show's four seasons (1958-62). The show starred [[John Forsythe]] and featured [[Noreen Corcoran]] and [[Sammee Tong]].<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> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Revision as of 14:48, 11 March 2023
Jimmy Boyd | |
|---|---|
 Publicity Photo of Jimmy Boyd | |
| Born | Jimmy Devon Boyd January 9, 1939 |
| Died | March 7, 2009 (aged 70) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1951–1983 |
| Spouse(s) |
Anne Forrey
(m. 1980; div. 1984) |
| Children | 1 |
Jimmy 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
Jimmy Boyd was born in 1939 Mississippi into a musical family, 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"
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 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
One of his surviving performances available online is with Betty White on The Betty White Show in the mid-1950s.[5]
Acting career
Boyd was a regular cast member on the situation comedy Bachelor Father throughout the show's four seasons (1958-62). The show starred John Forsythe and featured Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong.[6]
Personal life
In 1960, Boyd married actress Yvonne Craig (TV's Batgirl), which ended in divorce in 1962. 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.[7] When asked, "What's the most exciting thing that ever happened to you?" his reply was, "The birth of my son."[citation needed]
Jimmy Boyd died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 70.[4]
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) jointly received a star in 2004.
Filmography
| 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
- ^ "Jimmy Boyd Obituary". The Los Angeles Times. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-2142-0480-7.
- ^ Kim, Wook (2012-12-14). "Yule Laugh, Yule Cry: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs". Time. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ "Jimmy Boyd Obituary". The Los Angeles Times. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Hevesi, Dennis (2009-03-09). "Jimmy Boyd, Actor and Child Singer, Dies at 70". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1939 births
- 2009 deaths
- American male child actors
- American child singers
- American country singer-songwriters
- American male film actors
- American male singer-songwriters
- Male actors from Mississippi
- Deaths from cancer in California
- Dot Records artists
- Jubilee Records artists
- Singer-songwriters from California
- People from Riverside, California
- Vee-Jay Records artists
- 20th-century American singers
- Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
- 20th-century American male actors
- Country musicians from California
- Country musicians from Mississippi
- 20th-century American male singers
- People from McComb, Mississippi
- Columbia Records artists