Davey Lee Sonny Boy Club

Color illustration of the child actor Davey Lee on a yellow background in the center surrounded by black text on a red background around the rim

Davey Lee was a child star in the 1920s and 1930s who made his film debut at the age of three in the 1928 Al Jolson feature film The Singing Fool, which was the top grossing motion picture of the time until Gone With the Wind premiered in 1939. Davey Lee portrayed Al Jolson’s three-year-old son, dubbed “Sonny Boy.” Following the success of The Singing Fool, Lee went on to star in his own feature film, Sonny Boy, in 1929 at the age of four. The character of Sonny Boy was a national hit, and the moniker remained with Lee for the rest of his life.

Following the release of Sonny Boy in 1929 there was a Davey Lee lookalike contest held in Brooklyn for local children to enter. The Davey Lee “Sonny Boy” Club buttons were given to all contestants in the lookalike contest, as well as being available for purchase in nearby businesses or directly from the Philadelphia Badge Co. First and second place winners of the lookalike contest were awarded with a button and a Yorkshire Knitting Company “Sonny Boy” sun-suit modeled after a costume worn by Lee in the film. Children who were fans of Sonny Boy could also purchase certificates of membership to the Davey Lee “Sonny Boy” Club, which could be filled out to certify a child “has joined the Davey Lee “Sonny Boy” Club with the understanding that there never will be any reason why mother or father will not be as proud of their “Sonny Boy” as Mrs. Lee is of her Davey Lee.”