Shirley Jones’ Son Ryan Cassidy Releases Children’s Book About James Cagney

Ryan Cassidy, the son of actors Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy and the brother of singer/actor David Cassidy and actor Patrick Cassidy, has written a children’s book about being babysat by an Oscar-winning actor.

Growing up in a family of Hollywood stars, Ryan certainly had a memorable childhood, including being looked after one afternoon by the iconic actor James Cagney, who died in 1986. That day has inspired Ryan’s new children’s book, James Cagney Was My Babysitter, which includes a foreword and afterword from Jones.

“I’m very fortunate to have had a wonderful career in show business and to have worked with some brilliant actors,” Jones writes in the foreword, according to People. “Among the many movies and television shows I was privileged to do, the opportunity to work with the legendary James Cagney was a very special moment for me.”

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Speaking to People about his day with Cagney, Ryan said, “I think the fact that he was this bigger-than-life movie star that had already sort of done his work, and he was semi-retired at this point, and he saw my mother and father were going through a separation, and I think he felt a need to see where I was at with everything.”

“He made me feel really comfortable, and he made me feel like I could express myself in a way and tell him what my interests were. He didn’t make it about him that day,” he continued.

Jones is known for starring in hit musical films such as Oklahoma and The Music Man and won an Oscar for her role in Elmer Gantry. She also played Shirley Partridge in the popular sitcom The Partridge Family, which co-starred her real-life stepson, David Cassidy, son of Jack Cassidy.

Ryan told People he grew up with people telling him how much they loved his mom and brothers. But rather than following in his family’s footsteps in front of the camera, Ryan paved his own path behind the scenes, working on TV and movie sets.

“I would say I’m proud of my family,” Ryan stated. “I’m my own person, and I am where I’m at in life because I have learned through whatever I went through to get to where I’m at. And I’m proud of who I am, but I’m not my family. I’m my own person.”

James Cagney Was My Babysitter is scheduled to be released on March 14.