Sammy Davis Jr., Black and White on the Silver Screen?

Big Hollywood ^ | June 14, 2009 | Andrea Shea King

[donna]

I saw a Sammy Davis Jr show in person one time in Phoenix and he was one of those special performers. He really grabbed the audience. It was considerably better than watching him on TV or movies.

[trisham]

I never thought Sammy had a very good voice. He could really dance, though.

[trisham]

Talented, but not like Frank or Sammy.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[M. Espinola]

Sammy had an incredible talent as an impressionist & photographer, in addition to everything else he excelled at. He was one cool cat!

[Lizavetta]

[Vince Ferrer]

He may not have been the world's greatest entertainer, but he absolutely deserves to have his life story told in a way that we can appreciate him and his time. This man was a true pioneer in race relations, and got an astounding amount of abuse from both whites and blacks.

He fought back not through protests, courts, violence, or returning the hate, but by focusing on his talent, and becoming even better and more famous despite those who hated him. His career was his answer to racism, and every time he got onstage, or on tv, or into movies, there was a black man reaching all Americans with a smile on his face. We in this time should not underestimate how much that effected change in America.

People can compare him to the others in the rat pack, but the others didn't carry the cross he was carrying, and that's what makes him important.

[jimfree]

I have a video of a show Sammy did in Germany in 1985. It's a delightful 40 minutes or so. Sammy is on my list of the top 10 entertainers of my lifetime. Such lists, when I create them often don't have a number 1. I will prefer any of five at a given moment.

I give points (again no fixed scale) for quality of the work, depth of the work (no one-hit wonders), breadth of the work (dancer plus singer gets a bump here over dancer or singer alone), and the timelessness of the work. (Frank proudly shines here, Sammy shines just a little less brightly)

I'm not sure where to put one more attribute - it's having what is considered to be the (or a) definitive version of a piece - here I would give Frank It Was a Very Good Year hands down, among others; Sammy clearly had one of the best versions of Mr Bo Jangles. Both artists have other examples.

Sammy earns lots of points in several of these factors - he has some great quality, great depth, good breadth (singing, dancing, acting), and work that has stood and will continue to stand the test of time. On top of all of that he was indeed a nice guy.

[jimfree]

Thanks for the reminder. On that 40 minute video Sammy does a set of impressions of various actors singing As Time Goes By. It was funny throughout and hysterical when he got to Jimmy Stewart.

[M. Espinola]

In addition, Sammy does a great collection of impressions on this record/cd while singing 'Because of You'.

Original Release Date: April 18th, 1955

[Bon mots]

Sammy was a great performer and a class act with a lot of good friends who helped him in an unfair world. He was never bitter and kept his chin up all the time.

Too bad the race baiters are going to ruin his reputation now.

[mysterio]

Sammy Davis Jr. was a great entertainer as well as a great American. It will be a long time before we see the likes of him again, if ever.

[Bon mots]

Very well stated.

[dfwgator]

Funniest moment in TV History.

[Liberty Valance]

[M. Espinola]

I second your comments.

[Artemis Webb]

I always felt bad for Sammy that his death was somewhat overshadowed by the death of Jim Henson that same day.