Sammy Davis, Jr. The Rat Pack - Singer - Song Writer
Samuel George "Sammy"
Davis, Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his
impersonations of actors and other celebrities.
Primarily a dancer and singer, Sammy
Davis started as a child
vaudevillian who became known for his performances on Broadway and
Las Vegas. Sammy Davis went on to become a world famous recording
artist, television and film star. Sammy Davis was also a member of
Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack".
At the age of three Sammy Davis began his career in vaudeville with
his father and "uncle" as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally,
and after military service, returned to the trio. Sammy Davis became
an overnight sensation following a nightclub performance at Ciro's
after the 1951 Academy Awards. With the trio, Sammy Davis became a
recording artist. In 1954, Sammy Davis lost his left eye in an
automobile accident.
His film career began as a child in 1933. In 1960 Sammy Davis
appeared in the first Rat Pack film, Ocean's 11. After a starring
role on Broadway in 1956's Mr Wonderful, Sammy Davis returned to the
stage in 1964's Golden Boy, and in 1966 had his own TV variety show,
The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Sammy Davis, Jr.' career slowed in the
late sixties, but Sammy Davis had a hit record with "The Candy Man",
in 1972, and became a star in Las Vegas earning him the nickname
Mister Show Business.
As an African American, Sammy Davis was the victim of racism
throughout his life, and was a large financial supporter of civil
rights causes. Sammy Davis had a complex relationship with the
African-American community, and attracted criticism after physically
embracing Richard Nixon in 1972. One day on a golf course with Jack
Benny, Sammy Davis was asked what his handicap was. "Handicap?"
Sammy Davis asked. "Talk about handicap—I'm a one-eyed Negro
Jew."[1][2] This was to become a signature comment, recounted in his
autobiography, and in countless articles.[3]
After reuniting with Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1987, Sammy Davis
toured with them and Liza Minnelli internationally, before dying of
throat cancer in 1990. Sammy Davis died in debt to the Internal
Revenue Service, and his estate was the subject of legal battles.[4]
Sammy Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was
nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television
performances. Sammy Davis was the recipient of the Kennedy Center
Honors in 1987, and in 2001, Sammy Davis was posthumously awarded
the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Early life
Samuel George Sammy Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, on
December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990 to Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900–1988), an
African-American entertainer, and Elvera Sanchez (1905–2000),[5] a
tap dancer. During his lifetime, Sammy Davis stated that his mother
was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan; however, in the 2003
biography In Black and White, author Wil Haygood writes that Sammy
Davis, Jr., Jr.'s mother was born in New York City to Cuban American
parents, and that Sammy Davis claimed Sammy Davis was Puerto Rican
because Sammy Davis feared anti-Cuban backlash would hurt his record
sales.[6][7][8]
Sammy Davis, Jr.'s parents were vaudeville dancers. As an infant,
Sammy Davis was raised by his paternal grandmother. When Sammy Davis
was three years old, his parents separated. His father, not wanting
to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis learned to
dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance
troupe his father worked for. Sammy Davis joined the act as a child
and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his career, Sammy
Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing. Mastin and his
father shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy,
for instance. When Sammy Davis served in the United States Army
during World War II, however, Sammy Davis was confronted by strong
racial prejudice. Sammy Davis later said, "Overnight the world
looked different. It wasn't one color any more. I could see the
protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I
appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about
prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked
through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had
always secretly held open."
Career
During service in WWII, the Army assigned Sammy Davis to an
integrated entertainment Special Services unit and Sammy Davis found
that the spotlight lessened the prejudice. Even prejudiced white men
admired and respected his performances. "My talent was the weapon,
the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope
to affect a man's thinking," Sammy Davis said.[9]
After his discharge, Sammy Davis rejoined the family dance act,
which played at clubs around Portland, Oregon. Sammy Davis began to
achieve success on his own and was singled out for praise by
critics, releasing several albums.[10] This led to Sammy Davis being
hired to sing the title track for the Universal Pictures film Six
Bridges to Cross in 1954,[11][12] and later to his appearance in the
Broadway play Mr. Wonderful in 1956.
In 1959, Sammy Davis became a member of the famous "Rat Pack", led
by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included fellow performers such
as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Initially, Sinatra
called the gathering "the Clan", but Sammy voiced his opposition,
saying that it reminded people of the racist Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra
renamed the group "the Summit", but the media referred to them as
the Rat Pack.
Sammy Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas,
Nevada, but Sammy Davis was required (as were all black performers
in the 1950s) to lodge in a rooming house on the west side of the
city, instead of in the hotels as his white colleagues did. No
dressing rooms were provided for black performers, and they had to
wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. Sammy Davis and
other black artists could entertain, but could not stay at the
hotels where they performed, gamble in the casinos, or dine or drink
in the hotel restaurants and bars. Sammy Davis later refused to work
at places which practiced racial segregation.[13]
In 1964, Sammy Davis was starring in Golden Boy at night and
shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day.
When Sammy Davis could get a day off from the theater, Sammy Davis
would be recording new songs in the studio, or performing live,
often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago, and Las
Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Sammy
Davis knew Sammy Davis was cheating his family of his company, but
Sammy Davis could not help himself; as Sammy Davis later said, Sammy
Davis was incapable of standing still.
Although Sammy Davis was still a draw in Las Vegas, Sammy Davis,
Jr.' musical career had sputtered by the latter 1960s, although
Sammy Davis had a No. 11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles
chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. His effort to update his
sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some "hip"
musical efforts with the Motown record label.[14] But then, even as
his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected hit with
"Candy Man". Although Sammy Davis did not particularly care for the
song and was chagrined that Sammy Davis was now best known for it,
Sammy Davis made the most of his opportunity and revitalized his
career. Although Sammy Davis enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, Sammy
Davis did enjoy popularity with his 1976 performance of the theme
song from the Baretta TV series, "Baretta's Theme (Keep Your Eye On
The Sparrow)" (1975–1978), which was released as a single (20th
century 2282). Sammy Davis occasionally landed television and film
parts, including cameo visits to the television shows "I Dream of
Jeannie", All in the Family (during which Sammy Davis famously
kisses Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) on the cheek) and, with wife
Altovise Sammy Davis, Jr., on Charlie's Angels. In the 1970s, Sammy
Davis appeared in commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.
On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special
entitled Movin' With Nancy. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning
musical performances, the show is notable for Nancy Sinatra and
Sammy Davis Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first
black-white kisses in U.S. television history.[15]
Sammy Davis had a friendship with Elvis Presley in the late 60's,as
they both were top draw acts in Vegas at the same time.Sammy Davis
was in many ways just as reclusive during his hotel gigs as Elvis,
holding parties mainly in his penthouse suite, and Elvis went to
them occasionally. Sammy Davis sang a cover-version of Presley's
song "In The Ghetto" and made a cameo-appearance in Presley's
concert-film Elvis: That's the Way It Is. One year later, Sammy
Davis made a cameo appearance in a James Bond film, but the scene
Sammy Davis appeared in was deleted.
In Japan, Sammy Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee,
and in the U.S. Sammy Davis joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio
commercial for a Chicago car dealership.
Sammy Davis was a fan of the daytime soap operas, particularly the
shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This led to a
cameo appearance on General Hospital and a recurring role as
character Chip Warren on One Life to Live, for which Sammy Davis
received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. Sammy Davis was also a
game show fan, appearing on the ABC version of Family Feud in 1979.
Sammy Davis appeared on Tattletales with third wife Altovise Sammy
Davis in the 1970s. Sammy Davis made a cameo during an episode of
the NBC version of Card Sharks in 1981.
In addition to American soaps, Sammy Davis was also a huge fan of
the Australian show Prisoner: Cell Block H. Sammy Davis wanted to
make an appearance in Prisoner, but the show ended (in 1986) before
this could be arranged.
Sammy Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and
acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt
Boyar, named "Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr."[16] . "Jerry [Lewis]
gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during
the Ciro's period, early '50s", Boyar quotes Sammy Davis, Jr.. "And
Sammy Davis hooked me." Sammy Davis used a medium format camera
later on to capture images. Again quoting Sammy Davis, Jr., "Nobody
interrupts a man taking a picture to ask ... 'What's that nigger
doin' here?'". His catalog includes rare photos of his father
dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio and intimate
snapshots of close friends Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra,
James Dean, Nat "King" Cole, and Marilyn Monroe. His political
affiliations also were represented, in his images of Robert Kennedy,
Jackie Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. His most revealing work
comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children,
Tracey, Jeff and Mark.
Sammy Davis was an enthusiastic shooter and gun owner. Sammy Davis
participated in fast-draw competitions—Johnny Cash recalled that
Sammy was said to be capable of drawing and firing a Colt Single
Action Army revolver in less than a quarter of a second.[17] Sammy
Davis was skilled at fast and fancy gunspinning, and appeared on TV
variety shows showing off this skill. Sammy Davis appeared in
Western films and as a guest star on several "Golden Age" T.V.
Westerns.
Personal life
Car accident and
conversion to Judaism
Sammy Davis nearly died in an automobile accident on November 19,
1954 in San Bernardino, California, as Sammy Davis was making a
return trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.[18] The accident occurred
at a fork in U.S. Highway 66 at Cajon Boulevard and Kendall Drive
(34.2072°N 117.3855°W). Sammy Davis lost his left eye as a result.
His friend, actor Jeff Chandler, offered one of his own eyes if it
would keep Sammy Davis from total blindness. The offer was not
needed.[19] Sammy Davis wore an eye patch for at least six months
following the accident.[20][21] Sammy Davis appeared on What's My
Line wearing the patch.[22] Later, Sammy Davis was fitted for a
glass eye, which Sammy Davis wore for the rest of his life.
While in the hospital, Sammy Davis, Jr.' friend, performer Eddie
Cantor, told him about the similarities between the
Jewish and black
cultures. Prompted by this conversation, Sammy Davis—who was born to
a Catholic mother and Protestant father—began studying the history
of Jews. Sammy Davis converted to Judaism several years later.[1]
One passage from his readings (from the book A History of The Jews
by Abram L. Sachar), describing the endurance of the
Jewish people,
intrigued him in particular: "The Jews would not die. Three
millennia of prophetic teaching had given them an unwavering spirit
of resignation and had created in them a will to live which no
disaster could crush".[23] In many ways, the accident marked a
turning point in Sammy Davis, Jr.' career, taking him from a
well-known entertainer to a national celebrity and icon.[18]
Marriages
In the mid-1950s, Sammy was involved with Kim Novak, a film star
under contract to Columbia Studios. The head of the studio, Harry
Cohn, was worried about the negative effect this would have on the
studio because of the prevailing taboo against miscegenation. Sammy
Davis called his friend, the mobster Johnny Roselli, who was asked
to tell Sammy Davis that Sammy Davis had to stop the affair with
Novak. Roselli arranged for Sammy Davis to be kidnapped for a few
hours to throw a scare into him. His hastily arranged and
soon-dissolved marriage to black dancer Loray White in 1958 was an
attempt to quiet the controversy.[24]
In 1960, Sammy Davis caused controversy again when Sammy Davis
married white Swedish-born actress May Britt. Sammy Davis received
hate mail while starring in the Broadway musical adaptation of
Golden Boy from 1964–66 (for which Sammy Davis received a Tony Award
nomination for Best Actor). At the time Sammy Davis appeared in the
play, interracial marriages were forbidden by law in 31 US states,
and only in 1967 were those laws ruled unconstitutional by the US
Supreme Court.[25] Sammy Davis and Britt had one daughter and
adopted two sons. Sammy Davis performed almost continuously and
spent little time with his wife. They divorced in 1968, after Sammy
Davis admitted to having had an affair with singer Lola Falana. That
year, Sammy Davis started dating Altovise Gore, a dancer in Golden
Boy. They were married on May 11, 1970 by the Reverend Jesse
Jackson. They adopted a child and remained married until Sammy
Davis, Jr.'s death in 1990.
Political beliefs
Although Sammy Davis had been voting Democratic, Sammy Davis felt a
lack of respect from the John F. Kennedy presidency. Sammy Davis had
been removed from the list of performers for Kennedy's inaugural
party (hosted by Sammy Davis, Jr.' close friend Frank Sinatra)
because of Sammy Davis, Jr.' recent interracial marriage to May
Britt on November 13, 1960, in order to quell any controversy.[26]
In the early 1970s, Sammy Davis supported Republican President
Richard M. Nixon (and gave the startled President a hug during a
live television broadcast). The incident was controversial, and
Sammy Davis was given a hostile reception by his peers. Sammy Davis
also undertook a USO tour of Vietnam at the behest of the Nixon
Administration.
Previously Sammy Davis had won their respect with his performance as
Joe Wellington Jr. in Golden Boy and his participation in the Civil
Rights Movement. Nixon invited Sammy Davis to sleep in the White
House in 1973, which is believed[by whom?] to be the first time an
African American was invited to do so.[citation needed] Sammy Davis
spent the night in the Queens' Bedroom.[27] Unlike Sinatra, Sammy
Davis voted Democratic for President again after the Nixon
administration, supporting the campaigns of Rev. Jesse Jackson in
1984 and 1988.
Death
Sammy Davis died in Beverly Hills, California on May 16, 1990, of
complications from throat cancer. Earlier, when Sammy Davis was told
that surgery (laryngectomy) offered him the best chance of survival,
Sammy Davis replied Sammy Davis would rather keep his voice than
have a part of his throat removed; Sammy Davis subsequently was
treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.[28]
However, a few weeks prior to his death his entire larynx was
removed during surgery.[29] Sammy Davis was interred in the Forest
Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California next to his
father and Will Mastin.
On May 18, 1990, two days after Sammy Davis, Jr.' death, the neon
lights of the Las Vegas Strip were darkened for ten minutes, as a
tribute to him.
Portrayals
Sammy Davis was portrayed by Don Cheadle in the HBO film The Rat
Pack, a television film about the pack of entertainers. Cheadle won
a Golden Globe award for his performance.
Eddie Griffin has made his impersonation of Sammy Davis a major part
of his career, be it at stage or TV.
On Saturday Night Live, Sammy Davis has been portrayed by Garrett
Morris, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal and Tim Meadows.
Sammy Davis was portrayed on the popular sketch comedy show In
Living Color by Tommy Davidson, notably a parody of the film Ghost,
in which the ghost of Sammy Davis enlists the help of Whoopi
Goldberg to communicate with his wife.
David Raynr also portrayed Sammy Davis in the miniseries Sinatra, a
television film about the life of Frank Sinatra.
Sammy Davis was portrayed by Keith Powell in an episode of 30 Rock
entitled "Subway Hero".
In the 1993 film Wayne's World 2, Tim Meadows portrays Sammy Davis
in the dream sequence with Michael A. Nickles as Jim Morrison.
Sammy Davis was portrayed by Paul Sharma in the 2003 West End
production Rat Pack Confidential.[30]
In September 2009, the musical Sammy: Once in a Lifetime premiered
at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego with book, music and lyrics by
Leslie Bricusse, and additional songs by Bricusse and Anthony Newley.
The title role was played by Broadway Tony Award nominee Obba
Babatundé.
Sammy Davis was mentioned in British singer Amy Winehouse's album
Back to Black on the song "Me and Mr. Jones". The lyrics are as
follows: "Aside from Sammy you're my best black Jew."
A black and white portrait of Sammy Davis, Jr., drawn by Jim
Blanchard, adorns the cover of avant-garde rock band Oxbow's second
album King Of The Jews.
Midwest radio personality Kevin Matthews impersonated Sammy Davis
many times on his radio show.
Comedian Jim Carrey has portrayed Sammy Davis on stage in a stand up
routine.
Discography
Main article: Sammy Davis discography
Honors and awards
Grammy Awards
Year Category Song Result Notes
2002 Grammy Hall of Fame Award "What Kind of Fool Am I?" Inducted
Recorded in 1962
2001 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
1972 Pop Male Vocalist "Candy Man" Nominee
1962 Record of the Year "What Kind of Fool Am I" Nominee
1962 Male Solo Vocal Performance "What Kind of Fool Am I" Nominee
Emmy Awards
Year Category Program Result
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Sammy Davis Jr.'s 60th
Anniversary Celebration Winner[31]
1989 Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series The Cosby Show
Nominee
1980 Outstanding Cameo Appearance in a Daytime Drama Series One Life
to Live Nominee
1966 Outstanding Variety Special The Swinging World of Sammy Davis
Jr. Nominee
1956 Best Specialty Act — Single or Group Sammy Davis Jr. Nominee
Other honors
Year Category Organization Program Result
2008 International Civil Rights Walk of Fame Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Historic Site Inducted
2006 Las Vegas Walk of Stars[32] front of Riviera Hotel Inducted
1989 NAACP Image Award NAACP Winner
1987 Kennedy Center Honors John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts Honoree
1977 Best TV Actor — Musical/Comedy Golden Globe Sammy and Company
(1975) Nominee
1974 Special Citation Award National Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences Winner
1968 NAACP Spingarn Medal Award NAACP Winner
1965 Best Actor — Musical Tony Award Golden Boy Nominee
1960[33] Hollywood Walk of Fame Star at 6254 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
Rufus Jones for President (1933)
Seasoned Greetings (1933)
Sweet and Low (1947)
Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956)
Anna Lucasta (1959)
Porgy and Bess (1959)
Ocean's 11 (1960)
Pepe (1960)
Sergeants 3 (1962)
The Threepenny Opera (1962)
Convicts 4 (1962)
Johnny Cool (1963)
Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964)
Nightmare in the Sun (1965)
The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World (1965)(title
song)
A Man Called Adam (1966)
Alice in Wonderland (or What’s a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place
Like This?) (1966)
Salt and Pepper (1968)
The Fall (1969)
Sweet Charity (1969)
One More Time (1970)
Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971; deleted scene)
Save the Children (1973)
Gone with the West (1975)
Sammy Stops the World (1978)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Heidi's Song (1982)
Cracking Up (1983)
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Cannonball Run II (1984)
Alice in Wonderland (1985)
That's Dancing! (1985)
Knights of the City (1986)
The Perils of P.K. (1986)
Moon Over Parador (1988)
Tap (1989)
The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990, last role)
Stage
Mr. Wonderful (1957), musical
Golden Boy (1964), musical – Tony Nomination for Best Actor in a
Musical
Sammy (1974), special performance featuring Sammy Davis with the
Nicholas Brothers
Stop the World - I Want to Get Off (1978) musical revival
TV
The Rifleman – episode "Two Ounces of Tin (#4.21)" (February 19,
1962).
Ben Casey – episode "Allie" (1963).
The Patty Duke Show - episode "Will the Real Sammy Davis Please Hang
Up?" (1965).
Wild Wild West – episode "The Night of the Returning Dead" (October
14, 1966).
I Dream of Jeannie – episode "The Greatest Entertainer in the World"
(1967).
The Name Of The Game - episode "I Love You, Billy Baker." (1970).
All in the Family – episode "Sammy's Visit" (1972).
Charlie's Angels - episode "Sammy Davis Kidnap Caper" (1977).
Archie Bunker's Place - episode "The Return of Sammy" (1980).
The Jeffersons episode "What Makes Sammy Run?" (1984).
Gimme a Break – episode "The Lookalike" (1985).
Hunter - episode "Ring of Honor" (1989).
The Cosby Show – episode "No Way, Baby" (1989). (After Sammy Davis,
Jr.' death in 1990, Bill Cosby wore a black pin with Sammy Davis,
Jr.' initials printed in white for an entire season of the show.)
See also
Rat Pack
Jews and Judaism in the African diaspora
List of notable Hispanics from the United States
References
Religion: Jewish Negro Time Magazine February 1, 1960 Sammy Davis Jr. Is My Mixed Marriage Mixing Up My Kids
– Ebony Magazine October, 1966 pg. 124
Rebecca Dube Menorah Illuminates Sammy Davis Jr.’s
Judaism The Forward May 29, 2009
LegalZoom Will Upheld In Sammy Davis Estate Battle -
TheStreet
"Elvera Sanchez Sammy Davis, Jr., obituary, September
8, 2000". New York Times. September 8, 2000. Retrieved September 18,
2009.
Time writers (October 23, 2003). "What Made Sammy
Dance?". Time. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
"Extra! Extra! Late-Breaking News From The World Of
Entertainment". Daily News (New York). October 14, 1996.
Haygood, Wil (2003). In Black and White: The Life of
Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr.. New York: A.A. Knopf (Random House). p. 516.
ISBN 0-375-40354-X. Retrieved April 29, 2006.
"Sammy Davis Jr.". Oral Cancer Foundation. February 6,
2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
E.g. Billboard, July 25, 1953, p. 11.
Haygood, Wil (October 7, 2003). In black and white: the
life of Sammy Davis Jr. A.A. Knopf. p. 156. Retrieved January 14,
2011.
Fishgall, Gary (September 30, 2003). Gonna do great
things: the life of Sammy Davis Jr. Scribner. ISBN
978-0-7432-2741-4. Retrieved January 14, 2011. Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Boyar, and Jane Boyar, Sammy: The
Autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. (New York: Farrar, Straus and
Giroux, 2000).
Eugene Chadbourne (2008). "Sammy Davis Jr. Now".
Allmusic.
Nancy Sinatra (June 17, 2000) (transcript). with Larry
King. Larry King Live. CNN. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0006/17/lklw.00.html.
Boyar, Burt (2007). Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr.. New
York: Regan Books. pp. 338. ISBN 9780061146053.
Hurst, Jack (1994-08-26). "Johnny Cash's War Within".
Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
a b Sammy Davis Jr. Turns Near Tragedy into Triumph,
San Bernardino Sun, September 28, 2008 Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr., Sammy; Boyar, Jane & Burt
(1990). Yes I can : the story of Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr.. New York:
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0-374-52268-5.
"Nice Fellow". Time (Time Warner). April 18, 1955.
Retrieved September 18, 2009.
"Pamphlet from Birdland Jazz Club". 1955. Retrieved
September 18, 2009.[dead link] Sammy Davis Jr. eye-patched on YouTube
Weiss, Beth (March 19, 2003). "Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr.".
The Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
Reid, Ed; Demaris, Ovid (1963). The Green Felt Jungle.
Cutchogue, New York: Buccaneer Books.
Loving v. Virginia.
Jacobs, George; Stadiem, William (2003). Mr. S.: The
Last Word on Frank Sinatra. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN
0-06-051516-3.
Harris, Gardiner (November 9, 2008). "The Underside of
the Welcome Mat". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
Sue Rochman (2007). "The Cancer That Silenced Mr.
Wonderful's Song". Cancer Research Magazine 2 (3). Retrieved May 14,
2008.
Haygood, Wil (2003). In Black and White: The Life of
Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr.. New York: A.A. Knopf. p. 516. ISBN
0-375-40354-X. Retrieved April 29, 2006.
Rat Pack Confidential transferred to the West End
http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=207&story=E8821061313852
The Envelope. "Awards Database: Sammy Davis Jr.". The
Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
Las Vegas Walk of Stars
"SAMMY Sammy Davis, Jr., JR.". Retrieved June 11, 2010.
"inducted on August 2, 1960"
Further reading
Autobiographies
Yes, I Can (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1965) ISBN 0-374-52268-5
Why Me? (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (1980) ISBN 0-446-36025-2
Sammy (with Burt and Jane Boyar) (2000) ISBN 0-374-29355-4;
consolidates the two previous books and includes additional material
Hollywood in a Suitcase (1980) ISBN 0-425-05091-2
Biographies
Haygood, Wil. (2003) In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis
Billboard Books. ISBN 978-0-8230-8395-4
Birkbeck, Matt. (2008) Deconstructing Sammy. Amistad. ISBN
978-0-06-145066-2
Silber, Jr., Arthur (2003) "Sammy Davis, Jr., Jr: Me and My Shadow,
Samart Enterprises, ISBN 0-9655675-5-9
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