Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Sammy Davis, Jr. as "The Music Man"


This is an undated clip from You Tube highlighting the uncanny ability of Sammy Davis, Jr. to lyp-sync. In addition to his many other talents, Mr. Davis was one of the world's greatest mimes, on the level of Charlie Chaplin and Marcel Marceau. The first 4 minutes here actually relate to Monday's post reviewing "The Music Man" with Robert Preston. I was unable to embed the code for the signature song from that film, “Trouble in River City”, during which Mr. Preston excoriates the townsfolk into ridding themselves of the potential menace of a pool table. In this video, Mr. Davis clearly has the patter down pat,  with his mouth perfectly forming every word  sung by Robert Preston.  This was a real surprise that I wanted to share.  

Mr. Davis' formidable dancing skills are also on display here, as he goes through the entire 4 minute number. He actually could have stood in for Robert Preston if the need arose.  It’s no great wonder that he was billed as one of the world’s greatest entertainers. Good things come in small packages, and Sammy Davis, Jr. is proof positive of that old adage.   
 

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