Sammy Davis, Jr. - Entertainer.

You need only one word to describe the essence of Sammy Davis, Jr; that word is Entertainer; with a capital E and a period at the end. Fluent in the arts of singing, dancing, impressionism, and everything in between, Mr. Davis is one of those who came out of the last days of vaudeville; touring with his Uncle in the Will Maston Trio at the age of 3. The man was literally born on stage. And then dominated it, in spite of racial and physical difficulties which would make it hard even in today's enlightened era.

After serving in the army during the 2nd World War Mr. Davis took to the stage and from there went on to Hollywood and Las Vegas. It was during that period when he made the acquaintance of Frank Sinatra, beginning a friendship which would last until the two men died. Sinatra was the one who brought Mr. Davis into the fabled Las Vegas "Rat Pack", making him part of a legend even while they were still performing.

His solo career soared after the release of his first #1 single "Hey There" in the early 1950's. With his signature voice and suave style of performance it was not too long before he was headlining on that new medium, television.

This film is from one of the literally hundreds of TV appearances he made during the late 1950's and 1960's. I don't know which show it's from; if you recognize it please let me know. What really makes this a great clip to watch is that it's longer than the average 3 minutes, and Mr. Davis gets to show off his unique range of talents.

To really hear Mr. Davis at his best; using his fantastic vocal power and range; then listen to this song which is usually associated with Robert Goulet; the heckler is Frank Sinatra. The recording was made in Chicago in October 1963. And, for a really good book on Mr. Davis' life, I'd recommend his autobiography, "Yes, I Can."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhJkEMapV_0

The Frank Sinatra Spectacular - 1965

The night before this TV special was recorded in St. Louis for a charity benefit in 1965, Joey Bishop slipped a disc in his back. While this was bad for Mr. Bishop, it was a wonderful opportunity for Johnny Carson, the King of late night TV at the time, to work with one of the hottest acts in entertainment history.  Acting as the emcee for, and sometimes performing with, the legendary trio was one of the self-confessed highlights of Mr. Carson’s long and storied career in show business.

The show was recorded and beamed live via closed circuit TV to selected movie theaters across the country on June 20^th, 1965. The broadcast originated at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis.

Whatever else needs to be explained about this video is done in Mr. Carson’s introduction to the show. So, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy it!

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.