Death of the World's Greatest Entertainer

Townhall.com ^ | July 16, 2009 | Larry Elder

[Kaslin]

The world's greatest entertainer died -- 19 years ago. His name is Sammy Davis Jr.

At Michael Jackson's memorial, Motown founder Berry Gordy called the late, incredibly talented Jackson "the greatest entertainer that ever lived." Someone once said that Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire's famous dance partner, did everything he did -- except backward and wearing high heels. Well, Sammy Davis Jr. did everything Michael Jackson did -- and more, much more -- except during Jim Crow and with one eye.

Davis sang. He danced. He acted. He played piano, drums and trumpet. He did impressions of the popular celebrities of his time. Gifted with excellent timing, Davis wove comedy into his act, always writing or improvising his own material.

Davis, like Jackson, became the focal point in a group of entertainers -- except Davis started on the stage when he was 3 and fronted the Will Mastin Trio as a teen. He never attended school -- not even elementary school -- and grew up on the road, without his mother.

Jackson came up hard. Davis came up harder. Try reading Davis' best-selling (15 million copies) autobiography, "Yes I Can," written with his longtime friend and confidant, Burt Boyar. It tells the journey of an astonishingly gifted and successful performer, a highly intelligent, self-educated, voracious reader, a man both confident and insecure -- in an era of segregation, lynchings and civil rights marches.

Davis worked hard. Davis played hard. His personal life and decisions and excesses attracted and repelled both blacks and whites. Yet however Davis' audience may have felt about him, it could never question his unparalleled talent.

"Yes I Can" describes some of the horrific racism endured by the legendary performer. For example, during World War II, Davis served in one of the Army's first integrated units. Once, some white members of his unit surprisingly invited Davis, sitting alone in a bar, to come over and join them for a drink. One of the guys handed him a beer. Suspicious, Davis refused to drink it. Good thing. The liquid in the mug was not beer, but urine.

During the Jackson memorial, we heard how he brought people of different races together. While Davis headlined at The Sands in Las Vegas in the late 1950s, the NAACP threatened a strike against the casinos because they wouldn't hire blacks in more prominent, visible positions. Davis told The Sands' president, Jack Entratter, "You've got to hire more blacks up front, not hidden in the kitchen." Entratter copped out, deferring to racist owners and high rollers. Davis told him, "Then you'll be embarrassed, because I'll be right out front picketing with them." Entratter gave in, and The Sands was not struck. Davis also marched for civil rights in places like Selma and the 1963 March on Washington.

He vigorously campaigned for John F. Kennedy in 1960. At the time, Davis -- despite the danger to his career, if not his life -- was engaged to white rising-star actress May Britt. To avoid alienating voters, Davis postponed their wedding until after the election. His reward? The newly elected President withdrew Davis' invitation to the inaugural to appease those offended by the recently married high-profile interracial couple. And 20th Century Fox, to which Britt was under contract, invoked the morals clause and let her go, effectively ending her career.

A brief word about Jackson's "moonwalk." Davis performed that move -- a derivative of soft shoe -- in front of audiences long before Michael was born. Indeed, young Michael frequently visited the Davis' home to watch tapes of Davis dancing and performing. As Davis told his friend Boyar: "It's such a gas when the kids like what you do enough to copy you. It's so flattering."

Before a show, Davis would pick out his first couple of songs, and then, after getting a feel for the audience, he would ad-lib the rest -- comedic patter, songs, impressions, playing the trumpet -- sensing what the crowd wanted. Boyar once accompanied Davis to a gig where the entertainer's band failed to show. "What are you going to do?" asked Boyar. Davis replied, "If I can't go out there with a comb and tissue paper and entertain those people, then I'm not the entertainer people say I am." Davis literally went onstage with a comb and tissue paper, captivating the audience for more than two hours. He did it, as always, without choreographers, directors, backup dancers or comedy writers.

Severely injured in an automobile accident, Davis lost one eye. He performed for a while with an eye patch and then with a glass eye for the rest of his career. He never missed a beat.

He portrayed a boxer in the Broadway play "Golden Boy," receiving a Tony nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. He also appeared in numerous television shows -- receiving several Emmy nominations and one win -- and movies, including the original "Ocean's Eleven."

A photographer, Davis captured fascinating shots of the famous -- Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis -- and the not-so-famous, of the rich and of the poor. (See Boyar's coffee-table book, "Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr.," a remarkable collection of pictures taken by Davis.)

No disrespect to Michael, but come on, Sammy is in a class by himself.

[Mr. Lucky]

You gotta reach a little too far to compare Ginger Rogers with Judge Sotomayor.

[Churchillspirit]

I made the point about Sammy David on one of the "King of Pop" threads here. No comparison. Davis was a true star.

BTW I really miss Larry Elder. He had a great show on local radio here in So. Cal. until it was cancelled.

I know he checks into Free Republic because he read some of our posts one day on his show.

[relictele]

Her words not mine. Anyway Paglia is a voice of reason on the usually hysterical left (and study the root word of hysterical closely).

[fieldmarshaldj]

Slick Willardbots don’t have much credibility to argue about honesty and logic. ;-)

[Kaslin]

I like Loui Armstrong (Satchmo) also.

My favorite song by him is What a Wonderful World

[Kaslin]

My husband was there in Vietnam during the time. He said he saw Bob Hope at the concert, he have

[Kaslin]

OMG he was at Bearcat, that is where my husband was in 1967

[Kaslin]

This still has nothing to do with this thread

[Kaslin]

Is it possible that he is a freeper?

[ETL]

Ok, I see. You found the quote that substantiated what you wrote in your post #31.

Re: “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2293792/posts?page=31#31

Thanks.

[ETL]

OMG he was at Bearcat, that is where my husband was in 1967

I hope he wasn't one of these guys up on stage dancing with Raquel Welch! :)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2293792/posts?page=55#55

[Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit]

But, you left out the fact that Elvis was forbidden by many parents. And, that kids did not have buying power in the 50’s.

Interesting point. I didn't give it that much thought since there are more relevant things to consider like the fact that Obama throws like a girl.

It would be difficult to quantify and account for the fact that some parents might have forbidden Elvis. A survey perhaps - but what would be the parameters? But, the purchasing power issue would indeed by subject to a legitimate estimate that could be incorporated into a model. That coefficient would make an enormous difference for comparison purposes.

To take it a step further, one might also try and accommodate differences in the overall number of choices available as well. I mean, if Elvis is 1 of 50 and Jackson 1 of 100 artists that might also make a difference due to level of competition. Actually this is a fun thought exercise. Look forward to your additional feedback.

[Yaelle]

I was too young to be exposed much to Sammy Davis Jr., but his autobiography impressed me so much that I considered the name Sam for the unborn boy I was carrying when I read it.

Larry Elder, where have you been, and what are you up to?

Here’s a great link to Sammy singing and doing fantastic impressions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCQc-naGb3E&feature=related

[denydenydeny]

Leonardo Di Caprio is 35. When Charlton Heston was 28 he played Moses.

Leo still looks like a kid wearing his father's clothes.

[donna]

I was talking to a friend who was an Elvis fan. She reminded me that it was a luxury to have a record player in the early years and stereo didn’t even exist! They listened to the radio, but at night the station reduced power and the static got too bad to listen, LOL.

[Deb]

He needs a shot of hormones or something.

[Churchillspirit]

Is it possible that he is a freeper?

He (Larry Elder) may well be.

We do have some very eloquent folks in this forum.

[Kaslin]

Yeah, I know. Remember Tony Snow was a freeper and his member-ship is still kept active

[r9etb]

Third, Michael Jackson’s hits were the last big hits of the non-download era, where record sales were everything and nobody bought single songs from Wal-Mart. In this age, there will never be hit albums again....only hit songs.

What ... you never heard of one of these?