A return to my Apropos of Nothing series, in which I feature something in quite a lot of detail, for no particular reason.
This month: Sammy Davis Jr.
“Why?” Because he was one of the greatest entertainers in living memory.
“So what? Why does everyone keep going on about the Rat Pack, and why Sammy Davis Jr particularly?”
Those are three separate questions, and only the last one is interesting. Because he was extraordinarily talented. Because he was a very interesting guy. Because he went through some very hard times and they didn’t defeat him. Because he risked his life on a daily basis to speak out against endemic racism.
But the same could still be said of lots of people.
Basically, I think he was proper bona-fide 24 carat star. Let me try to give some examples why:
Oh, he does drums
Oh, he does tap
Oh, he does gunfighting
Oh, he does tap while Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa do a drum battle
Oh, he does Nat King Cole
Oh, he does James Brown
Oh, he interviews Muhammed Ali!
Oh, he was adorable!
Oh, he does Michael Jackson!
Oh, yeah. He was Sammy Davis Jr.