Now THIS could be interesting -
https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny...cvu-story.html
Now THIS could be interesting -
https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny...cvu-story.html
Yes; this could be interesting and I look forward to catching this series when it comes out. Thanks for the news PNH!Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
Agreed! Excellent casting also!Quote:
Originally Posted by Motown Eddie
Hi, MEd - Davis was an incredible talent and paved lots of roads that our beloved Motown artists were able to drive. A good bio series of Sammy could be far more enlightening and interesting that that of, say, Marvin. Stay well!Quote:
Originally Posted by Motown Eddie
The Boston Globe reported yesterday that its based on the book, In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. by Boston Globe alum, Wil Haygood.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
I read it. It's a totally engrossing read. A must read, in fact, fellow SDF posters. Checked it out from the local library when it dropped, many moons ago. [[That's my secret to bypassing the exorbitant costs of bios then and now.)
I am not familiar with this actor but I'm really looking forward to this bio pic. Sammy Davis was one of the all time great entertainers, enormously talented. Sad that he died so young, but I think he even said about himself, "If I knew I'd live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
His own autobiography [["Yes I Can") was a huge bestseller in its day, which he followed up later with a second volume. It seemed to me he was unflinchingly honest about what he had to endure in the Army and during his long struggle for fame in show business, some of which was harrowing. The fact that he was viewed by a younger generation as being an "Oreo" or a sellout must have been especially galling to him as he had spent most of his life helping to pave the way for many, including some of those who criticized him.
I have a copy of the later biography and am going to make it a point to read it soon. He is so deserving of being remembered well.
Kenneth, you're spot on. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by kenneth
I was given a grim reminder of how prevalent it must’ve been to disparage Sammy Davis in some ways, from a very unexpected source. Recently, Turner classic movies ran a few of Doris Day‘s specials from the late 60s and early 70s and I taped one of them which had John Denver as a special guest. Doris‘s opening number was “Anything Goes”. In one of the verses, the lyrics go “the world‘s gone mad today, and day’s night today, and black’s white today,” and when she sang the lyric “blacks white today“ they flashed a picture of Sammy Davis! I couldn’t believe it. The following lyric goes “and the men today that women prize today…“ But instead of singing the actual line which says “are just silly gigolos“, she sang “the men are just… Well I don’t know…“ And they flashed photos of Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, and David Bowie!Quote:
Originally Posted by nativeNY63
it’s hard to believe that someone like Doris Day would disrespect Sammy Davis, when after all they were really contemporaries and she would of course be very respectful of his talent. I’m sure she had nothing to do with the allusions to Sammy and his “image“ just as I’m sure she had nothing to do with suggesting the sexuality of Jagger et al was something amusing. It’s just amazing that something like that got the go ahead and how they thought it was good comedy to refer to Davis as a black in “white clothing,“ so to speak. Other than that, her talent was shown to great advantage especially in the sequences with John Denver, surprisingly.
Like I said, just a grim reminder of how so many jokes were considered acceptable to mainstream audiences.
Yeah, as the book and movie reveal, behind-the-scenes, Sammy was battling some serious demons. And to your point: The Rat Pack, which he was a part, treating him like the so-called Magical Negro. They threw direct references to his race at concerts! His idol, Sinatra, chief among them. In addition, marrying, at the time - outside his race was a blow to his booking some gigs. Overall, though immensely talented on ALL levels, IMO, he died penniless, diminished, and unfulfilled. At the end of the book, I was stunned and speechless.Quote:
Originally Posted by kenneth
Interesting comments, all. During his heyday I admit that I viewed Davis as a bit of a joke - but I kept coming back because of something, which I now realize was pure talent, ambition and drive. It's to the shame of those who treated Davis badly [[yeah, rat pack, lookin' at you) and not Davis' own. Give a listen to any of the Sammy Davis, Jr 1960's studio lps if you have any doubts about his talent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony
I admit I was guilty of that as well. When I was young, I just thought of him as the butt of the jokes for the Rat Pack. Of course, he was in on the joke but I went along with believing he was a sellout. It was only after I started to really listen to his music when I was older and learned about his life, that I came to appreciate him.
Good for you to admit this. I would not have done so, but wanted you to know I could understand how you viewed him at the time.
Hope Hulu does Sammy D.,Jr's life due justice. Since he didn't get it when he was alive, outside us his fans. Will be scrutinizing the production since I've read Haygood's excellent bio.