12 October 2014 Book Review Multitalented artist Sammy Davis, Jr. was an unlikely superstar. A short, AfricanAmerican, one-eyed Jew, Davis was cut from a different cloth than many of his celebrity contemporaries, but somehow he made it all work for him. He was a triple threat, who sang, danced and acted for more than 60 years — until his untimely death in 1990 of complications from throat cancer. In Sammy Davis, Jr.: A Personal Journey with My Father (Running Press, 207 pages, $22.68), his 53-year-old daughter, Tracey Davis (along with screenwriter Nina Bunche Pierce), tells her beloved dad’s life story — from his early days ducking truant officers so he could perform on the vaudeville circuit alongside his father to the 1954 car accident that cost him his left eye, to his close friendship with fellow Rat Packer Frank Sinatra to the cancer that eventually stole his gold mine of a voice — following a series of conversations while Mr. Show Business (as he was affectionately called in his day) lay dying. “After getting throat cancer, my father became particularly nostalgic about the past,” writes Tracey. “In the last four months of his life, from February to May 16, 1990, my father deeply reflected on his life. He was dying and I was pregnant with his grandson, Sam Michael Garner. Pop was determined to live long enough to see the birth of his grandson, despite the doctor’s prognosis that he would not.” That ticking clock — did he or didn’t he live to see his grandson? — lends both a sense of urgency and a much-needed air of mystery to a book that could easily have been just another humdrum look at the life of a famous person told by an adoring relative. You want to find out the answer. You want him to beat the odds. Still, while the narrative is compelling — if a bit amateurishly written by a daughter clearly in awe of her father’s many accomplishments—it’s the photos that really tell the story. From rare shots of Davis in very early performances with his dad to never-before-shared pictures with his ex-wife (he had three wives in total) and children, to snapshots of the star goofing off backstage and on set with other celebs — including Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and more — it’s the photos that really show readers how theman lived his life. Although he certainly looks content in the family pictures, it’s when he performed that Davis unmistakably came to life. With his arms wide open, his eyes shut and his head leaning back, it’s clear that on stage was where Sammy felt most at home. After all, he never lived a normal life — never attended school or made friends his own age while playing with neighborhood children. Performing was all he knew. “What have I got?” he often asked his daughter. “No looks, no money, no education, just talent.” Yes, talent he had to spare. Tracey Davis expertly lists her dad’s many accomplishments. He appeared in multiple Broadway shows, including “Mr. Wonderful” and “Golden Boy,” made countless television appearances on such shows as I Dream of Jeannie, The Jeffersons and Charlie’s Angels, as well as a memorable turn on All in the Family in which he famously kissed the bigoted Archie Bunker on the cheek. He released nearly 50 albums, including 1961’s “The Wham of Sam” and 1968’s “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” and toured constantly to promote them. He also made several feature films with his fellow Rat Packers — the aforementioned Sinatra, Martin, Lawford and Joey Bishop — including Ocean’s Eleven in 1960 andRobin and the Seven Hoods in 1964. According to his daughter, it was even his talent that saved him from the racist sentiment that dominated his era—both in the performing world and the military. Davis served in the United States Army during World War II and quickly learned that on stage, his father had protected him from the discrimination that so many others like him had to face every day. He was repeatedly beaten in the Army, and suffered further indignities such as having the N-word smeared across his bare chest in white paint and being served a bottle of warm urine when he was expecting a cold beer. What saved him was being transferred to the entertainment division, where he was free to be his natural, hammy, spotlight-loving self. “Prejudiced white men admired and respected my performances,” he told his daughter. “The spotlight lessened the prejudice. For me, it was a revelation. My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the oneway Imight hope to affect a man’s thinking. From then on, deep in my heart, soul and spirit, I knew I had to be a star.” And so, after being discharged from the military, that’s just what he set out to be. At first he rejoined his father’s act, the Will Mastin Trio (named after the third member of the act) and continued to play clubs. But his unique, almost otherworldly performance abilities quickly gained him a following and he was hastily swallowed up by the Hollywood machine, recording albums, dancing on Broadway and becoming a member of the famed Rat Pack. He had become the star he had set out to be. But just barely. In 1954, he got into a car accident en route to a gig in California that almost cost him his dreams —and his life. He lost his left eye, and was forced towear an eye patch for a number ofmonths until he was fitted for the glass eye he would wear for the rest of his life. Davis was terrified. Would he be able to dance again with just the one eye? Would his balance forever be off? As it turns out, yes, he could and no, it wouldn’t. As Davis continued to fight discrimination from his perch high atop the audience who adored him, he also did so privately, marrying a Swedish actress (discovered by two Italian producers) named May Britt in 1960 — with whom he eventually had biological daughter Tracey, as well as adopted two sons. At the time, interracial marriages were outlawed in 31 U.S. states and the marriage upset John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign staff, who wanted the wedding to be postponed until after the presidential elections because of their close affiliation with Davis, Jr. In 1961, Davis formally converted to Judaism, which he had become interested in while recuperating from his car accident. “Pop always combated horror with humor, and continued to joke onstage about being the only ‘black, PuertoRican, one-eyed Jewish entertainer’ in the world,” writes his daughter. But people loved Sammy, and so they accepted him — a black, Jewish man with a white wife — wholly and completely, and maybe even loved him a bit more for refusing to kowtow to society’s expectations. He was a testament to the fact that love knows no skin color and no religion, that talent can help you rise above the rest of the pack. So did he or didn’t he live to see the birth of his first grandson? You’ll have to read the book to find out. But whether or not he lived long enough to make an impression on the baby is ultimately irrelevant because he lived long enough to make an impact on the world. As his daughter writes, “My dad left the world of show business bereft of a pioneer whose vast talent shined in the face of racial adversity and opened the door for so many upcoming artists of color. Sammy Davis, Jr. touched generations of performers — beyond color barriers — with his talent and determination.” WhileAPersonal JourneywithMy Fatherdoesn’t always dig deep enough into Davis’s psyche to truly understand the motivations behind many of his actions, it’s understandable. After all, most fathers aren’t going to give their daughters a completely accurate account of their involvement in the excesses of Hollywood or their suffering at the hands of ignorant bigots. They’re going to paint the rosiest picture they can, especially late in life. And that’s what this book is — a rosy-hued look at the life and times of a man who set out to be a star and became one. In the eyes of his daughter and in the eyes of the world. LHR The Life and Times of Sammy Davis, Jr. as Told By His Daughter
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