SAMMY DAVIS JR.: The Legacy Of The World's Greatest Entertainer

Lerone Jr. Bennett

This is the fourth of a series of articles on landmark triumphs of the 20th century. The third article on Martin Luther King Jr.'s triumph at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo appeared in the December issue.

GEORGE BURNS said "a phenomenon like him comes along once in a lifetime." Milton Berle called him "the world's greatest entertainer."

Little Richard said he was "the greatest entertainer who ever lived --bar none."

Janet Jackson said he was "the Martin Luther King of the entertainment industry." And Willie Brown, who then was Speaker of the California Assembly, said he was the godfather of the Black superstars of today. "Cos," he said, "would not be Cos [Bill Cosby], and Sidney [Poitier] would not be Sidney, if Sammy had not been Sammy."

Sammy Davis Jr., the rare and extravagant spirit who was the object of these rare and extravagant appraisals, was an American original.

In his life and death, the singer-dancer-actor-mimic marked a major milestone in our common cultural history. For he was a crossroads figure who almost single-handedly created a civil rights revolution in the entertainment world.

For 36 daring, dramatic, tragic, triumphant, controversial, go-for-broke, what-the-hell years, he inhabited center stage in our national psyche. And when he died in his Beverly Hills mansion in 1990, after a long struggle with throat cancer, he was a legend who lived in a time on the other side of time.

His death triggered an unprecedented national tribute. The lights on the Las Vegas Strip went dark for 10 minutes in his memory. This had happened only two times before --after the deaths of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. And the Davis funeral, which will be talked about for years, enlarged on the legend, attracting thousands of ordinary citizens--Black, White, Brown, Jew, Gentile, Protestant and Catholic--and a Who's Who of the entertainment industry (including Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Dean Martin and Cicely Tyson) to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.

In a development that would have pleased Sammy, a 300-car caravan--one of the longest funeral caravans in memory, according to police--followed his body from the memorial service to the Forest Lawn/Glendale grave site, forcing the California Highway Patrol to briefly close off two freeways.

In the end, as almost everybody said, Sammy, as almost everybody called him, was a great entertainer because he was a great witness and he was a great witness because he was a great entertainer. It is certainly significant in this connection that he gave more benefits than any other entertainer and that he marched with Dr. King not only in Washington, D.C., but also in Mississippi.

The son of a Baptist father and a Roman Catholic mother, Sammy was an American, an African-American and a Jew--and he transcended all categories. A metaphor and a bridge, he carried in his flesh all the contradictions and all the hopes of our pluralistic social and musical heritage.

A Man Called Adam, Golden Boy, Anna Lucasta, Porgy and Bess, Ocean's Eleven, Mr. Wonderful, "Hey There," "What Kind of Fool Am I," "Birth of the Blues," "I Gotta Be Me," "Mr. Bojangles,": This was the light and legacy of the ultimate "Candy Man" who was born in poverty and overcame impossible odds by telling himself and anyone who would listen: "Yes I Can."

RELATED ARTICLE: THE LEGACY OF A LEGEND

HE left four major legacies and memories that will dance down the corridor of time. He left literally and figuratively a legacy of stars. Along with a handful of Black giants, most notably Nat King Cole and Lena Horne, he invented the concept of the modern Black superstar. More perhaps than any other person, he wrote--with his life--the Fourteenth Amendment of Show Business.

He left a constellation of Black stars, and he left a sea of love. For he was, above all else, a lover, a hugger, a toucher, a seeker of human warmth and companionship.

He also left a legacy of common ground. The son of Sammy Davis Sr. and Elvira Sanchez Davis, Sammy Davis Jr. was the embodiment of the rainbow American tradition. And Jesse Jackson said correctly over his grave: "In this one person, African-Americans and Jews find common ground. In this one person, Black and White, and East and West, find common ground."

Finally, and most importantly, he left a legacy of mountaintops. Never so long as he lived did he stop reaching for the stars. And when he was asked in his last major EBONY interview what he would tell Black youths, he said he would tell them:

"Do it! Go for it! Go for the mountaintop, man. Reach for the stars."

Who's Who of Entertainment world, including Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood and Quincy Jones, saluted Sammy Davis Jr. at televised tribute shortly before his death in 1990. Child prodigy (opposite page) made his debut in 1929 and became one of the dominant forces in the entertainment industry in 20th century. In touching tribute, Gregory Hines (right) kissed Sammy's shoes.

Will Mastin Trio, Starring Sammy Davis Jr. and featuring his father, Sammy Davis Sr., and uncle Will Mastin (r.), was big hit on old vaudeville circuit. After losing his eye in auto accident in 1954, he made electrifying comeback and was a major force in frank Sinatra's famed Rat Pack.

Major triumphs included Anna Lucasta, opposite Eartha Kitt (left), "Sportin' Life" in Porgy and Bess (below, left), Mr. Wonderful (below) on Broadway. EBONY Publisher John H. Johnson (bottom) gave entertainer EBONY's Lifetime Achievement Award oil American Black Achievement Awards TV show.

Active on civil rights front, Davis received coveted Spingarn Award from NAACP's Roy Wilkins and shared spotlight with Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, at New York benefit. First Black American guests to spend a night at the White House, star and wife Altovise (bottom) were welcomed by President and Mrs. Nixon.

All-star cast, including Frank Sinatra (l.) and manager Shirley Rhodes (r.), supported Davis when he married movie star May Britt in 1960. Star and Altovise Gore married in 1970 and later repeated vows before the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Star's children with May Britt, Jeff (2nd fr. l.), Tracy Davis Garner (r.), and Mark (rear) attended Davis tribute with May, Shirley Rhodes and Tracy's husband, Guy (l.). Davis and Altovise adopted a son Manny. Among his closest friends were manager Rhodes, her husband George, who was his longtime conductor, and aide Murphy Bennett.

Last standing ovation (bottom), led by Rabbi Allen Freehling and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, was given star at his internment in Forest Lawn/Glendale grave site.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group